A Song From Sara Lee

No, her name is not really Sara Lee, but that's what the students all call her instead of trying to pronounce her real name. Last night at the school Christmas program she sang a solo for the first time. In fact, this is the first time she has ever been in choir and the first time she has been away from home...for any length of time.

Sara arrived a little late for school this fall, visas and such taking forever, but she has settled into dorm life on weeknights. On weekends she shares her life with another family and with us. This month it's our turn for Sara.

"We're going to Texas for Christmas Day," I told her last night.
"Oh, Cool!" she replied in perfect Oklahoma teen slang."

Anyway, she wanted her family--back in tropical Indonesia--to hear her sing, and I was anxious for them to see how lovely her voice sounded in the stillness of the gym, so I took my trusty little video camera to record the event.

I know, the picture is dark; you can't see her face....etc. etc. but I was having to lean over into the crowd between sending the shepherds and prompting the wise men to begin their wending way to follow a star.



Here are the Lyrics to the song: "Breath of Heaven", sometimes called Mary's Song, by Chris Eaton and Amy Grant. I only recorded the first verse and chorus, because I was afraid to make the video too long for e-mail.

I have traveled
Many moonless night
Cold and Weary
With a babe inside
And I wonder
What I've done
Holy Father,
You have come and
Chosen me now
To carry your son

I am waiting
in a silent prayer
I am frightened
by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
Be with me now
Be with me now

[chorus:]
-----------------------------------
Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me, your holiness
For you are holy,
Breath of Heaven

Do you wonder
As you watch my face
If a wiser one, should have had my place
But I offer-all I am
For the mercy-of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me
Help me

Panama Streets for a Picture Meme

Babystepper tagged me. I have to post the sixth picture from the sixth picture folder in my Main Picture folder, only mine aren't quite that simple.

So, after a few dead ends on the picture folders--cul de sacs where there were not six folders, and picture folders called stuff and such, I finally located a picture folder that had six folders in it. I grabbed the sixth picture from that folder and voila.

This is a picture taken in Panama a few years ago on Elijah's mission trip. The older man is a Kuna native who operates a taxi service (the pickup behind him).
The young kid acting weird--um--cool-- is an American teenager .

So whom do I tag. I know. I'll tag you lurkers. This is a great chance for you to break into some really serious blogging with an assignment anyone can do. Go to your picture folder (It's called "my pictures" on most people's computers) and pick the sixth folder. Open it. Post the sixth picture from that folder and explain why in the world that picture is on your computer. Have fun.

P.S. a lurker is someone who reads blogs but never comments.

Silliness in Song while Studying for Semester Tests Tomorrow

Blame the Math Teacher.
He started it all by jotting down a math carol on the board for his dedicated Algebra I students. It went like this:

Math is fun. We like to do it.
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
It brings joy when we get through it.
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
All our homework, it is fun.
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
We are sad when it is done.
fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.

So I had to write one on the other side of the board before my Christian Studies IV students got into the room.

(To the tune of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.")

It's time for some philosophy; it's time for ethics class
We're filling out our study sheets; and oh, we hope we pass
An anarchist, a hedonist, and an iconoclast,
Oh where is our comfort and joy; comfort and joy;
Oh where is our comfort and joy.

Then the sophomores came in, and well, you know how it goes.
Everybody wants their carol.

(To the tune of "Walking in a Winter Wonderland")

Sophomores sing, loud and giggly,
and their notes, they are squiggly,
They can't study today
So tomorrow they'll pray
Walking in Semester Testing Land

We have a verse. Who's going to say it?
There'll be a prayer. Who's going to pray it?
I think that it's time
to stop all this rhyme.
Walking in a Semester Wonderland.

Then the seventh and eighth grade boys requested Jingle Bells.

Junior high boys' Bible class
Keeps me on my toes
Trying to find a question that
not anybody knows--oh!
Junior high boys' Bible class
What a noisy bunch.
Always have their hands held high
until it's time for lunch.

And the Juniors...who were dreadfully sleepy today; I hope they are not all coming down with mononucleosis or African trypanosomiasis, although the chances of that are slim in this icy weather.

Have yourselves a merry little nap time
Rest there on your desks
Just pretend I'm not up here reviewing tests.
And have yourselves a nap time of the very best.

(Well, we did accomplish something. We voted to bring a Dr. Pepper the day of the test...just so they can stay awake through that. ) Yawn. I think maybe I'll bring one too.

And finally...my tiny little girls class at the end of the day. They usually make good grades on everything, and they are intense when it comes to study time...so I had to wait until I got home to write one for them. Maybe they will log on and read it.

Once again--(To the tune of Jingle Bells)

We'll study til we drop....and even then won't stop
We'll learn these names and then...we'll learn them all again.
And when we see the test
We'll do our very best
As long as you don't deviate and ask about the rest.

Oh study sheets, study sheets,
All you need to know.
Never mind the textbooks
Let's throw them in the snow-oh!
If she wickedly throws in a lot of other stuff
We'll gleefully point this out to her
And so we'll call her bluff!

(Oops. Junior high students: if you are reading this, remember that section on the study guide that says simply: Know everything about Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and Moses. That's formidable. Oh, and bring your timelines to class. I'll let you use them for part of the test.)

Your Loving Teacher,
The Silly Rhymer Strikes Again

Bittersweet

Well. The games were canceled due to the icy roads. Not that I really minded. We do have semester tests beginning tomorrow and the last thing the students and teachers needed was to start the whole thing off with a four hour basketball gamefest and a five hour concession stand marathon. There is a little problem, however, with what to do with the 90 hamburger buns I bought last evening in anticipation of this large-scale-money-making fund raiser for my juniors who will be seniors next year and throw away all this hard earned cash on a self-indulgent senior trip they will never forget.

Maybe we can sell them to the cafeteria--along with the chips, lettuce, and tomatoes. (the burgers, that is, not the juniors)
Everything else we'll sell to the seniors. After all, it is their turn to do concessions after the break. I'm going to celebrate by staying away from games and grading papers...or blogging...or paying bills...or washing clothes...or just padding around the house in my jammies and crocs. I'm sure it will be terribly hard on me, but I'll manage somehow.