Welcome!

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Beloved.  Dearly Loved.  A word tattooed on my heart by my God, my Father, my Bridegroom.   When we fall completely in love with our Savior, He will delight over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with joyful song.  (Zephaniah 3:17)  This is the most important lesson that I have learned in my four years at Calvin College. 
I have chosen to follow his plans for my life and to trust completely in him.  This has brought me on adventures I never would have dreamed of; teaching English in Korea, teaching in Honduras for a month, and creating relationships with many young students in Grand Rapids Public Schools.  One of these upcoming adventures in his plan for me is to go to Sierra Leone in the fall for one year.  In my years before coming to Calvin, I thought about everything but being a teacher: an engineer, a nurse, a brain surgeon, and even a hairdresser.  But after my first year at Calvin, I realized how much I missed the sheer presence of children in my life. 
Children.  Full of joy.  Full of beauty.  Full of life.  This is why I am going to Sierra Leone.  I have the opportunity to not only be a teacher but also to learn about the ways in which education will continue to help develop the country of Sierra Leone.  The country of Sierra Leone has a population of approximately 6 million people with 45% of the population being under the age of 15.  The country’s literacy rate is 29.6%.  As the country is picking itself up from the brutal civil war since 2001, the need for a well-developed education system is crucial in order for the country to develop in our quickly progressing world.
 You may wonder what my role in all of this is?  I will be teaching at Kabala Primary Christian School and also working with other local public schools to increase literacy rates in Sierra Leone. 
  1. 1   I will integrate and model my pedagogical methods of teaching reading with the pedagogical approaches that are most effective in the primary schools in Sierra Leone using their limited resources. 
  2.      I will run workshops for teachers at local primary schools in Kabala focusing on how to teach reading in the classroom and alphabet work.
  3.      I will also be administering student assessments through the school year to analyze student comprehension of text.  

My professor from Calvin is involved and I will have regular contact with her.  I will also be traveling and living with another Christian young woman from Canada.  We will be living near the Christian School and working under the leadership of the Christian School Headmaster and School Board.  I was also just contacted by Christian Reformed World Missions and they want to partner with me in this assignment.
As I begin on this journey to Kabala, Sierra Leone, there are several ways in which you can be a part of my journey.  Prayer would be greatly appreciated.  Through prayer, all things are possible with God.  Please see my postcard to pray for specific needs.
        You may also support me financially.  I need to raise $10,300 to make this opportunity possible.  I would greatly appreciate any financial support you feel that you can contribute.  Any extra support that I am able to raise will go towards materials for the local public schools in Kabala.  

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