When you experience speed bumps....

Lately I have been pondering this statement: when you hit speed bumps along life's road, keep on going. May 9th, I hit the biggest speed bump of my life. The passing of my mother has been difficult, to say the least. Another "speed bump" I have been dealing with is acceptance. Ever since I was in elementary school I have struggled to fit in. My role in friendships then was the loyal friend, doormat, and one to be used and abused. Throughout my teens and college years, it continued to be an issue. Now having moved to a foreign country and knowing virtually no one has proved to be quite a challenge. God has provided a few people with whom I can talk to openly. However, one of those people was a student teacher who left tonight. Another close friend is gone most of break. So here I sit: alone. 


Alone... Why is that such a problem? God is all I need, so why do I long to be accepted by others? Others look at your outside appearance, actions, and interactions. God, on the other hand, looks at our heart. I am truly thankful for that, seeing as how I daily make mistakes while trying to live a godly life. Over break, it is a goal of mine is to truly seek out God. While God is all we need, He has designed us to be in relationship with one another, whether that is through marriage or by being related by blood or simply be extending friendship to one another. It is my desire to seek out answers from the Bible on friendships, acceptance, and how to keep God above all else while following His plan for my life. 


Looking back at the semester, I can see how God has been at work in my life. Change is rarely easy. Most often it is hard and painful. God never said a life with Him would be easy, but it will bring us joy and allow us to have eternal life in Heaven! He has blessed me with an amazing family back home who prays for me daily. My students have been a huge blessing to me, especially yesterday. They showed me so much love through hugs, gifts, and encouraging words. It was overwhelming to receive so much love from eight and nine year olds! Each student has their own strengths and it is a joy helping them to develop those strengths, as well as gently guide them along in their weaknesses.


Perhaps it took God calling me to an island to spark the change in me He wants to see. When I am called home to Heaven someday, I want nothing more than to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." The real question is, "Am I living a life worthy of the King of Kings? The Saviour of the world?" 

Four Months In...

Looking back at my old posts, I realized I have not written in over a month! Where did October go? Time has flown since I arrived in Penang four months ago. 


School is going well. My students have the day to day routine down pat and the classroom prep-work has become more bearable. My biggest daily problem is that my students talk too much in class. This is ironic since my parents were told by almost every one of my teachers, "Jodi is a good student. Talks too much in class." :) 

Over a four day break in October I completely rearranged my classroom. My room was set up quickly in the first few days before school began. I was able to make it work; however, during the break I made my room feel bigger and more functional. *See my videos on Facebook for a virtual tour through my classroom.*


This past month many different people have opened up their homes to me for dinner and/or to play games. It has been nice having places to go, other than my apartment. Even though I have had these invitations, I still feel distant from everyone here. To be quite honest, I feel like I have not been able to truly be myself with anyone here yet. Since people here do not know me well yet, they will not understand why I may say or do certain things. I have found it difficult to share how I am feeling with people and lately I have been feeling quite disappointed in people. Some people have told me that they want to talk with me, but have not made time for us to do so. Since my mom passed away, many people have told me, "Let me know what I can do for you. I would love to help you anytime." Disappointment set in when friends did not come through on that promise. When I was in the States, that resulted in me packing up my classroom and apartment almost entirely alone. Thankfully some family members and three close family friends were able to help here and there. However, I was sad that people I consider to be close friends told me they were too tired to help, or should do homework... Some people here have said that they are too busy and have not offered time to talk on days when they could make time to do so. 


What I have come to realize is that I am expecting people to do two things: do what they have promised and act how I would act. If someone tells me they will do something, I expect that they will do it. Also, if the situation was reversed, I would drop anything to help out a friend. Lately I have been learning that I need to let go of those expectations. Otherwise, continual disappointment is in my future. 


Another difficult thing for me to deal with is being able to talk about how I am feeling, as I briefly mentioned before. Often times I have not mentioned my mom or talked about how I am doing. Most days it is easier not to think about my mom, my family back home, etc. The one person I told everything to is not able to talk with me any longer. The other people I wish to talk to in that way are 13-14 hours away by "phone." This makes it hard to talk often to my family and close friends back home. 


One awesome piece of news is that there is a student teacher here from NYACK and she is here for 6 weeks. We have hung out a few times and I am sure there will be much more in the upcoming weeks. I am thankful God has provided another friend to hang out with on a regular basis. I am also thankful for my friend Heather who also works at Dalat. Her and I are the lone single ladies on campus. Even though we have completely opposite schedules, we work at trying to see each other some during the week (if possible), but especially on weekends. Also, I am thankful that Doug and Marsha Yost are still here. I lived with them during part of my time in Malaysia doing my student teaching. 


God is teaching me to rely even more fully on Him. He has provided me with all that I need and then some. :) The song "Blessings" by Laura Story is one that sticks out in my mind. Blessings may be tears or trials of this life. God never said life was going to be easy. He said that He will never leave us, help us through it, and be blessed.

Almost Three Months In...

     It is surreal to think that I have been living in Malaysia almost three months! These months have been full of highs and lows. About a month ago, I hit an all-time low. My demeanor normally is positive and happy; however, I was feeling sad, depressed, and always on the verge of tears. The loss of my mom was setting in even more. Combined with my loneliness, I was down in the dumps. Daily I was reminded of all of Christ's blessings in my life. He blessed me for twenty four years with a godly mother who loved me, with godly parents who love(d) the Lord and loved one another greatly, with family who loves and supports me, with the knowledge that I am following His Will for my life, and much more. 
     What makes living in Penang a challenge is the absence of family and friends, the amount of work, and the occasional cultural frustrations; however, I have found that being here alone has been the biggest trial of all. The time change has proved to be a bit of a challenge as well. Thirteen hours difference creates interesting times for Skype dates. Going from talking to your family daily through texts and quick phone calls to a Skype call once every two weeks is quite a change.
     Despite feeling lonely, God has provided! I had a few friends visit for a week from Indonesia. Then I had a friend that's working in Korea stay for a week. It was so nice spending time with people who already know me well, as opposed to explaining myself to the people here.
     My biggest joy is my students. Each one of my students brings me joy. During Bible time, I have started playing Youtube videos of praise songs with lyrics. My kids have come to cherish that time and LOVE to sing while doing actions. They also truly love Bible class. We have had very good and deep discussions for a third grade class. I cannot say enough good things about my class! The one thing my students are working on is talking too much when I am trying to talk... :) My class knows that when my parents went to my parent/teacher conferences they often heard, "Jodi is a great student. Talks to much in class." Ha ha! I can definitely empathize with my students, as I know exactly how tempting it is to chat with a neighbor in class. :)
     Thank you for all of you who have continued to Facebook me, e-mail me, and Skype with me. I am trying to respond in a more timely way and figure out when I can Skype with people. Your support and prayers mean more than you know and are truly coveted by me. 
     In Him, 
         Jodi

School Has Begun!

Hello once again! These past few weeks have been very busy. From setting up my classroom to planning lessons, I have been at school around the clock. Now having completed the first four days, I have been feeling extremely overwhelmed. Working every day from 7:30am-7:00pm at the school and then going home to work another few hours until I go to bed is quite exhausting. In addition to the business of school, I have really been feeling the loss of my mom. My mom was one of my best friends and a HUGE support system for me. As I'm struggling to stay afloat in my classroom, I know my mom would have been right there for me (via Skype of course). Lately I have wanted nothing more than to sit alone and cry... 


I know that God has me at Dalat for a purpose. I do love it here, don't get me wrong. With the combination of school work, lack of sleep, and the loss of my mom, I have been out of sorts the past few days. I would really appreciate your prayers. 


Pictures of my classroom will be posted to Facebook very soon! Thank you for all of your continued support through Facebook messaging, e-mails, and your prayers. God is faithful. As it says in James 1:2-4, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." I am trying to count this tough time as joy and learn what God has for me so that I may become more like Him.


Blessings to you!
         Jodi

New Faces, New Places, and Classrooms, Oh My!

After having been here just over three weeks, I have realized that spontaneity is a key component to living in Malaysia. Last Sunday I was invited, along with a friend, over for supper. We ended up staying late, drinking tea and talking. Tuesday we started NSO (New Staff Orientation). Every day Tuesday-Friday we had to be at school from 8:30 am -12:00pm. Then we were taken out to lunch afterwards. It was great to get to know all of the other new staff members from dorm parents to teachers! Each day has brought a new surprise. This week I have gone to a movie, out to eat, to an amazing (yet random) store called SSF, out to eat, random gift shops, grocery store, Bora Bora - a bar/restaurant which I found out have great french fries, to PenHOP, out to eat, and much more! You'll notice a pattern of going out to eat. :) That is a BIG part of the culture here. The stalls, or "local food courts," are very inexpensive and have GREAT food. It is more economical, especially for a single, to get meals out rather than buying ingredients to cook. 


Last night I went to PenHOP which is the Penang House of Prayer. It's similar to IHOP, International House of Prayer, which is in the States. It was great to pray and worship alongside many other believers from literally all over the world! 


Today I found out that my classroom will most likely be ready before expected!!! Praise the Lord! I am so thankful that it will be ready sooner than later. We were told to expect to get into your classrooms no earlier than a couple days before school begins. Now we are told we will have about a week and a half to set up! That's a HUGE difference when it comes to setting up a classroom. Please continue to pray that the classroom will get done at this new earlier time. Also, pray that I am diligent with the time I have been given. Now that I have reconnected with people I knew from before and built great relationships with new people, it is very easy to spend time with them rather than do school preparations. Finding the balance of doing my job well and spending time with people will be a key component to this school year. I remember this being a challenge in college. At Crown I often times sacrificed hanging out with people to solely focus on my studies.


Please feel free to comment below, e-mail me, or facebook me anytime! I love getting "mail." :) 

Two Weeks In...

It is hard to believe that I have been here just over two weeks! I remember when I was here in 2008 to student teach, I was so homesick and lonely on my second day here. This time, however, I have not been homesick once! God has allowed me to feel at home here. I have been very welcomed by those I knew from student teaching, as well as my neighbors, and other staff members. Plus, thanks to Skype, Facebook, and e-mail, I am able to check in with my family and friends often. :)


I have been blessed by arriving a couple weeks before new staff orientation, which starts Tuesday. Six to seven weeks prior to moving here, so much happened. My mom passed away on May 9th. After her funeral, I went back to work for the last two weeks of school. Then I moved out of my classroom, out of my apartment, and into my dad's house. In the midst of the chaos of moving so many places, my brother got married. Seeing as how I was the maid of honor, I was pretty busy planning and executing those plans. After the wedding was my brother's Iowa wedding reception. A few days later I was on my way to the airport. Once I got here, I realized I had no time to process everything that happened the past month and a half. Therefore, I have been so thankful for these two weeks to sit and relax.


As I mentioned earlier, I will be starting new staff orientation on Tuesday. All new staff with gather for meetings from Tuesday to Friday. I am very excited to get to know all the new staff members! Next week I will also start planning for my classroom, printing off my reading curriculum, and doing as much as possible without being in my classroom. The ES (Elementary School) principal does not anticipate the classroom being ready until a day or two before school starts. Therefore, I must prepare and be diligent with my time when I am able to set up my classroom.


A last thought for you... Today I went to Starbucks in a local mall. In Ames, IA, I was blessed to be in an amazing Bible study. Before I left, I was given an independent study of Jude. So as I sat in Starbucks, I dug into God's Word. I love finding the facts, the cross references, repeated words, etc.  I pray that God will give me diligence to continue and that I am able to keep the excitement!


Until I write again,
         Jodi   :)

Gaining Experience? You Bet!

Having been in Penang over a week now, I have had many MANY experiences. One day last week, I went to a nearby mall with the Sasse's to see a movie. After the movie let out, the Sasse kids wanted to see another movie. So we hung out at the mall until the next movie started. Once the movie ended, we went to my car. I told the Sasse kids that I had to run to TESCO to get a water filter and milk. We ran in for ten minutes and then returned to the car with the water filter and milk in hand to discover I had left my car lights on. Whoops. I tried starting the car. The battery was completely dead. So there we sat in the car garage. I used my handphone to call Karen. She called a fellow Dalat staff member who drove out at almost 10pm to jump start my car. I dropped the Sasse kids off at home and returned to my apartment. The next day I went out to find my car dead. Thankfully, there is a car repair shop within walking distance of my apartment. Mr. Lee scooted down on his moto and brought a new car battery. He replaced it, I paid, and he left. My car now works wonderfully! :)

I have also experienced purchasing a handphone, opening a bank account, getting a physical, etc. Most recently I was invited to get supper with one of my neighbors, who is also a Dalat colleague, and his brother and sister-in-law. It was quite an adventure! We drove to the other side of the island. Before supper, I tried Durian for the first time! The first time I was in Malaysia, in 2007, I was too afraid to try it. The smell is very distinct, to put it nicely. :)  When I student taught here in 2008 it was out of season when I got up the nerve to try it. Finally, last night I experienced Durian. It is considered a "fruit." It is very hard to describe what Durian looks like, feels like, smells like; however, I will do my best. The outside of Durian is a hard, spikey shell. Once you crack it open, you will find the Durian pods to eat. They can be yellow or white and there are many different kinds. We tried three different yellow Durians called centipede, red dragon, and green skin 15. The Durian looked like it had congealed skin on top. Once you bite into it, it is very mushy like thick baby food. The taste of the centipede Durian was very strong, but not as bad as I expected it to be. The texture of it was what disgusted me the most. I am told in order to like Durian, you need to try it three times. For now, I do not forsee trying it again anytime soon. :)

After our Durian experience, we went up a mountain to a restaurant. We had green curry, cashew chicken, fried veggies, another kind of chicken (the name is escaping me at the moment...), and chinese tea. The food was great and the view was amazing! I can now officially say I have been around the entire island of Penang. I had never been to the other side until last night.

Another thing I have experienced is church. Only having attended two services there the past two weeks, I have immensely enjoyed it. It is quite different from what I am used to in the States; however, I am learning lots. On average the entire service is about 2 hours, from 10am-12pm. After things settle down at Dalat with teaching, I plan to get more involved in church.

My classroom has not been completely built yet. It is still unknown when exactly we, both 3rd grade sections and a 4th grade section, will be able to get into our classrooms. Until then, Karen is helping me to get things done ahead of time so that I will not be as overwhelmed in a few weeks when school is about to start.

I have been having an amazing time here thus far. I've been able reconnect with old friends, make new friends, and get to know my surroundings better. I have constantly seen how much God has blessed me with: a very supportive family, friends, and church, an amazing job, great apartment, car, plus much more! I have so much to be thankful for and I praise God for all that He has done and will do. To God be the glory!

Here and LOVING it!

Hello everyone! As we speak, I am uploading the pictures I have taken thus far. Many of you have asked how my trip from Iowa to Malaysia went. I am here to tell you, it went a little something like this...

As I went up the escalators at the Des Moines airport, I waved goodbye to my entourage who came to see me off. I sat at my gate, teary eyed as I texted my dad. Soon, I was off. My first flight was from Des Moines to Chicago. The plane was tiny! It had one seat on the left side and then two seats on the right side. I ended up next to a man who was very tall and big! Let's just say I had 3/4ths of my seat for that flight. Good thing it was only 50 minutes. :) Once in Chicago, I quickly found my gate. That was when my headache started to really set in, which was due to the crying. I found some Advil PM, but would have to wait to take it until my 13 hour flight. I sat there, patiently waiting for my next flight to San Francisco when they announced that it was going to be delayed. Delayed?! I only had a 2 1/2 layover in San Francisco. That sounds like a lot of time to most people; however, it is not when traveling internationally. We finally took off and were on our way to California. On the flight there, I unfortunately had to use the "motion sickness" bag. The most disgusting part was the flight attendant said that they wouldn't take it. I had to keep it by my feel for the remainder of the flight... Gross! Anyway, I watched the in-flight movie "Just Go With It." Once we touched down in California, the race began! I walked very quickly to the international terminal. Thankfully, God provided a group of foreign exchange students on my flights. I tagged along with them to find where to check in and get my new boarding passes. Once I got my new boarding pass, the man from the airline told me, "You need to run." So I ran to security, quickly zipped through there, and literally ran to my gate. I made it on the flight with only minutes to spare. Thankfully I was able to make that connection.

Now started my 13 hour flight. My headache was getting pretty bad at this point. I gave in, took the Advil PM, and next thing I knew the flight was already 7 hours in! I then dozed off and on for the remainder of the flight. Once we landed in Hong Kong, I had a 9 hour layover. It was such a blessing that they had free wifi in their airport. I was able to Skype with Grandma Jeri, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Janice. Then, I was able to Skype with my dad!! :) It was great to talk to them and also helped to pass the time. After hanging up with them, I went to find food. I ended up buying 2 waters, 1 Coke Light (which is the name for Diet Coke here), a fruit cup, and a egg mcmuffin-like sandwich. The sandwich was gross. The eggs were not fully cooked and very gooey. The fruit was delicious though! I then went to find a plug-in again so I could Skype with Brenna! After we finished Skyping, I found out where my gate was located. I made my way across the very long and BIG airport. Once at my gate, I did Sudoku puzzles and word finds. Finally, my last flight of the day arrived! As I landed in Penang, I thought, "I am home." God granted me an amazing peace about being here and feeling like I am returning home. It was amazing.

Now is where things start to get crazy... I get off the plane and head to customs. I made it through with no problems. Then I go find a cart so I can pile my luggage on top... Haha! I had 2 big suitcases and 2 very heavy duffle bags. I kept trying to put my first suitcase on the cart and it kept rolling away from me. Thankfully, a nearby lady helped me to get it on the cart. :) And.... PRAISE THE LORD THAT ALL MY LUGGAGE CAME THROUGH! Nothing was broken or torn. :) That has been a huge blessing! I then took the cart and had to send it through a scanner... Just when I had gotten it all stacked nicely. Again, thankfully a nearby man helped me send them through and re-stack them on the other side. I made my way to where I saw Karen and 2 of her kids were waiting for me. It was such a blessing to be greeted by friends! From the airport we went to McDonalds of course! :) I had a spicy chicken sandwich that tasted pretty good. After we ate, Karen took me to my apartment. Since I am on the top floor, I struggled (along with the Sasse's) to get my heavy luggage up all the flights of stairs.

I walked into my apartment and completely fell in love with it. :) It is gorgeous! Beautiful wood floors, windows overlooking the ocean, great wicker furniture... YAY! The only thing I couldn't do when I arrived was check my e-mail. So Karen allowed me to go over to her house and Skype my Grandma and family, as well as e-mail my dad. Then I came back to my apartment and started unpacking. I only did about half of it before I headed to bed.

Now starts Day 1. Karen and I decided to meet at Dalat at 11am. Karen needed to take her van in to get the air-conditioning fixed. So she asked if I would drive my car, follow her, and we can go in my car from there. I said, Okay! My car is super cute! It is dark blue and so much fun to drive. I love it!! God has blessed me so much already. I cannot say that enough! Anyway, I had to tell myself to fight every natural instinct while driving. The blinker/turn signal is on the right now. I drive on the right side of the car and on the left side of the road. Amazingly, it really isn't THAT strange. I chauffeured Karen around Penang. We ate at some local stalls. I had very tasty black and peppered chicken with rice and fried eggs with fresh apple juice! It's 100% better than juice in the states. Then Karen and I decided I needed to get a hand phone (cell phone) first so I can get in contact with others easily. After purchasing my hand phone, I then went into TESCO. There I bought things like garbage cans, shampoo, body wash, tupperware, food, etc. Then I dropped Karen at home and came back to my apartment. I decided to unpack a little more. Well, me being the genius that I am, forgot that my brand new dvd player I brought with from the states does NOT convert wattage by itself (like my laptop battery does). So I plug it in without a converter... and POOF! Smoke starts pouring out of it! I quickly unplug it and I stood there saddened by my stupidity. I tried dvd after dvd to see if it still worked. Nothing.... I let it cool off a bit more and finally.......... IT WORKED! Thankfully I did not break it.

After unpacking a bit more, I was invited over to the Thomas' house with a few other new staff. We ate breakfast about 4:30pm -- pancakes, eggs, potatoes (that were AMAZING!), and juice. After eating we played Apples to Apples. We had many laughs and good conversation. I left and went out to my car to find I had no idea how to turn on my headlights... Whoops! My friends showed me how to turn it on and I followed them to Karen's house. I was then able to check my e-mail and facebook. Then I came home to watch a little tv on dvd :)

Now it is morning number two here in Penang. On the agenda for today? Perhaps swimming... Perhaps a bit more shopping? Who knows?! :)  Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I truly am blessed by all of you. Please message me individually on e-mail or on Facebook if you want a personal response. I will try to do my best to write back to all who write to me!

Leaving soon!

Hello friends! I am leaving quite soon and trying to get this blog up and running so that I am able to post updates along my journey.

I will write more later this week after I have traveled to my destination: Malaysia! :)

Jodi