Wed. June 26th and Thurs. June 27th- The WINDS of CHANGE

The past two days have been quieter than the weekend, but that quiet has allowed for some reflection. First, the most important reason that I am here, school went well again these past two days. I realize that I will probably always need to remain on the alert with my class this summer. In the past few years, I have been more than blessed with a class so on task that I had time to worry about what I wanted to eat for a snack or taking a bathroom break. This year, however, I do not even have time for those thoughts to cross my mind. The kids are great, but my mind has to remain on the alert the entire time I am with them or one of my active little boys will find a narrow window to do something none of us would ever expect. They make life interesting and never dull. It is fun and a challenge all at once. Everything went on without much chaos these past two days. All of my duties were completed and the kids accomplished quite a bit of work. That makes the days a success, right? After school was out on Wednesday, Lisa Sorley and I finished our grading for the day and then opted to go out for a late lunch. Unfortunately, every restaurant we tried was closed, so our late lunch turned into an early dinner by the time we got to CoCo Curry for our eagerly awaited meal. What a treat! After lunch it was time for some planning and work at school and a little nap at home. Personally, I'm extremely grateful that these days have been quieter because I think I have been fighting a bit of a cold; the rest was greatly appreciated. (I am actually writing this on Thursday and I can say that for the first time in a week, I awoke feeling healthy and well. I'm hopeful that means that it wasn't allergies and it was a bit of a cold I was struggling against. I'm praising God for feeling "genki" or healthy as we would say. I was feeling wiped out.) After the rest, the "WINDS of CHANGE" came into play. Thursday was time to say good-bye to some long-time friends and role models here at OCSI. Randy and Suellen Hadley left this morning. The entire school gathered outside and lined the driveway as they passed by. We waved and cheered, and cried a bit. They were like the "mom and dad" figures for many of us as we lived here. Suellen organized and hosted all of the holiday events and made sure we all were included in some way. She did so much for the school and for each of us personally. She was our resident nurse for so many years and worked to keep us healthy. Randy, on the other hand, was my role model academically, spiritually, and professionally. He was my principal for all the years I worked in the secondary here and he has a background as a math teacher, so he was a coworker for me as well. These last years when I have returned for summer missions, Randy has been my superintendent. I have grown to love and appreciate this couple and I have a hard time picturing OCSI without them. I stopped by their apartment last night to spend a moment or two saying good-bye to them. I know that our paths will cross in the States, but it will be a huge change for OCSI. Beyond Hadley's leaving, OCSI actually will have many changes in the coming year. The business manager is in the transitioning phase, the current high school principal is moving up to interim superintendent, almost the entire secondary staff is switching out, and many new elementary teachers are coming in as well. Top that off with the fact that OCSI is living on borrowed time with their current (well - loved) elementary administrator and even the interim superintendent. I know it is God's school, but it will sure be a different place next year. He always provides. Today, I went to take care of some business in the office,, however, and our current business manager had left a "contract" for me to sign. On a yellow post-it note he had written "I hereby agree to serve as elementary principal for the year of 2014 - 2015." Then he had drawn a line and written my name, AMY JOHNSON, underneath. I was supposedly supposed to sign this before I could pick up something else. With a twinkle in my eye, I signed Janice Skillman's name, with my right hand, to the paper. I'm sure she may be surprised by her new committment. HA! Yes, folks, I am getting the pressure to consider returning in that position. Apparently they are willing to try just about anything. Yesterday, they wanted my passport as collateral, yeah, right! Lisa Coscia (my friend who talked me into doing the Great Wall Marathon - and current high school principal) also left today along with the Hadleys, and her two children. As she goes, she leaves her husband, Jody, behind as he recovers from major surgery. The departing Coscias will return to island 4 days after I leave, but I was saying good-bye to them last night too. It is reassuring to have Jody here to entertain and keep us laughing - he may be recovering, but he still keeps us on our toes. We promised to keep him fed and cared for in his family's absence. There are also many other changes here at the school. The faculty lounge is rearranged each time I come, some changes are always made to the grounds, but more noticable than anything are the changes in the sugar cane fields above the school. Actually, I cannot just call them sugar cane fields any more. There are traffic lights,,, many new roads, a farmers market, many new apartment complexes, and. . . well, let's just say I could easily get lost up there now. It is very different from when I lived here and even quite different from last summer alone. Things change, time flies . . As I type, I am sitting in my apartment listening to the wind howl. That hasn't changed. I recall doing that when I lived here, but alas. . . it has been windy every day since I have arrived. The crazy winds along with very high humidity has done some very unkind things to my hair! I would work to dry it and try to make it somewhat presentable, but the moment I stepped out the door, I would have it stuck to my face, neck, or turning into some very frizzy ringlettes. Those are petty after thoughts for you though, however, that is why I used the phrase "winds" of change for today. It marks a new chapter for OCSI. Let's fasten our seatbelts and see where God takes the school. We learned in chapel today that He is big enough to help all of us face our "giants" in the promised land He has for us. Same is true for OCSI. As for photos? Well, I cannot seem to get them from my camera to any computer. Either my card, or card reader, is damaged. So, you get a very poor paragraph to weed through. I really do type this with breaks and paragraphs. The website gets rid of them... The rest of my Thursday (as it is only 2:00 PM) will be spent with school work and who knows what else. I do know that at 4:00 we are going to get some fancy Okinawan treat, kind of like Hawaiian Shave Ice. We'll see what comes next.