:-)

Good news! We now have a washing machine. We've been without for about a month because it was broken, so I can do some laundry when my time slot rolls around. We did get our well fixed, so we're not on water watch anymore. Not any more than usual, anyway... showers are always limited to 2 a week. But it was quite an experience, fun at times! Instead of hauling our water from the school like normal, we actully did our dishes in the rain once! It was pretty funny.
Seal hunting is taking off! Boats come back with 7 or 8 seals, throw them on their 4 wheelers, and dump them in their front yards where they slice them up... or whatever it is they do to them. :-) Our neighbor, who is the principal, and his 11 year old daughter were outside cutting up their seals today. I had seal oil when I first came but haven't had the meat.

It's so nice to be able to step off the boardwalks now and not have to wear rubber boots. The tundra is frozen so you can walk on it. I've really enjoyed my evening walks out by the coast, watching sunsets. I never want to turn my back on them and go home!

My days are so packed it's hard to believe I'm able eat and sleep. Which makes me think... what am doing here writing this blog!?!? :-) No, I enjoy keeping yall updated.

I've been working with student council kids, trying to get ready for Halloween. We're doing a haunted house in the hallway in school and a dance later on. I'll be glad when I don't have to worry about this anymore. All this behind the scenes business is crazier than I thought! But it's gonna be fun tomorrow. We built a maze where you have to crawl through parts of it with semi-scarry stuff. That part I'm not too creative on, but there are little kids who come, so I guess it'll be fine!

Parent teacher conferences were yesterday and I was a bit rattled by the conversations I imagined would take place. Many Eskimos are still very guarded and resentful of white people, since it is now a requirement that kids go to school.
We have open gym once a week for the women in the village, and I go about every other week. When I first started going I could feel the tension with many of the ladies, and the looks they would give along with Yupik conversation directed at me wasn't really welcoming. But I knew I was there to be kind no matter what, to show the love of Christ, and I just smiled and shot around. When the game started I was taking the tip off, and one particular lady that seemed be resentful was opposite me taking the tip-off. I felt the Spirit moving me, and I looked in her eyes and offered a friendly handshake to show my respects, and you could honestly see her wall come down. Right then she was rid of her bitterness and smiled at me and shook my hand. It was a brief, seemingly unsignificant event, but I knew the Holy Spirit was doing its work, and I was so blessed to witness that result of Jesus' love!!! It was very exciting!

So the conferences when pretty good. A few students had low citizenship grades and most students are not studying and doing their work, which is pretty normal here! So of course I have to doubt my effectivness and wonder what the heck am I doing standing in the front of the classroom!? It'll get better. I want to be more creative and resourceful - it's better than it was in the beginning, but I have ideas of what great lessons look like, there are just not enough hours in the day to be completely thourough like I would like. The principal, who is a native, told us that parents are not really concerned about their kids' grades, they are mainly concerned about how they are behaving.

Thanks again for yalls prayers, and I do have a request this time, that you'll pray for the people here. Even a small village of 300 people has its conflicts. There is a gang that is causing problems, many students are persecutors, many are victims... one student wrote a suicide letter this week.

So we are all informed, we all need to pray. Seriously! We cannot underestimate the power of prayer, and the Holy Spirit is aching to act on the people of Newtok.