Above is this year's group of students and teachers on the steps leading up to the YISS Soccer Field right after the commissioning and prayer service on Monday.
I received the following picture from the teacher of our KA class, Ms. Regnier. Throughout this past quarter, the KA students have partnered with the GWAM team going to Thailand. They have been learning how they can pray for strangers in a far off land and write encouraging notes to the Thailand GWAM team members as they prepared for their ministry. This is a picture of the KA students on Friday praying over Ms. Weir and Ms. Johnson, two of the leaders on the Thai Team, before they left for the airport. What a special opportunity for these cherubs!
A very special time on Friday morning!
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The KA class has also been learning so much about caring for others and being grateful and expressing that gratitude in appropriate ways. A group of the special cherubs visited my office this past week to bring a poster of gratitude to my office. They came in with huge smiles and one little lady, Madison, kept hugging and hugging me. They could not stop smiling and laughing. They were thanking me for always making them laugh! :-)
Here are the four cuties that came with their teacher, Ms. Regnier, to my office to present me with the poster they had prepared for me. What a delightful surprise!! I am still smiling!
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As teachers prepared for a week of Spring Break, they needed to complete their Report Cards with Grades and Comments for Quarter Three before leaving school on Friday. I am responsible for Grades 2 and 3 and the eight teachers' comments and grades. Please pray for me as I check these over the break and get them ready for distribution once we arrive back at YISS on March 28. I will be busy during the break with final preparations for two big events happening the week of March 28: Online Registration for Quarter Four After School Activities and the Accreditation Visit from the Visiting Accreditation Team March 28 - April 1. On March 29 will also be the closing assembly for the Read-A-Thon. Students are looking forward to that to see if they reached their reading goal and get to smear pies in the Elementary Administrators' faces! Your prayers are appreciated for this VERY busy week of March 28.
Our Elementary After School Activities include 45+ activities in Quarter Four! Usually, we have between 27 and 35 activities from which to choose. This is the highest number of activities we have offered ever since this after school program was offered over 7 years ago. I am asking you to pray especially on the morning of March 29 from 7:15 through 11:30 AM. This is usually a very hectic time as I try to answer phone calls and emails from parents with questions about activities as they register + observe the online registrations to make sure all is running as smoothly as possible.
This past Thursday we finished After School Activities for Quarter Three. Our Boys' and Girls' Grades 4 and 5 Basketball teams will still participate in a Basketball Jamboree coming up on April 9 and I know they would value your prayers. One of our Elementary Phys. Ed. teachers and the coach of the Boys' Basketball (4-5) team always has a day when the boys on the team are asked to wear a nice shirt and tie for a picture. Below is the picture of this year's boys' team with their ties. I always love seeing them in their ties and shirts! :-)
Boys' Grades 4-5 Basketball team for Quarter Three! Looking sharp!
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Thursday morning in the Elementary School teachers met to pray for the GWAM teams. We had a great time of praying for the students and faculty going on these 13 teams over Spring Break. At the close of the meeting, Mrs. Willetts, our Elementary Principal, invited teachers to write little notes of birthday encouragement to me. My birthday has always been during the week of Spring Break for the six years I have been at YISS. So I had an early birthday celebration. All of the staff know I LOVE cheesecake, strawberries, and especially WHIPPED CREAM!! :-) Mrs. Willetts had prepared a cheesecake and cut me a piece and served it with a lone strawberry (I got more later) and a mound of whipped cream! What a beautiful way to start Thursday morning! I could get used to that every morning for breakfast! :-)
Oh, soooooo yummy!!! :-)
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I was also visited by one of our little cherubs who will be leaving YISS because the father has been relocated to a new assignment. Isha and her mother came to the elementary office to bring me a farewell cupcake and to get a picture of me with Isha. One of the hard things at an international school is that students come and go frequently. It is always hard, but I do enjoy building relationships with people from all over the world. Isha and her family will be greatly missed.
Here I am with Isha in my office. Isha is quite the Ballet dancer! She loved being in our Ballet after school activity.
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I was invited to attend a little performance of one of our after school activities, Drama and Storytelling, on Wednesday afternoon. Ms. Johnson and Mrs. Williamson led this activity and it was fun to see what this group of grade 4 and 5 students did in a few short weeks to do an oral interpretation reading of a mini-drama. They were having a great time of fun and interpreting a story.
Above are some of the scenes from their interpretation of the mini-drama they were working on!
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Saturday and Sunday have been relaxing and refreshing for me and I look forward to a week filled with lots of walking, refreshing, relaxing, and yes...some work. :-) I need to put final touches on the Quarter Four ASA program so that all is ready for March 29th online registration.
Today, Sunday, after a very challenging and excellent message from Pastor Doug at church, I left church and saw a new shop had just opened! It was a cake shop, but what grabbed my attention first was the name of the shop - Billy Angel Cake Company! Probably only a few of you reading this know that my mother did not often call me by my given name of Gregg. Her name for me was "Billy." When she really wanted my attention, she called me "Wilhelm." :-) In all of her letters and cards to me, the greeting was always - "Dearest Billy." So I stopped to enjoy a piece of one of their many yummy cakes and a cup of coffee. And of course, I purchased a new coffee mug for my collection! The store manager, Justin, enjoyed hearing about my story of my mother's name for me. Those of you who know me well, will know that although my mother would have thought the name of this cake company was a perfect name befitting one of her sons, the name "Billy Angel" is really an oxymoron! :-) It was a wonderful time to reflect on the morning's message and all that my mother taught me - as well as my sisters and brother.
Here is Billy Angel Cake Company near the church, New Harvest Ministry, where I fellowship!
Some of the very yummy cakes that you can purchase whole or by the piece.
I enjoyed an early birthday Rainbow Crepe cake with coffee!!
Here is my new mug!!
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Happy Spring to each of you! I hope you realize how special you are to me. Thank you for all of your care, love, encouragement, prayers, and support. I will be writing soon to let you know more details concerning my move to ICS-Pyeongtaek. Things are coming together! Thanks for your prayers.
Love, Gregg
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