Hello again! Two months left at Mango House…what a crazy thing to say.
December – January 🌸
SO WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING?!
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We returned to Arunothai, the group of villages by the Thai/Burma border, 2 times for ministry during the holidays.
For these 2 visits, we also brought the high school kids to train them as future outreach leaders! Our first visit was right before Christmas to share the Nativity of Jesus Christ. After a skit, worship, and games, we gave gifts! I was on the gift prep team led by N'Mai, a girl in high school. With the help of many others, we wrapped 120 gifts for the kids. We gave backpacks, cute school supplies, jackets, and snacks. Santa even made an appearance to deliver the gifts :)
backpack packed with extra goodies :)
preparation!! practicing skit and 4-hour wrapping party
Right before New Year's, we returned with a focus on evangelism. Over 100 children came, many having never heard of Jesus. Cory, another high school girl, and I organized a craft to follow the message. We had the kids make salvation bracelets, which are bracelets with different colored beads symbolizing important aspects of faith and Christianity. We chose salvation bracelets because they are nice to keep and wear and can also remind each child of God’s beautiful love for them, preserving the message they learned.
The kids loved the bracelets and retained each color’s meaning super well. Some even made extras for parents, siblings, and friends! After learning and worship, we held a carnival with games, face paint (my stall 🤗), snacks, and the craziest slide I have ever seen in my life.
Serving on both days and watching the MH kids serve with full hearts was amazing. Even though the kids may never see the fruit of their work, I know they planted seeds in the kids at Arunothai through their love for God. I also loved getting to know N'Mai and Cory in a different capacity! I got to both witness and encourage their leadership and hearts for serving God's children.
salvation bracelets!
BLACK = we are sinners
RED = blood of Christ
WHITE = becoming clean from Christ's blood
BLUE = baptism
GREEN = growing w God
YELLOW = heaven for His children!
cory teaching the colors of the bracelet
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Christmas and New Year's at MH with HMCC
Along with the festivities in my last letter, we spent the holidays with HMCC, a team from Hong Kong! They arrived on Christmas in time for a massive White Elephant game and a beautiful Christmas service. We shared a special moment where we all sang Silent Night, acapella style, led by Leslie from the HMCC team. The Holy Spirit filled the room uniting voices that had come from all over the world. To me at least, the air felt sacred as we all remembered the night when Jesus came to earth.
Though I deeply missed my family, my heart was full after this Christmas season. Between outreach in Arunothai and celebrating Christmas by serving the kids at MH, I felt more in tune with celebrating the coming of Jesus, the most perfect and loving servant. I was also touched by how I could see God’s light so clearly in the people around me: in the amazing MH kids who get more excited to give gifts rather than receive, in the HMCC team who dedicated their holiday to missions, and in the MH staff and volunteers who put in their all to make the holidays full of God’s love for the kids. It’s a blessing to be part of God’s kingdom.
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HMCC!
I love seeing each team's unique energy bless the kids! Along with coding, worship leading, and photography classes, HMCC had ALIVE class, a discipleship class for the older kids. Older kids were given a space to reflect more on their own, daily walk with Christ through small group sharing times with some team members. I really liked the HMCC team’s vulnerability and intentionality during small groups, it gave the kids the courage to be vulnerable in sharing as well. HMCC’s lively presence was definitely a blessing to the kids!
PINK TEAM for sports day!
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Preparing for Baptism Sunday!
The Sunday after New Year's was Baptism Sunday! Four kids chose to be baptized: David, Ewa, Latda, and Cherry. I had the amazing opportunity to decorate the sanctuary for the baptisms with Cory and Juju (MH kids) and Irene (another volunteer). Getting baptized in front of friends & and family who know your struggles and your walk is a really special feeling, so I wanted us to add to that feeling by creating a beautiful floral display (see pictures! 💐)! Cory and Juju are quite artistic, so I also wanted to show them how they can use their talent and good eye for God's kingdom!
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Baptism Sunday, woohoo!
During the baptism, all 4 shared their testimonies. Their stories moved the whole room. Many kids empathized with their walk with God or walked alongside them through their struggles. Ewa, Latda, and Cherry are also my students whom I have gotten to know on a deeper level, so hearing how God loved and shaped each of them through their darkest moments made it all very emotional for me. I am proud of these girls and can’t wait to see them continue to grow in their love for God!
To all of the recent volunteers and teams (Frankie, Ben, Cornerstone, SBMC, Faith N Hope, and HMCC): I just wanted to share that David, Cherry, Latda, and Ewa all pointed out how they felt God’s love through His people. We are so blessed to be part of building His kingdom all together!
post-baptism celebrations!
Sing Sing made "flower soup" while we decorated
- 10 weeks of teaching down, 3 more weeks to go!
At this point, my bio kids have gotten a foundation on the cell, so we are zooming out to organ systems and soon ecology! We modeled heart contractions, learned digestion by ~digesting ramen~, and watched videos about animals around the world. In physics, we worked on mechanics and just did an egg drop competition! I have a deeper kind of respect for teachers. This is so hard HAHA, but every day God gives me exactly what I need to teach lovingly with an encouraging attitude. When the kids complain and don't want to study, He gives me the wisdom to redirect their thinking with kindness. When they don't understand something, God gives me the patience to re-explain as many times as each kid needs. When a lesson doesn't go well, God gives me the courage to try again.
The consistent encouragement and time with each of my students is starting to pay off too! My lovely students are growing!! YAY! Here is how:
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They are working harder and are more consistently passing our weekly exams. Instead of immediately complaining “P’Izzie this is so hard I won’t pass”, they ask questions and make time to study beforehand. Now, they can see they can overcome challenges by putting in the work!
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The kids are applying what we learned to the world around them! The other day, MH went on a field trip to Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. On the hike, we were surrounded by nature. My junior high student Juju was walking with me when suddenly, she gasped and said “P’Izzie, so much mitosis!” referring to the growing plants all around us. 🌱
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In physics, my kids used to have A LOT of trouble with problem-solving, connecting concepts, and having confidence during exams. However, with lots of practice and encouragement, we built the habit of seeing what we are given, seeing what we need to find, and then thinking about how we can use the equations we know. Now, they are much more adaptable to different types of problems and have even told me that physics is easier in school!
This progress makes me so happy that I jump up and down with excitement with my students. Like, WOW! What makes me even happier is seeing my students' excitement for their progress, whether it's a shy smile, screaming, or a big hug. I can’t wait to see how else my students will grow in my last months here!
modeling heart contractions! (after a few fake blood explosions)
egg drop day!!
HERE ARE MY PRAYER REQUESTS!
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For wisdom on how to make these last 3 weeks of class more God-centered.
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As my relationships with some of the girls continue to grow, they share more of their struggles. Please pray that God helps me speak with wisdom and promotion of love.
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Mango House is entering a season of expansion! Please pray that God provides MH with everything/everyone that they need to expand God’s kingdom and carry out His work.
Thank you so much for reading! Now that our schedules have slowed down, I have been reflecting and praying over these past few months and the results we are starting to see from teaching. I can't wait to share more of this in my next letter! As always, thank you for continuing to support me and show so much love and encouragement. Thinking of you all <3
Izzie / Isabella
Warmest,