Wow! This has been one amazing month to say the least! Like, I am so in love with this place. I’ve been meaning to write this email for awhile, but I know that no matter how much time I have, it will not be enough to tell you of all of the wonders of this place. I keep falling for Pohnpei the way I feel down on our hike to Sokehs Ridge (which I fell 5 times, so that means I like it a lot). The stories that I want to fill this email are literally countless, so I will do my absolute best to give you as clear of a picture as possible.
Everyday is literally such a new adventure. New memories are made and different journal entries are written down. I am so thankful to live in an era where we have the ability to document so many different moments and occasions by just a few clicks of a button, but in this season of my life, I feel as though God is whispering to my inner most being to be in the moment. Living 7,000+ miles away from all of my loved ones is hard. It is hard to know that the most convenient times for me to pick up the phone and call someone means it is 3am their time. Yet, I am continually learning more and more how Jesus is always my number one confidant and I can tell everything to Him, because trust me, I do talk a lot.
Every time I ask someone who has been to Pohnpei what their favorite part was, time after time again I get the same response, “The people.” I honestly have to agree with them. These people are extraordinary, not only the people on this beautifully wonderful island, but the Student Missionaries that I get to live side by side and do every day work with. This group of people that I have been blessed to work with amazes me everyday, whether it is through the notes we pass when walking by in class, or the encouraging smile that reassures me that I can do it, and even when helping me up after I fall (literally and figuratively). I seriously do not know what I would do without these amazing people, and I know one thing for sure, I am so incredibly blessed to be a part of this team.
The kids have literally stolen my heart. Our first week of school I had to sub 6th grade for the last two hours of the day because my roommate was at a wedding in the states. Those kids were the ones who stole my heart first. But everyday when they smile, or when they wave, I feel like one of the most important people in the world. One of the 2nd grade classes named me Chapel Kayla instead of Chaplain Kayla, because they are convinced that the chapel is my home and that is where I live. Their cuteness melts my heart daily, and I am so blessed to be able to have a great time with them on chapels and such.
My seniors, they are something else I tell you. But they are amazing. I definitely have days when I wish I could curl up in a ball and never teach again, but these kids are good challengers. They ask great questions, and when I have them hooked, they are all in 100%. I love having an office where kids can come talk to me. It is a little strange taking on the role of a guidance counselor at times, but I know that God is leading, and I have got to trust Him no matter what.
One of my roles here is a Student Association sponsor. I feel so underqualified to so this, but hey, that’s life right? It is a blessing to get to work closely with the group of students which form our team. The different events are a blast, and it requires me to be a lot more organized than I am generally used to, it is really helping me to grow in multiple ways. We had our first event a few weeks ago and it turned out to be really impressive, the students did a really good job with decorating the gym and bringing everything together to make it a beautifully magnificent night. Freshman welcome party turned out to be a blast, we have leadership conference in a few weekends, and I look forward to helping with it as well.
As for the island, this place is literal paradise. The sunrises and sunsets that God paints in the sky every morning and every evening amaze me. The hikes keep me in shape. The waterfalls help to keep me adventurous. The views help to keep me humble. On Sabbath afternoons when we do not have anything to do, we will usually hammock by the water or just chill and talk which makes everything worth it. A couple of weeks ago we went to one of the outer islands called Nahlap. We spent the day there and snorkeled, ate a good meal together and had a really good time. While I was snorkeling there, I saw something out of the corner of my eye and realized it was a tiny reef shark. I quickly removed myself from the area hoping that it could not sense my fear. I am happy to say that I saw the first shark of the year though. My GoPro was recording, but the shark was out of the shot of my camera sadly. I love the beauty of this island and I hope the views will never grow old.
I have always loved the rain. It rains a lot here. This makes me very happy. I love jumping in the puddles, or just walking barefoot (I do not necessarily advise that for here). Since we do not have good ventilation in our apartments, we have pretty much open windows, so we can hear almost everything here. I love falling asleep to the sound of the falling rain, or being woken up by it, and having it put me back to sleep. Either works for me. Rain has always been such a soothing sound to me. The rain floods here though. Some days I will have to walk to class with water past my ankles, that makes some really fun splashing puddles. So now it is completely normal to teach while soaking wet, because that seems like the only option. It is a sad day if I choose to do my laundry on a day that it decides to rain, then that means a few days of waiting for them to dry.
Today we had an exciting adventure in our beloved apartment. The toilet of A5 has not always been the friendliest to us. Sometimes it likes us, while more often than not it decides to not work. Today the tank water decided it wanted to see the rest of our apartment and it overflowed. It actually flooded our apartment leaving a nice layer of water to sweep out. Thankfully we have a beautiful team of SM’s who decided to come and join us in sweeping the water with brooms. It turned into quite a party of getting things done. Then several people went into their apartments and classrooms to get us some fans to finish drying out the water on the floor. It amazes me how important our SM community is and how supportive we all are.
As I have been writing this email I am reminded of something. Last night, when I started typing this email, I had a small silicone ring on, etched on this ring are the word, “Brave like a Cheetah.” If you know the Bucket List Family you might get the reference. This ring has served as a reminder to me to always put on bravery every day. It normally resides on my watch strap because jewelry is not allowed. By the time I went to bed last night it was gone. My heart is a little sad, but I am also reassured. I know the ring has served me as a personal daily reminder to put on bravery, yet maybe the ring is gone now, because it is simply no longer needed. I definitely searched the whole Computer Lab last night and this morning because that is the last place that I saw it. But in all of this I know that I serve a God who gives me so many daily reminders of how loved I am and how with Him I can always be brave because He is my strength and my shield. So I am not worried about losing this one little thing, even if it does have a lot of sentimental value. I know the One who holds tomorrow and I know that He is always caring and looking out for me no matter what.
This past week the Southwestern Union came for a visit because they are helping to sponsor our school for this year. It was so cool to have some Texans here, and the programs they put on for the kids were so much fun. It is so awesome to have people here who have such contagious love for Jesus and to just see them beaming. Worship with these kids is always so much fun and it is so cool to see all the awesome ways that God is working each and every day.
There is so much more that I feel like I should tell you and so much more that I want to include, but I do not know if I have all of the words to say that at this moment. Know that you are prayed for and that you are loved. It is amazing to be on a tropical island, but more and more I am starting to miss people and things from the states. I love this wild adventure and I am so excited that you have chosen to hear about my stories and adventures. I’ll try to write more soon!
Please do not hesitate to email me back or message me, I have so many more stories and would love to share them. If you want more specific details about life here, let me know and I will do my best to share!
All the Best,
Kayla Goodman
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