I Don't Like This One Bit

I've been avoiding blogging because I'm not quite ready to leave. After not being able to cry for the past two months, I have been a blubbering idiot these past few days.

Sunday, I said goodbye to my church family.



Today, I say goodbye to one of my closest friends, Heidi, and a couple of my students.




Tomorrow, I say goodbye to all of my students and another close friend, Katie.




Thursday, another friend, Jaime, leaves.



Saturday is graduation, where I'll see the seniors for the last time.

Algebra one sophomores!

10th Grade Boys

American Lit Juniors

10th Grade Girls

Sunday, I fly out.

I don't feel ready to go. My heart aches each time I have to say goodbye. Last week during class, we had a pretty relaxing week of review and just hanging out. I wrote every single one of my students a letter telling them how special they are to me and how much I will miss them. They all really appreciated it, but no one really said anything until I got to my Junior class.

One of the kids wanted me to go around and say one thing that I have loved about each student. That is so easy. I could do that all day long. After I finished going through the twelve of them, they started saying things to me. I was definitely not expecting it at all.

The things they said to me are marked in my heart forever. I have often wondering if I have even impacted one student while I've been here, and they definitely showed me that I did. God moved mountains in my life, and I'm so glad they were able to see Him moving in my life.

A lot of the boys in the class started out by apologizing for being so bad and rude. In the past few weeks, they were on a roll of bad behavior, so it was nice to hear them apologize. Many of them said they really respected me for leaving my comfortable life and coming here, even if it wasn't what my parents wished.

Cue watery eyes.

They were being so sentimental. There goal was to get me to cry, and I was trying to hold back. I didn't want them to see me break down, and I didn't want it to be goodbye. I held strong through four of five of their comments, but then one girl started. She is in my discipleship group, but has been fairly quiet throughout the year. She is a fantastic writer, but told me that she had quit writing because she didn't see it taking her anywhere. She told me that even though I never said keep it up, keep going, that she was motivated to continue writing because of me.

Cue more watery eyes.

She said that she saw Christ working in my life, and I didn't have to say keep going, and keep it up because she saw that I just up and left my parents and my life to come and work here. She said that I inspired her to keep working hard.

Cue tears flowing down my face.

I definitely didn't expect to hear that. It is incredible how God has moved this semester. He deserves every ounce of glory for the things that have happened this semester. All I have done is try to be obedient to His calling, and I'm glad that He is getting glory from this experience. I'm so sad to leave, but knowing that God has used my time here to glorify Him, I am pleased.

Even though I'm sad about leaving, I'm also really excited to go home and see my friends! These are just a few of them...

My new roomie!

Sweet Maci, and the rest of her family

College friends, Amanda and J
Work friend/BFF Jessie

John Mark!
Best friend, Kellye

The Tripod, of course

Hopefully a reunion will be in the works!

The other day, while I was avoiding grading, I made a list of some of the things I want to do this summer. Most of them are Nashville faves, but they are all things I want to do. I thought I would share with you so you can either reminiscence if you've done these things, put them on your wish list, or make fun of me for being absolutely ridiculous.

1. CMA Festival - I've got tickets to go and I'm so excited! Jaime and my other friend Amy are coming down for it.
2. Play in the fountains - one of my favorite past times.
3. Laser Quest
4. Mike's ice cream - birthday cake milkshake. Yes, please.
5. Margaritaville - they have some dang good nachos.
6. Wildhorse - a little country line dancin'
7. Play at Centennial - preferably the game, signs.
8. Go fishing
9. Go swimming - hopefully lots
10. Eat s'mores
11. Cook a meal for friends
12. Read a book - hopefully lots more than just one.
13. Donate clothes
14. Make a budget - it's time to be a big girl
15. Learn to ride a bike - I still don't know how
16. Have an "around the world" party - I'm big into cultural food. I'll bring the rice and beans!
17. Have a picnic
18. Pancake Pantry - one of my Nashville favorites
19. Eat a popsicle at Las Paletas
20. Gigi's Cupcakes
21. Arrignton Vineyard - a wine tasting could be fun and sophisticated
22. Shoot off fireworks
23. Eat at mellow mushroom
24. Volunteer somewhere
25. Smokies Game!

I know there is a ton more that I want to do, I just haven't been able to put it on paper yet. I'm hoping for one incredible summer, but I never want to forget the things I have learned and experienced here in Haiti. The goodbyes are sad, but God has truly blessed every ounce of my time here.

If you see me in the airport crying, don't be alarmed, I just miss my home.

Oh, the perks of being a teacher..

One of the best perks is that you get SPRING BREAK! I was so excited about spring break this year because it meant not only did I get to go home, but I was able to see God move through the lives of thousands of students at the Youth Evangelism Conference in Nashville. All the pictures I put on here are not from this break. Even though I took my camera almost everywhere I went, I somehow forgot to take a single picture.

I left Haiti at 5 pm on Friday, but a bunch of my students were on my flight, so I wasn't totally out of "teacher-mode" yet. Once we hit Miami, I was exhausted and was just ready to be home. I arrived in Nashville around 11 pm and went straight to Ihop with my mom, the two Adams, and Jared. They really are the cream of the crop when it comes to friends.

The Adam's and Jared when I came back in December!

Saturday I slept in late, and watched tons of Glee! I have missed watching that show, and it was really the only one that I wanted to see (you can go ahead and bash me for watching stupid tv shows, it's ok). I took one of the longest, hottest showers of my life and really rejoiced in the fact that I was sleeping on a real bed. The littlest things remind me so much of God's love for me. After being lazy and enjoying the luxuries of life, I got ready and went over to visit one of my best friends, Kellye. We had already decided to hit the town that night, but I wanted to spend some time with her before we were surrounded by tons of people. We ended up going to eat with my friends Michelle and Whitney, then we headed downtown for my favorite ice cream on the planet. We then went to see a local band play where a couple of other friends met up with us. I felt like I was truly living the "Nashville life" that night, being surrounded by southern accents and country music.

Kellye and I at her bachelorette party!

Michelle and I when she visited Haiti in February

Sunday morning I decided to go to a new church, Hope Fellowship. They have only been meeting for three Sundays, but I had been attending their home study meetings in the Summer. I really wanted to see how God was working in this church, and I can tell you that He is! I'm so excited for all the exciting things that are happening in this life of this church, and I'm even more excited that I get to see it happen! I was put on the spot to share a little about Haiti. I was so nervous, but really just asked God to speak through me and put something on my heart to share that might allow them to see a little bit of what He's doing here. It's so hard to summarize Haiti in any length. It would take me days upon days to truly explain everything that is Haiti. The sermon was fantastic, and the community there was so wonderful. I truly felt that these people that didn't even really know me, loved me, and that was the best feeling in the world.

Sunday afternoon I wanted to spend some time with my sister. I can't remember if I have mentioned this on the blog, but I am going to be an aunt, so I wanted to spend some time with her before the big day. I was praying that it would happen, while I was home, but instead, she is having little Kailee Ann tomorrow morning in a scheduled c-section. We went to lunch at Olive Garden and just sat around and talked for the rest of the day. It was great to hear her thoughts and tell her a little bit about Haiti. I miss getting to see her all the time and talking to her about anything and everything.

My sister, me, and her husband at dinner

Sunday night we decided to have an impromptu game night. There ended up being a lot of people there (several who I didn't know), but it ended up being one of my favorite nights. We played signs (my absolute FAVORITE, mafia, and killer). I loved spending time with people my age and not having to be a responsible adult at that moment. I love being all grown up, but I needed to let loose and not be in "teacher mode" for a few days.

I'm going to space out my week at home because I don't want you to get bored with a ten page blog. I want to share with you all the cool things God showed me this week so I'll continue this crazy story tomorrow.

Am I A Missionary?

Am I a missionary? Yes, I am. But so are you. Say whaaaat? At least I think so and I hope so. The term missionary is such a weird term. What exactly is a missionary? I was talking to some friends the other day and we were talking about the term “missionary.” When I come back to the States, I want to continue to be a missionary. A missionary, in my opinion, is anyone that is actively sharing the Word of Christ.

I think that being a teacher makes it very easy to be a “missionary.” I encounter students every day that do not know the Lord. The interesting thing about my students is that they are surrounded by poverty everywhere they turn, and many of them are apathetic to that. A lot of the students do not realize how well off they are and how big of a problem the poverty is.

It is super ironic that I started blogging about this earlier because today at Bible study we talked about money. We read in James 5 where it talks about the wealthy. I keep thinking about my life in the States. What do I want my life to look like when I get back? I live SO cheaply here. I don’t worry about cable, I don’t spend much money on food, and other things that are “necessities” in the States have no value here. I really love the simplicity of it all, but I know that once I get back to America, things will change drastically. I would like to say that I’m going to try to maintain the same type of lifestyle that I live in Haiti once I get to America, but I know myself. Friends want to eat out. Friends want to go see movies. Friends want to do things other than sit in the apartment and watch DVD’s that we’ve seen a million times.

I need to be praying more. For my lifestyle, for my students, for my friends. I want all of us to realize that money is something that is here today, and gone tomorrow. Success does not equal happiness. It is my mission to be a missionary at all times. Whether I am living among the poor, the rich or the in between, I need to be sharing Christ will everyone, all the time. I need to love the unlovable. I need to be with the poor. I need to show my students that there is more to life than being rich.

Some days being a missionary is hard. But isn’t that the same way for all believers? I never want to be content and comfortable, because I want to be taken out of my comfort zone and given opportunities to share Christ at every opening.

I feel like I just needed to share all of that. I challenge all of us to be missionaries all the time.

In other news, today is Melissa Hope’s first birthday! I cannot believe that she is one year old today! Although she still looks like a 6 month old, she is growing like a weed. Jenny, the lady adopting Melissa, flew down to be with Melissa on this special day. It truly broke my heart that I could not be there celebrating with her, but Jenny is so gracious and Skyped with me this evening so I could see her on her very special day.





This Friday, we have another basketball game. This is our third one of the “season.” We are currently undefeated. Here are some pictures from our last game versus our rival, Union School.

Some of my awesome sophomore girls


Another sophomore student of mine shooting free throws

Team huddle on a time-out

Final score! Go Eagles!

Also on Friday, I am meeting up with these lovely ladies for our discipleship time. Our time together has been really good, but I really feel like they could open up a lot more. They are such incredible girls, and I know that God is going to do amazing things through these girls. It is so wonderful to get out of “teacher-mode” and hang out with these girls on a more “friend” basis. They are all relatively closed off when we join in small group, but I’m really hoping they come out of their shells. Two of the girls have really opened up to me. One girl seems to be somewhat angry with God. She doesn’t understand why the earthquake happened and why Haiti is the way it is. She believes that God is punishing the country and sometimes the answers are so hard to find. I feel like she is having a major transformation in her heart, and I’m really excited to see where that leads.

My discipleship group: Maika, Taressa, Lorena, Paige, Celine, Alexandra, Claudia, Myrlene

My sophomore girl's class. Somehow this is the only class I got a picture of.

This blog is a lot heavier than I originally thought, so I’m going to end on a light note that makes me very happy. Vols won! So glad my boys got it together and finally pulled out a win!

Until next time,
Kristina

Special Prayer Request

Hey friends,

Today has been a rough day. I am so frustrated with so many things, and today brought out the worst in me.

My first class was good. We had a quiz and I thought they would all ace it. I graded them. Maybe one person passed. Am I teaching it wrong or are they just not studying? Obviously, something is wrong, so tomorrow we are going to hound it out. These kids WILL understand quadratic equations!

Then my second class. 10th grade boys. They are a hard age group to handle. They are young, and they are boys.

Then another lump was thrown in my day. I found out that I going to have not one, but TWO new students within the next two weeks. I really wish I could just excuse them from the first month of school, but that won't help them for the final exam. So, I have to catch up these students on everything that we have done. I'm excited about the new students, but really frustrated with the amount of work they have to be caught up on.

But with all those frustrations, there is a much more pressing issue. A freshman girl has been sick this year. She fainted last semester and after having a lot of tests found out that she has epilepsy. She has not seized at school until today. Everyone started running to where she was and after ushering them all away to get them to go to class, I found her there, seizing. Luckily, the math teacher was holding her head so that she didn't get a concussion. The other English teacher was there to help as well. Luckily, her mom was on the school's campus for a meeting and was able to quickly get her to the hospital.

This girl is such a sweet person, and I'm begging you to join me in prayer for her. Many of her friends were so concerned about her, and you can tell she is loved by all. Mentally, her brain is tricking her and she needs so much prayer. Her medicine often makes her do and say things that she may regret in the long run. So please, please, join me in prayer for this sweet, sweet girl.

Movin' On Up!

I'm FINALLY moving tomorrow!! I found out right before I left that I would be moving onto the school's campus. I've been back for almost 3 weeks, and I am just now finally getting to move, and boy am I excited!

Reasons:
1) I get to hang out with this girl more often.
And her hubby, and the Hendricks and the Kilpatricks and all the other fun people that live on campus. I'm so excited to be surrounded by people that are dealing with a lot of the same things that I am dealing with. First year teaching in a foreign country where you know hardly anyone. I can't wait to share in our experiences as we go through this journey together.

2) I no longer have to spend up to 3 hours per day in a car. Make that a bumpy car. Today on the ride home I was thinking that the car ride very much seems like an uncomfortable roller coaster, except there is no fun drop to get your adrenaline going. You only get the uncomfortable bouncing around.

3) More time to build relationships with students. Since I will live a mere 50 steps away from my classroom, I won't have to worry about rushing to get home, or keeping the driver waiting while I finish a conversation. Better relationships means hopefully more opportunities to share the gospel, which I am STOKED about!

I'm sure there are other reasons, but my head is clouded with excitement of finally being there.

In other news: Yesterday I posted about hoping for a smile from ear to ear on my "how do I feel picture of the day." I'm not going say anything about it, I'm just going to post it and you can see for yourself.


>KB

This is why I love my job!

Some days I wonder why I am a teacher. I feel as if I am not reaching any students and really wonder if my ministry is worth while.

Then I have days like yesterday. I have been so sick lately, and my classes have not been too exciting. I still tutor after school, so yesterday, I was helping a student with some homework, but the conversation was turned quickly. There were two students in the lab, Adam and George (names have been changed). Adam is one of my students and I simply asked him, "How's life." He began to tell me how he was not happy and how he wanted to go back to Miami and go to school there. George chimed in and also told me how Miami was the "best time of his life." I was so curious as to why Miami was all that, and George replied... I was popular and I could get any girl I wanted.

I stopped for a minute. George is 16 and he's already talking about "getting girls." Still curious, I pushed him a little further. "So girl's is what made you so happy in Miami?" I asked. "Of course not Miss, I had football too!" Aha, girls and football. George starts talking about how he is a "playa" and can get any girl he wants. Me, being a female, and having been "played" before, I kept listening, but deep inside wanted to smack him silly for the things he was saying. I asked him why he thought it was ok to be a player. He couldn't really give me an answer.

The conversation kept going. Adam said he was more of a "one woman man" (sweet George Jones song, right?!) and he was still a virgin. George kinda rolled his eyes. He explained sex to me in this way... It's like ice cream, you can't just try vanilla and say that vanilla is your favorite, you have to try chocolate, strawberry, and all the other kinds before you can decide what your favorite is. This led to a whole other discussion. I simply asked him if he would marry a girl that had slept with a bunch of different guys because she was "trying out flavors." He automatically replied, "of course not!" So there I sat, dumbfounded. He is allowed to "try out flavors", but won't go near a girl that has had sex.

So I pushed further. I wasn't sure where either of these boys stood religiously, but they both responded that they were "Christian." I asked where that fit into the dating scene. Both replied that it really didn't. We continued talking, but I had this huge tug deep inside of me to share the gospel and tell them of God's grace. All I needed was an opportunity.

As we were talking, his viewpoint started to change. After telling them a little about my dating history, and telling George he needed to respect women and not just "play" them, his attitude started to change. He almost felt remorse for already having "messed up." Ding ding ding!!! Perfect opportunity! God really laid on my heart to tell George God's truth's. I told him about God's grace and that even when we mess up, He still loves us and he washes away all the sin so that we can start anew. He still loves us, regardless of what we have done. He won't forsake us or leave us. George's eyes lit up and it was almost like he had never heard it before. He looked me dead in the eye and said, I can't promise, but I want to do better. I want to try to wait to have sex until I get married.

This is why I know that I'm here for a reason. God gave me that opportunity to share His truths and one students eyes were opened. I don't know how God will grow this young man, but I know that a seed was planted in his heart. I'm going to have more conversations with this young man and try to really hold him accountable to what he said to me.

Whoever says that rich kids don't need ministering to was wrong. These kids need Jesus and to know God's truths just as much as the orphans. God has given me such a unique position to minister to the kids that will have power in this country, and even though the conversation started off about how "playas are gon' play" God still allowed His truth's to be shown, and that is something that I will always remember.

News on my sickness:

My fever came back yesterday, but I have had no fever today. As the day went on, I felt better and better. I'm hoping tomorrow I feel like a brand new woman. Here is my picture progression of how I've felt the past two days.

Yesterday, when my fever had returned. Who wears a sweatshirt in 90 degree weather?!


Today: a little better, but still not feeling great.

Hopefully tomorrow's picture will be of me smiling ear to ear with no symptoms at all. Hey, a girl can dream!

>K

This is my complaining blog

Today I am sick. Yesterday I was sick. The day before that, you guessed it.. I was sick. I have had a fever for three days. It's really strange being in 90 degree weather, yet feeling like a Popsicle.

Yesterday at school was one of those days when I really didn't feel like teaching. I just wanted to lay my head down and cry because I felt so terrible. I was feverish, had a really bad headache, and my tummy was even hurting. Along with a deep dough, I felt awful. Luckily at school, it was in class worksheet day. I simply gave them the worksheet, then if they had questions, they could come and ask me. It was a rough teaching day.

When I got home I immediately went to bed. I put in a movie and slept off and on until 7 this morning. My fever has gone down, but I still feel as if I was hit by a bus. My whole body aches. Every part of me wishes someone was here to take care of me. To make me food and care for me. That part of growing up stinks.

Mix feeling bad with a couple of rambunctious kids and you have what I have right now. A monstrous fever, while trying to keep tabs on a 4 year old that doesn't speak English.

Plus I look like this..

Thanks for reading my complaints. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a much better day.

>KB

4 Months Later

You would think that will all this free time I have had for the past six days, I would blog more. I guess it is a mix of laziness and not having anything to say. I have sat silently for days in a row trying to figure out what is happening in this country that I love so much.

Even now as I sit here typing, I have no idea what to say. Four months ago, I came to Haiti to start a journey. A journey of growth, a journey of adventure, a journey to find the Lord and serve Him better. I got more growth, adventure, and service than I bargained for. I really didn't know what to expect coming here, but what I got was different than anything I could have ever imagined.

It started out with a bang. We went to the orphanage, the clinic, and even did a mobile clinic. I fell in love with 2 kids at the orphanage, and really enjoyed helping in medicine. The next 2 weeks that went by were slow, and I wasn't sure that what I was doing here was productive. I now see that God was preparing me for the adventure that He was about to take me on. He wanted me to be still and read His word, pray, and spend genuine time with Him before I jumped into the deep end of what the last four months have been about.

First came the job. Never in a million years would I have thought that I, Kristina Birkhead, would be 1) a teacher or 2) an English teacher. God has really blessed me in this job. I have seen so many awesome people and have had some of the best conversations I could ever dream of. One in particular that I want to tell you about is a Junior boy. This kid is loud and obnoxious. When I first met him, I was afraid to have him in my class. I really wasn't sure how I was going to control his loud self and get things done. He is one of the "popular" kids at school, and he comes from a wealthy family. I automatically placed a stereotype on him and thought that he probably couldn't care less about the gospel, but I want to be Christ to him. I want him to see God's love, because he can change a lot of lives. In class one day we were talking about the Cholera epidemic. He said, in front of everyone, that he didn't want to go on the streets or talk to anyone on the streets because they could have Cholera and he didn't want to catch it. I talked to him after class that day and asked him how we were to share God's love if we weren't willing to meet them where they were, Cholera and all. He kind of brushed me off, so I didn't really pursue any more talks with him until I thought maybe he would be more responsive. A week later, we had Current Event Friday, where the students bring in a current news article and share with the class. He decided to share on Cholera, and his attitude had totally changed. He was asking everyone to support him by wanting to reach out to those in need, and getting hydration packs together. He truly is a leader in his class, and I could see the students warming up to what he was saying. I was shocked and surprised and knew that God was really working on his heart.

Later in the semester, we were in our "study hall". This class is 3 students and me. One of the students was absent this particular day so it was the two students and myself. He started asking me questions on what I believed and what was important to me, and he really opened up and told me how important his faith was to him. He began to share how his parents really supported him in his faith and he began to tell me how God was working in his life. I asked him why he never shared with his classmates and he simply said that "they don't want to hear it." My heart broke. I began to share that it only takes one person to spark something in someone's life. I remember at my high school that it took one football player standing up in chapel to change my entire grade. I have seen a difference in him. He has been nicer to others around him and more vocal about what he truly believes. I think he is scared to lose his popularity, but he is starting to see that there is more to life than popularity. I have started tutoring him in algebra and so I am really getting the chance to invest in his life and hopefully others around him will see something incredible about his life. He really can change this school, and I know that God is going to use him in a mighty mighty way.

Another cool thing that has happened while working at the school is my discipleship group. I was randomly assigned six girls: Maika, Lorena, Claudia, Taressa, Alexandra, and Celine. I knew three of these girls before the group started, but I was excited to see a different side of them. We started looking at the book Crazy Love, by Francis Chan, but most of the time we spent a lot of time praying and listening to songs. Worship songs have been a huge part of my life, and I really wanted these girls to experience a little bit of that. One of the first things I was faced with in this group was "why does God punish Haiti so much? How much more can Haiti take?" Wow. I was speechless. I began to tell them that God has a reason for EVERYTHING, but often we don't see the reason until much later. We have to trust that God knows what He is doing, and we have to be patient for His timing. Two of them are headed to college next year, and they are both terrified. Two of them are Juniors, trying to find the balance of fitting in and sticking out. The last two are Sophomores, both dealing with forgiveness issues. Each girl is so unique and has been such a blessing. I pray for them daily, and I know that God can do amazing things with these girls lives, as battered and torn and crazy as they think they may be.

Lots of other cool things have happened at this school, and I am ecstatic to be coming back for the Spring semester. I am also going to be teaching more. I am teaching two sections of Grade 10 English literature, my same section of American Literature, a creative writing class, and a random Algebra 1 class. I'm really excited to see what God is going to do with the new relationships I will be forming.

The next big wrench that God threw at me was a little baby girl named Melissa Hope. This baby has changed my life forever. I will not lie, taking care of her might be the hardest thing I have ever done. I became a mom and a working mom all within two weeks. You can read back at my previous posts for more about the beginning of our story. Never in a trillion years would I have thought I would become a "mommy" at age 22. And to think, when I came down here, I really didn't like babies! There have been several "I can't do this anymore, I'm not equipped to be a mom!" moments, but I was quickly reminded that God didn't bring me this baby girl without knowing I could do it. I am happy to report to you that she is now 5 pounds heavier, and smiles constantly. God has really worked through this little girl's life, and I know that she is going to change so many lives. When I look at her, I can see Christ's love. When I look at what we've been through together, I'm reminded of God's grace. When I think I can't do it anymore he softly whispers in my ear, "Oh, beloved, you can do it. I am still here with you. Press on. Don't give up. I won't fail you. You CAN do it. I have equipped you with everything you need. Show her MY love." Wow. Ok, God. I was once again shown how little faith I have in HIM to get me through the tough times in life. He is always in control and won't forsake me or leave me, even when I'm caught up in the craziness of life.

Then cholera. Oh the cholera. I heard the other day that it will take 6 years to eradicate cholera from this country. So many have died, so many are sick, and hardly any are reported. The last thing this country needed was a disease strain. We have not been directly affected by it, but it is only supposed to get worse. I have resumed my "germ freak-ness" and we are prepared with hydration packs to serve those who are affected by the sickness.

And now elections. I don't even know what to say about these elections. I have never seen images so crazy. To think that the places I travel every single day are now destroyed by fire and broken glass. My mind is blown and I can't help but think why?! Why are these people doing this? Why is God allowing this country to go to shambles? There is my "little faith" again. He knows exactly what He is doing and He is going to get glory from all of this. I can't help but to be a little scared. We are safe on our hill, but we can't go down from the hill. Flights have been cancelled, lives destroyed, and I'm complaining about being bored. This country needs a leader who can turn this place around. I honestly can't tell you what is going to happen here in Haiti. Things were pretty calm today, but that means nothing for tomorrow. The people are angry in this country. They want justice. They want their voices to be heard. Is burning tires and tearing down signs going to bring that... no. So who knows what will happen to this country. All I can do is pray. I'm seeking God for comfort and for peace, because honestly, I'm scared for the Haitian people. My brain is on overload from the messages we have gotten. I'm trying to digest what is happening, and praying that God takes this and gets so much glory from it. I wish I had better news, and hopefully I will tomorrow.

Please pray for this country, and selfishly, pray that I get out on Wednesday. Airports are supposed to open on Tuesday, but we really don't know what the weekend has in store for us. I hope to blog again tomorrow saying that everything is normal and we can finally leave the mountaintop. I'm ready to be back in the valley.

Until next time...

Kristina

Christmas Bazaar

The Christmas Bazaar is an event that QCS puts on every year to fund raise for every class. The middle schoolers had several games for small children. The freshman class had an incredible bounce house for everyone. The sophomore class decided to do a pie in the face booth. The ones getting pied in the face were other students and some teachers, me being a lucky winner. The juniors had a dunking booth. The seniors were in charge of snacks and lunch. They gave away a lot of prizes, and played a ton of Christmas music. A lot of local vendors came and sold their products. It was a great time, and each class raised a lot of money.

In case you didn't know, whipped cream smells TERRIBLE after it gets hot. I hope I never get creamed again. It was not a fun experience. Oh, the things I do for the Sophomore class at QCS. After they ran our of whipped cream, they started soaking a sponge in water and hitting it with me in the face. The sponge really didn't feel good, but I allowed them to do it for about 30 minutes.

The dreaded sponge!

Not looking too hot after all the whipped cream and water.

>K

Thankful

Since it is Thanksgiving, and I haven't blogged in a while, I want to devote this blog to some of the many things I am thankful for. This will not be a complete list, but just a few things.

1. Jesus - I am so thankful that my Savior came and died for me so that I can share His love with everyone around me. I am thankful that he looked upon me, a nasty sinner, and saw something worth dying for. I will spend the rest of my days on this Earth praising His name and spreading His love.

2. My awesome family - Even though I didn't get to share this Thanksgiving with them, I was there in Spirit and got to see their beautiful faces over Skype. I'm thankful that they support me even when I wanna do something crazy, like live in a 3rd world country.

3. The Tripod - Adam West and Adam Fox are two of my very best friends who support me and love me no matter what. I haven't seen them in over 3 months, yet they still talk to me all the time and take time out of their busy schedules to check on me.

4. My friends - I probably have the absolute best friends in the world. I know everyone says that, but really. Mine are awesome. They pray for me, love me, and post on my facebook wall just to see how I'm doing. It can be quite overwhelming to live in a 3rd world country with no friends or family, but mine make is so easy :)

5. America - I love that place. I love its grass, I love its trees, I love its restaurants.

5. Haiti : The country that has the other half of my heart. Although it can be so hard, it is such a blessing to see God moving in a country that is desperate for His love. I'm so glad that every Sunday morning, I get to sit with Haitians and Americans and sing praises to our God. Sometimes we sing in English, sometimes in Creole, but either way, we are worshipping the same God. I am also thankful that I have met some amazing friends in this country, both Haitian and American. They keep me sane when I feel like breaking down.

6. My students - I have such an incredible crop of students. I have eleven 11th graders, and 12 tenth graders. I LOVE my students. They can be difficult at times, but they bring me so much joy throughout the day. I have a unique opportunity with them. These kids are the future leaders of Haiti. They have the connections and the wealth to change the country around, and hardly any of them know it. Each day, I am blessed with the opportunity to share Christ with these kids and help them see what they can do for this country. I have already had so many awesome conversations, I look forward to tons more!

Ok.. these are my selfish ones that I shamelessly miss from America, but am ever so thankful for

• Starbucks - I miss that beautiful coffee. You better believe that when I hit Miami, my lips will be tasting that goodness once again. I didn't realize how thankful I was for this franchise until I couldn't have it for 3 months.
• Hot water - I am so thankful to get to take hot showers every now and then. Cold ones will do that to ya.
• Easy access to everyday items - it is a bit of an ordeal to get simple things in this country, and I am so thankful that in America, it is so easy to just run to the store and get things
• Paved roads - My booty appreciates those

Other miscellaneous things that I am so thankful for

• An amazing education - both High School and ole faithful : UT (The real one)
• My health - I have my ups and downs, but I am better off than most
• Facebook - I can keep in touch with anyone, anywhere
• Tennessee Basketball

Ok, so that is my short list of things, but I know there are so many more things that I could write. I hope you all had a great thanksgiving!

20 more days :)

KB

Quickie Update

I am so sorry I haven't been updating much. Life has been so crazy lately, but I did want to send a quick shout-out and let ya'll know that I'm still here! I hope to do an in depth blog later tonight!

I found out yesterday that I am going to teach a creative writing and a speech class next semester! I am so excited about these two courses, and I'm starting to plan out exactly what I want to teach in them.

The Lord has been so good to me lately, and has been reminding me to trust in Him and everything else will fall into place. As always, I am so thankful for your prayers, and I promise to tell you all about recent happenings very very soon!

I love ya'll!

Hydration and Hurricanes

I have had two days off work. At least what I thought was off work. I ended up having to do a lot of catching up on work and preparing for my next two weeks of classes. We were out for All Saints and All Souls Day.

All Saints is the same thing as All Hallows, and is a Roman Catholic holiday. It is a day to remember all of the saints, known and unknown. All Souls Day is a mostly Catholic holiday and is used to remember the "faithful departed."

I don't celebrate either of these holiday's, but it was nice to have a couple of days off of school.

Dr. Jenny flew in because she wanted to spend some time with Melissa, so I not only had days off of school, but I had a babysitter for 5 days! It was really nice just to have some time to relax and chill out before school geared back up. We also had two new girls come and they are staying here until about December. They are both 18, and it is so nice to have someone closer to my age around.

Everyone in this house has been sick, and I have been avoiding it like the plague. I have been extremely successful in my efforts until a "slip" I had, which I'll tell you about later. Because everyone has been sick, we really haven't done anything this weekend. I have been so lazy, but in a good way.

Sunday, we went to church and it was an incredible service. It was so full, and I didn't get to hear much of the sermon, but just being back at Port-au-Prince fellowship was awesome, and really revived me. Sunday night, I was invited to a teacher's party that was on campus. I was really debating on what to wear because I didn't want to look silly, but this is what I decided on.

Ok, so you can't see my outfit real well, but I was gangster barbie :)

Well, it started pouring down rain, so my costume got a little soaked. But there was awesome food! There were salty snacks, sweet snacks, and freshly popped caramel corn. It was DELICIOUS! I had one of the best brownies I've ever had in my life. Or maybe I say that because it was the first brownie I've had since moving here. Either way, it was the bomb.

So for those of you that don't know.. there is a hurricane coming for us. The weather channel has changed it's predictions daily, so no one really knows what is going on. At first it was going to be really really bad, but now it's not going to be as bad. Any strong winds or heavy rain will devastate this already devastated country. Please pray with me that it will either break up, or go a different direction.

There are so many people living in tents in this country, that any type of strong wind will take away their homes and all their belongings, leaving them homeless once again. Also, as many of you know, Cholera has broken out in this country. The heavy rain will make the Cholera spread more rapidly, and this country does not need that!

Cholera is easily treated, but many people to not have access to the treatment. Cholera is spread though dirty water. We are having to brush our teeth with bottled water, and make sure we have purified drinking water. Also, anything that is bought on the street now has to be washed in purified water before we can eat it. These things are extremely easy for us, but for people living in tents and on the streets, these tasks are impossible. Cholera dehydrates you, and causes fever and diarrhea.

To help these people, we spent a few hours yesterday making rehydration packs for people so if they get Cholera, they can put this mixture into a bottle of water and take a medicine and be fine. We are really hoping this disease doesn't spread, but if it does, we want to be able to help as many people as possible. We made close to 200 hydration packs, so if the hurricane hits and the cholera spreads, we can be active in helping this community.

So please join me in prayer for this country so that it does not have to go through more devastation.

On a different note.. I'm coming home in 6 weeks for a little bit. Words can't express how excited I am. I got to talk to several of my friends that were at a Bible Study on Sunday night and it was so good to hear their voices. I also got to talk to my mom, dad, and sister, which was such a blessing.

God is truly doing huge things in this country, and in my life. I love this country, I love my job, and I love the people that I'm surrounded by here in Haiti.

Until next time...

Latest Musings

Sweet smiling girl.

Where have I been you ask? Behind a desk. I know, I know. That is NO excuse for not blogging. I feel so bad because so much has happened, but I have been so busy grading papers, and making tests, that I have been so cruel to my lovely readers. But I’m back! And not only do I have a blog for you, but also PICTURES!! Now, who doesn’t love a good picture?

So last time I blogged was about Melissa Hope. I am excited to tell you that she is still a huge part of my life and I spend every single day with her. It pains me to spend time at school because I’m not with her. I’m pretty sure it’s true love between us. She has finally gotten most of her paperwork done (passport and visa) and should be heading to the Dominican Republic in about 2 weeks to undergo heart surgery. Once she is recovered, then she should start to grow like a weed!

It is so challenging to be her mom right now. I have so much going on that sometimes I wonder if I’m capable of taking care of this small child. It is so neat to see her pick up on the things that I do. She puckers her lips and makes kissy faces, and she now clasps her hands. She is growing so much and I’m privileged to be in her life. But that doesn’t make it easy. Many days I feel like I’m not doing a good job, or that I shouldn’t be in charge of a life, but God has a reason, and I’m clinging to that. It is also comforting to know that once my time is up with her, she is going to a GREAT home. I have met the people that are adopting her, and Melissa will have the best life she could ever dream of. Will it be hard to let go of her, yes, but I’m comforted to know that she will be in GREAT hands and I will have nothing to worry about for her well being.

My beautiful home!

Everyone does keep asking me if I am adopting her. I would like to say yes. Every ounce of me would love to have this baby forever and watch her grow mentally and physically. There are a couple of things that deter me from doing that. One is that Haitian law states that you must be 35 and married for at least 10 years in order to adopt from this country. So legally, it would never be possible. I do know a couple that is thinking about having their parents adopt a child then signing over the papers. So it is possible. But that brings me to my next point. I’m 22 and single. There is no way that I could support a baby. Melissa would not have the life that she deserves, and I know that. Plus, she is going to a great home, so I have no worries when it comes to her. She will always be a part of me, and I of her. So no, I am not adopting her, but she is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Ever.

So, now I want to tell you all about school! Today I am actually at a parent teacher conference. I have to be here for six hours, and I basically just wait for the parents to come see me. I have three unsatisfactory behavior grades, and that is no fun, but they are going pretty well so far.

The sun!! It's so bright!

In the morning I aid 5^th grade. They are so much fun! Apparently, they have some behavior issues at recess, but their teacher, Tiffany Nash, really has them under control! They respect her and really like her, and she is a wonderful teacher to get to observe everyday and learn from. The students have been reading James and the Giant Peach. I have never read that book, but I am getting to listen to them discuss the book, and it is so interesting. They really enjoy reading and have been really responsive to the things they have to do for their discussion groups. I have also been grading a lot of their papers, and occasionally help a child read or do some math. They are such a fun class, and I have really enjoyed being a part of their lives.

Also in the morning, I aid 6^th grade. This grade is an interesting grade. They seem to have a lot more behavior issues than the 5^th grade. Their teacher, Kristie Mattenley, is awesome and really gives the kids a chance express themselves through many different avenues. They really struggle with dirty jokes and cursing more than anything. I was really shocked to hear some of the things that come out of their mouths. Kristie is definitely handling it well. Usually in that class I help with Science, Social Studies, and drama. They are sweet kids and really like to learn.

Then, I teach 11^th grade American Literature. I never in my life thought I would ever teach American Literature. Mr. Chopson (my literature teacher in high school) would be so proud of me! This class is a first year teacher’s DREAM! They participate, they all have A’s and B’s, and they are so much fun to teach. Right now we are reading To Kill A Mockingbird, which is one of my absolute favorite books of all time!

I then aid some more, and eat lunch, and aid some more. Haha! My schedule is so undefined!

Last period I teach grade 10 English. The focus of that class is mostly to develop writing skills and read novels. Currently, we are reading Pride and Prejudice, which is another one of my favorite books. This class is extremely hard to teach. They are often loud and rambunctious, and it is really hard to get anything done. Behavior grades just went out, so hopefully they will realize that their behavior is unacceptable and they will do better.

My favorite picture of us at the beach.

Teaching is a lot of fun, but also a lot of work! I have decided though, that this is something I could do for the rest of my life. Something I WANT to do for the rest of my life. I enjoy planning my lessons and helping kids understand something they think is impossible. I definitely want to go to grad school and get my Master’s in English so that I can teach English at the high school level.

What's up homie?!

So yeah, that’s school. Here are some other things that have happened. I’m just doing bullet points because I’m too lazy to type out full paragraphs J

I saw my first dead person. Morbid, I know. But that saddest part of that is when we drove past, the police officers that were “on the case” were standing nearby getting their shoes shined. It made me so mad.

I also was almost involved in another Haitian wreck. I was in one on my birthday, but this one was much worse. The guy passed us and his throttle got stuck and he cut us off and smacked into a wall. We were lucky to not hit him.

I got to drive! Michelle taught me how to drive a stick and I got to drive for a few minutes. I’m really terrible at it.

I got to watch the UT-Alabama and the Titans-Eagles games this week. Oh, how I’ve missed football.

The school is starting discipleship groups this week, and I will have 5-10 girls in my group and we will get to do a book study or something. I’m still praying about it.

We went to the beach the other day. It was so fun and relaxing. Melissa quite enjoyed the water. There are pictures scattered throughout this blog.

Things have been going pretty well. There are always going to be bad days. I have had my share of them, but overall, my time in Haiti is well worth the craziness. I feel like I’m impacting the people and that is one of the best feelings ever. I miss my family and my friends like CRAZY, but I know it is only seven and a half weeks until I’m reunited with the ones I love.

Thank you for your prayers, and I hope you are being blessed daily just as I am. I love all of you!

>k

Can we call you Miss Tina?

Yes, my students asked me if they could call me Miss Tina. I quietly chuckled to myself and told them no, you have to call me Ms. Birkhead. And that is weird.

I love to teach. I never thought I would say that. I despised my college classes so much that I never thought I would step into a school building again. But here I am, teaching in a Christian school. The Lord likes to laugh at me and point my life in the direction I never thought it would go.

Right now, I have two high school English classes, and I always help with the elementary.

In the elementary, most of the kids speak English as their second language, so it can be hard to pick up on what the teacher is trying to tell them. This is where I come in. I will sit with them and read with them, and really just work on their English until they feel comfortable and their teacher’s feel comfortable with their progress. I haven’t started doing this yet, but we are working on my schedule currently.

I start teaching my English classes today. My first class is the juniors and boy are they crazy! I taught their class on Friday because their regular teacher was not able to be there. I was caught really off guard and had prepared nothing, so I just took a stab at it, and it went well. We played a round of boggle, and then they had to write a story with the words they came up with. They really seemed to enjoy it, and I definitely enjoyed reading the stories! I did notice that their writing is not the best, so this week we are spending time on how to write a successful essay.

My last class is the sophomores. I have sat in on their class several times, but today is my first day of actually teaching them. We are starting the short story, King Arthur. I think they will enjoy it. I have definitely enjoyed researching it and coming up with ideas for discussion. I just really hope I am effective in teaching the subject and I hope they enjoy it too.

If you have ANY advice on teaching English, I would absolutely love it. I’m kind of thrown into this big ocean and I’m not really sure what I’m doing. I know that God has called me to this, but I could definitely use some advice!

My first day as a teacher! Well, kinda :)

I started my job at Quisqueya Christian School today. What an awesome opportunity the Lord has provided me! I was already semi-familiar with most of the high school teachers because I had met them at the open house for Dustin and Ashton’s classes. All the teachers are so friendly and really welcomed me in today and made me feel like a part of the team!

My day started out with Mr. Dakoter. He is the elementary school principal. He took me on a quick tour of all of the facilities and introduced me to a bunch of different teachers that were not busy at that time. I also sat in on one of the classes that I will be teaching. Mr. Hersey, the director of the school currently teaches 10th and 11th grade English, and those are the two classes that I will be teaching for him. In 11th grade English, the students are just finishing up reading Huckleberry Finn. If you know me at all, you know how much I love reading the classic books, so when I found out this was what they were reading, I was very excited! The class is very energetic and has a number of different interests. I’m excited to get to know them better and really start digging into the material. I will be just an observer for this week and then slowly ease my way into teaching.

I ate lunch with a bunch of the teachers. They were all so kind, and they all knew that I was going to be teaching there because of an e-mail that was sent out to the staff. The other high school English teacher was super inviting and really took me under her wing and let me know that she would help in any way shape or form. It’s really great to know that the teachers are so close here. It is a small family, and I’m excited to be a part of it.

After lunch, I read for about an hour because I had a break, then went and say in on the other English teacher’s class, just to get a feel for how she teaches. Her class is going through Antigone, which I have not read, but I really learned a lot from her teaching style.

And that was my first day of school! Pretty low-key, but also very fun. My awkwardness definitely came out today, but I quickly put it away and became a normal human again, haha!

But I got a double-dose of teaching today!

Every Tuesday, the Roberts teach an English as a second language class at the First Baptist Church of Penier. I had taught it once before, but really found the curriculum they had to be mundane and not helpful. So today, I decided to make up my own curriculum, with the help of an ESL book that was given to us. I had about 10 students in my intermediate class and we went over the verb “to be” and how to use am, is and are. It was a great class, and I really enjoyed it this week because I knew what I was teaching and how to teach them effectively. The students really enjoyed it as well. They were asking me to bring worksheets for them every week so they could learn better.

I know that God is doing BIG things in Haiti. One of my projects while on staff at Quisqueya is to start a mentoring program for the girls of the school. Mentoring is so close to my heart. Many of you know that I mentor girls back home in Nashville, so the opportunity to continue that here is such a blessing. I really want the students to feel God’s love and really understand what it means to live a Christ-centered life. I know that the Lord is in this school and He will guide me through this awesome time!

Well, that is all for now. I have another full day of learning and growing tomorrow! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers! God is working!

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty!

I’m trying to be better about blogging more often. I was doing good for a while, but I know I have slacker tendencies, but I’m going to try to stay on top of things. I’m just going to leave off where my last blog ended!

So, I have been looking for different places to serve while I’m here. I have been to the orphanage at Thomazeu, I have helped in mobile clinics, and done other various things. As much as I have loved doing both of those things, I knew that God had something bigger for me. The kids started school at Quisqueya Christian School. The director of the school told Greg and Michelle (the missionary couple I live with) that there might be an opening for a teacher’s aide position. I scheduled an informal interview with the school director and prayed that God would do what he wanted with this opportunity.

So off to the interview I went. I was more nervous than I had been in a long time. I didn’t know what to expect or what God was going to do. I just prayed that whatever the outcome, that God would be the center of the decision. When I went in I was as nervous as nervous can be! Mr. Hersey, the director of the school started out with the regular questions… what is your degree in, what do you feel competent to teach in, what are your hobbies, explain your spiritual walk, etc. I breezed through those questions and Mr. Hersey told me that there is a lot of need at QCS and if I would commit to staying until May, then I could teach a speech class and a Bible class. My mouth dropped open at the thought of staying until May. I knew that I would have to pray hard core about this and talk to my family before I could make any decisions.

So I prayed. A lot. I talked to the missionaries about it then talked with my parents, and truly feel like God is totally opening doors for me to stay here until May. So I’m staying til May! I’m going to start teaching sometime soon.

Surprisingly, my parents were totally okay with it. I mean, they were sad that I wasn’t coming home to stay, but also excited for me.

I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, but decided not to pursue it. This will be a great indicator or whether or not I want to make a career out of teaching, and possibly get my Masters Degree in education. So yeah, I’m super pumped!

God is doing such great things in Haiti. Last Saturday we did a mobile clinic with World Orphans. I have blogged about them before. When Chelsea and Hannah were here, we did a mobile clinic with World Orphans (Chelsea gave me a tetanus shot). We went back to the same location to finish looking over all the kids with Dr. Jenny Chapman. We saw about 40 people all together, which was incredible. Most of the kids had either worms or a cold. Dr. Jenny was excellent with all the kids. Her passion totally showers through all of her work.

I’m going back to Quisqueya School today to talk to Mr. Hersey more about teaching there. I’ll try to blog some more tomorrow between taking care of a six month old and preparing for English class tomorrow. Sorry for such the delay, but I will blog again VERY soon!

Thank you for your prayers and support. They are truly amazing, and God is at work in this place.