Touring Historical Downtown

We took two trains downtown Manila to explore the historical walled section. I'm sure Nate could add a lot of detailed info about all the history we learned, but I am not so good on details when it comes to historical facts. What I do know is what we experienced. We got to ride our first horse-drawn carriage through the city as a local Filipino toured us around. He was very well-versed on his historical facts.

We saw many monuments and flags around this area, many depicting the suffering of the Filipinos during war or occupation. I have so much history to learn, but I know they are proud to be independent now, just as many in the West are too.

One of our first stops was this church--the oldest one in the Philippines. This is built with much Spanish influence, as the Philippines was under Spanish control for many years. There was fighting and war all around this building, but this one is the only one that stood firm.

We thought we would take a quick tour, but the inside is a lot bigger than we thought! There was a wonderful museum with many paintings, artifacts, graves (even a crypt--we weren't allowed to take pictures of that). I especially liked the wood-carved front door.

Inside I definitely felt like I was in Europe. The sanctuary was just like many we saw in France and Italy--glass chandeliers, wooden benches, grand ceilings and the organ!

Oh, yes, the organ. I love organs! I was at one time in high school considering a major in organ at UNL. I even studied organ at music camp one summer, so this organ was a treasure to see! If only he would let us play it, but of course we were not able. At least we got to sit at it and pretend we were playing.

Inside the courtyard they made a garden out of the old convent. It was so pretty! I was amazed to see the collection of historical things and to learn much about the history of the Philippines, including Japanese invasions and more.

Manila Contrasts

I was struck with the extreme contrasts we noticed in Manila. We took two trains to get to the historical downtown. As we switched tracks we walked by these dwellings made from sheet metal. It was amazing to see how creative the people who lived there were. They created shutters, curtains, flower pots and clothes lines out of anything they could find. It was a bit of an eye-opener for me, and I pondered what I saw as I made my way through the crowded streets and long lines to the next train. Just a day before that I was sitting in the lobby of the fanciest five-star hotel in Manila--the Makati Shangrai-La. When we arrived there were at least 8 porters and greeters in official uniforms and white gloves. There was a security check-point and a beautiful fountain in the middle of the drive-up. Inside was a grand lobby with formal servers, marble tiles and columns, and a huge boquet (or should I say bush) that matched the shape of the magnificent chandiler above. Two grand staircases joined in the entryway, where professional businessmen, businesswomen, tourists and stylish foreigners met paths. We sat to soak this all in on cushy couches as we listened to live music.
What do you think about these two worlds all in one city? Me? I'm still pondering it all.

Back From Manila

We just got back last night from our wonderful trip to Manila. We will be posting pictures and stories sometime on Monday or Tuesday, but today we are actually going on the staff-retreat for two nights. It will be so wonderful to have a paid-for beach cottage and to have spiritual encouragement and renewal as well as renewed vision for teaching.

THANK YOU to all who wished me a Happy Birthday! It was SO wonderful and thoughtful of many who sent me e-cards, mail, e-mail and even money! What a blessing! Thank you!

Stay tuned for photos and stories....
Preview of the highlights:
--Going to the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra
--Seeing the President of the Philippines
--Sitting in Starbucks for 5 hours reading and drinking frappiccinos
--Eating at 4 different fast-food restaurants in one meal--going bonkers
--Ice skating on my birthday and actually wearing long-sleeves
--Riding a horse-drawn carriage through historical downtown Manila

A Much-Needed Break

Praise the Lord! We are now on quarter break. We had great parent-teacher conferences. The parents encouraged us so much with reports of how much their kids are learning and growing from our teaching. I was so blessed.

We are finished with all our seminary classes for the semester and all our papers (Nate's just finishing now). We truly have made it through a busy time and now we are on a one week break.

It is Sunday and raining outside. How cozy and restful it was for me to sit and read my Bible for over an hour just soaking in what God wanted to teach me. I got to take a nap and then I woke up to listen to music and work on our honeymoon scrapbook. Now I am here waiting for Pizza Hut delivery (yes we have that here) so Nate can have the sustainance he needs to finish his philosophy paper.

Tomorrow we are flying to Manila for five days! We haven't left the island since March, so we are looking forward to some new sights and sounds (and tastes!). In Manila they have Starbucks, Taco Bell, Burger King, Wendys (frosties!), and even TGIFRidays. The best of all is they have CAlifornia Pizza Kitchen! Oh boy, we are going to get a taste of America there. I think that will help me get it out of my system for a while. Plus it is my birthday on Thursday, so we are going to celebrate! I heard that the Bangkok Symphony is playing so maybe we can go! It is like a different country up there, so we will tell you all about it. Pray for us, and praise God with us.

Walking Through Fire

Some of you may know the story about Monday. I was trying to fix my keyboard adapter when it exploded and caught my skirt on fire. It was quite a difficult day and I was really having trouble praising God.

Many people have been praying for me, and things are going so much better! God is encouraging me, teaching me, and strengthening me hourly. One very encouraging email I got was from my sister, Sarah. She said:

"In my Daniel Bible study we were talking about Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the fire, and Beth Moore highlighted an interesting point. When they came out of the fire they didn't even smell like smoke. We know this and have heard it lots of times. But then she asked us if we smell like smoke through our trials. How many times have we complained, lamented, played the victim, reminded everyone of our hardships, even worn it like a badge of honor (you get the idea) even though God has carried us through? So I thought this was an amazing point to ponder. It is harder than you think to come through adversity without a little smoke. It's just human nature. That's a big one for me to reflect on! I hope I can smell less and less like smoke with each passing day."

What words of wisdom, from my sister and from God! I looked back on how I have been going around in this fire and just complaning or lamenting about my troubles instead of praising God. I know God is bringing me around to that place, but my sister's prayer for me is also mine for myself:

"I pray that as God carries you through this difficult time, that you will come through the fire, refined in your faith, not even smelling like smoke."

Isn't God wonderful! He has taught me so much through these experiences, but even more encouraging was when He reminded me of these words, so fitting:

"...When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel your Savior..." Isaiah 43.2-3

Concert Pictures

The concert was a success--praise the Lord! Order of show:
Beginning Band (Much improved from the first note!)--directed by Mr. Becker
Middle School Choir--directed by Mr. Becker, accompanied by Mrs. Becker
High School Vocal Ensemble--directed by Mrs. Becker
Intermediate Band--directed by Mr. Becker

Our students were so nervous and excited, but we kept it a secret that we were too!

I was so proud of Nate as he directed the students and presented the performance to all the photo-crazy-video-crazy parents!

I was also proud of my high school ensemble (11 of them) for their first four-part harmony concert! Can you believe most of them have never performed in a singing group before! We are here to see that they do (by God's grace)!

We were thankful that all went as planned. The concert was only about an hour, so people were able to say, "Oh, it's over already?" instead of "When is this over?"

After the show we congratulated all our students. We were so proud of them all as if they were our own! One of the Korean students gave both Nate and I our own boquet of roses--how sweet! And of course after the show we had our traditional dinner date, since we didn't have time to eat before. Thank you for praying for us! God is faithful.

School Concert

The School Band and Choir concert was a success! Praise the Lord! More details later (by my wife!).

Staff Serving Students

Saturday night was the "Staff Serving Students" (SSS) banquet at the high school. Nate and I had fun playing some jazz music as students gathered for a lawn party outside. Then we all went inside for a fun progressive dinner. I took the idea from one of my mom's parties where there wasn't enough room for everyone in one room--so we just used all the rooms.

It was quite a success! My room was the Jazz room, in red and black, and Nate was the server. I read some mysteries and they had to solve them. Victoria's room was the Cafe, and there was also a Chinese Wok room where students sat on the floor eating with chopsticks. Finally there was a Polynesian room with a luau! Each room had its own staff host and server and each room had a different dish with activity. It was a great way to mix up the students and give them a rotation so they had a "progressive dinner" inside the decorated classrooms.

My favorite part was the surprise dance we presented to the students. I had arranged a special visit with a local Filipino high school to come and dance for us some ethnic Filipino dances. It was a smash hit! The students were impressed and had a blast. The dances were beautiful and expressive.

Nate and I were both inspired to learn more about Filipino dance. There are unbelievable things to learn about it, with all the traditions, costumes and meanings for each one. It was impressive to see the two high schools share such an experience!

Later we got the dance party going with the Kadang. The girls got to try the coconut shells with strings. You are supposed to dance with them kind of like tap shoes, but even harder. How fun!

Then Nate got to try the Karang with his balance. I was so proud of him! It is harder than it looks, folks. You should try!

Of course they all cheered for "Mrs. Becker!" when I was in the spotlight, but fortunately I did not fall flat on my face in front of everyone! Wow, we had a great time and truly had some fun praising the Lord with dance!

Mangosteen

It's finally mangosteen season! The mangosteen is one of my favorite fruits in the Philippines. It is unlike any I have ever known or tasted, especially since I am from a place that only sells apples, oranges and bananas (just to simplify a bit). The availibility of tropical fruit must be better here on our island than almost anywhere. In fact our island has one huge festival in August that people all over the Philippines come to just to buy fruit!

The mangosteen is about the size of a mandarin orange. It has a hard purple-black shell and a soft red inner shell. The part you eat is the white part in the middle. It is tender, sweet, juicy, and it melts on your tongue! It is like candy to me. I sat here and cracked open a whole bundle of them for my after-school snack. They are very healthy and fight cancer.

One of the only problems is that they are one of the more expensive fruits relatively speaking. They are also not always in season, whereas the mango is always available. Here are some interesting facts I found on the internet about mangosteen.

--Ultra-tropical
--Cannot tolerate temps below 40º F (4.44º C), nor above 100º F (37.78º C)
--Attempts to establish it north of 200 latitude have all failed
--Ordinarily requires high atmospheric humidity and an annual rainfall of at least 50 in (127 cm), and no long periods of drought.
--mangosteen trees can take 10-40 years before they start regularly producing plenty of fruit.

Praise God for the mangosteen! Yum! You will have to come try it for yourself!

Students Take the Stage

This week in 9th-10th grade New Testament I taught the seven signs in John through drama. Lots of our students enjoy drama, so they really had a fun time getting into it! We had some great laughs!

One of my favorite parts was when Chris played the part of the blind man's parents. He pulled out a scarf and put it on his head to talk like the mom, and then he put his arm around her invisible shoulders to be the man. It was pretty funny. I love seeing the creativity of my students!

One of my prayer requests is that they will grow in their relationships with God. Many of them have shared that they want to grow spiritually, and I want to invite you to pray with me for them. Pray that God will give me wisdom in how to teach them effectively and to lead them in their spiritual growth. Praise the Lord for His Word!

Our Weekend

This was a great week of teaching. In my NT class I taught on prayer and fasting using Jesus as an example. It was wonderful to have a concert of prayer and a day of fasting broken with sharing communion. Nate and I enjoyed leading the students in worship for chapel, and everything else just went great.

I was really excited about the weekend, though, because we had lots of fun things plannned. First we had game night with the high school students. We really got to have some laughs with them, which is great relationship building outside the classroom. Our favorite game is "telephone charades" where a person acts out a scene for another person, and they have to pass that message on until the fourth person interprets it. We had a blast with them!

Then, Saturday Nate and I celebrated with our friends, Micah and Rachel, who are flying to the U.S. this week to get married! Nate and the guys went out with Micah and ate by the ocean doing guy things (and not one picture was taken), while the girls and I went out with Rachel and took over 150 pictures! That is the difference between males and females!

That is not the only difference, of course, like we all got dressed up and wore boas on the town. We had some fun with Filipinos, and did some crazy things together as females. The funniest thing we experienced was when we went to the mall and were taking Rachel's picture with her fake tierra on. We told her she had to get a picture with her and 20 Filipinos together, so we saw a huge line of them standing outside the European bread store. After we took that picture we started to leave, but the people in the front of the line were calling her over to them. They thought she was actually a famous person and they wanted to meet her! That is the fun of being white--they thought she was a princess! The owner of the store even said we could take a picture of the place showing it was a European store in the Philippines. We had so many laughs as Rachel got a pose with all her fans!

All of this made me thankful for the memories of what a great wedding week Nate and I had 14 months ago today. We were surrounded by such great friends and family and made so many great memories! We're glad we were able to pass on the love to our friends as they prepare for their marriage! Praise the Lord for friends and fun!

Spirit Week

Last week was spirit week at the K-8 school we teach at. Every morning we gathered at the covered court to watch everyone walk around in their costumes. We had fun days like "Hair and face day" or "Hero day" or "team color day" or "look-alike day". Here are some of our crazy students, and even our principal!
Us on twin day with our twins!Our bold and crazy principal! (He's Nebraskan too!)Gloria got a pie in the face--this wasn't just any pie, it was FRESH DURIAN PIE. You can smell it for kilometers!

What Child Is This?

I was so nervous this morning as I dressed in black. I was planning to perform for my New Testament class. For homework last night I gave them an assignment to read the virgin conception from Matthew and Luke. I asked them some key questions to get them thinking.

When they came into class I told them that there were going to be two visitors from Ancient Israel to come to our class. I asked them to give full attention. With my assistant, Hannah, in the back to do lights, sound and camera for me, I put on my angel costume and began to dance through the aisles of the class. I had a spotlight and ribbons around my wrists as I danced to the music "Call His Name Emmanuel!" I even sang the prophecy to the class, "A virgin shall conceive and bear a son."

Then the music changed while I got into my Mary costume. I really praise God for helping me to get into character. I really thought I was Mary there for a minute! I gave a monologue to the class as though I were Mary--surprised, unsure, faithful, and worshipful. I tried to get them to imagine how Mary felt, pregnant teen, fiancee wanted to break the engagement, and obedient to God even when it was something that had never happened before. I even brought myself to tears as I identified with Mary's feelings.

Finally I performed a silent drama to the music, "He was still her little boy." It's very sad to watch Jesus grow as his mother--from infancy, to being a little boy, to becoming a man and then to the cross. I ended the drama in tears and then we had lights out. Wow, God taught me more than even the students, of course! I really praise Him for giving me all this music and drama so I can use it to bring HIs Word alive to my students!

Ode to my Wife

I probably don't say this often enough,
but my wife Jessica, she is wonderful!
She is the perfect mate for me!

She actually has written most of these blog entries
But she also does so much more!
She prays and loves the Lord with all her heart.
She loves God and the Bible and also loves teaching the Bible.
She loves people and her students.
She is passionate about life and makes the most of it.
She is a terrific singer and musician.
She works hard at home and at school and everywhere else.
She never gives up and gives it her all.
She prays for me and helps me in so many ways.
She is a life-long learner.
She keeps everyone up to date and connects with people.
She is a faithful friend to many people.
She is good with technology, writing, music, teaching Bible, photography, creative ideas and about a million other things.
She works well with students and sees their needs--I thought it was so neat how she sat next to a sixth grade girl during band class and helped her when she was struggling.
She is committed, dedicated, and devoted.
She is very good-looking and beautiful inside and out.
She is intelligent and a thinker.
She knows how to have a good, fun time!
she loves to travel and make the most of crazy trips!
She has wisdom, intuition, and deep understanding (probably what a lot of women have that we guys sometimes lack)--she can see the big picture or something hidden sometimes better than I can.
She is made in the Image of God.
She is an incredible woman in Christ because God made her and chose her!

I love you, Jessica!

Nate

Surprise Musical Birthday Class!

One of our students is turning 18 tomorrow. She told me she's going to be alone for her birthday because her parents aren't here and she has no plans. Of course my mom has taught me how to celebrate birthdays!

I quickly decided to make our 5th period vocal music class into a surprise musical birthday party for Jess. One of my other students helped me to prepare during her study hall. We quickly made a banner with crayons and computer paper. We put on the table cloth (I happen to teach in the kitchen anyway!). I was looking for food when I saw all these cakes, goodies and mangos just sitting on the counter from last night's parent open house. Perfect! We even still had punch left over from the open house.

I quickly made party hats (dorky looking) and I put a measure of music on each hat from our sight-singing lesson. Finally the students came in and were all surprised. They actually wore the dork hats the whole time and they loved it! I was so glad to make Jess' day and to teach through celebration. I told the class to "sing the hat" of each person, and that person had to look on the music and tell us which measure was taped to their hat. It was so fun!

Then we sang happy birthday to Jess in English, Spanish, Korean, Japanese and Indonesian. We even video taped ourselves! Then the kicker was when I was wearing my dork cone hat and standing on the table setting up the video camera. Right as I was totally in an unusual place "teaching", the principal walked in with two visitors to the school!! I was like, "It's not normally like this--don't get the wrong idea!" This was all as I was standing on the table behind the TV. Fortunately they had a good sense of humor and stayed for the performance. I know my students will not forget that music lesson for a long time!

First Vocal Music Performance

Today was (as the title says) the first vocal music performance given by the first ever high school vocal music class. I was the director of six males and five females. It was so fun! I loved hearing their voices in harmony to God. It's going to be a great year of growth for them. Most of them never knew how to read music, and in just two weeks they are able to do simple sight-singing. I praise God for this opportunity!

Mrs. Becker's First Miracle

I was planning to teach my 7th graders about John 2--Jesus' first miracle at Cana. I had this vision of doing something with a visual aide--like put a bunch of kool-aid in the bottom of a glass and then pour water in. I wondered how I could make the appearance of water to wine so the students would get the effect of the miracle.

Then I talked to my friend, the Chemistry teacher! She got me all hooked up with the right recipe=
A pitcher full of water and add some sodium hydroxide (NaOH)--a BASE
An empty wine glass with an unnoticable amount of phenolpthalien--an INDICATOR
Another empty wine glass with a bit more hydrochloric acid (HCl)--an ACID
I got a major chemistry lesson for my Bible class prep!

I was so nervous that someone would drink my "water" and I was nervous about my miracle--I didn't know if it would really work out! After we studied John 2 and observed all the important info I pulled out my pitcher and wine glasses. I said, "This will help you visualize it--they poured the water and it became wine!" I poured the water + Base into the Indicator and the glass filled with purple water. 'AHH!!" I got just the reaction I wanted. A miracle! =)

7th graders said, "How did you do that?!" or "You used food coloring" but I said, "this here is clear, and you didn't see anything in this glass did you?" They were puzzled. I let them ponder it for a while and they asked me all about it. Then I said, "You know, this isn't in the Bible, but Jesus is so amazing, He can even turn wine back into water!" Then I poured what was in the wine glass into the acid glass and it all turned clear again. They were really amazed by this--I was hoping many would put their faith in Jesus right then and there!

We had such a wonderful discussion about the miracle and about chemistry. I let them solve the mystery and finally told them how I did it. I know they will definitely not forget Jesus' first miracle!
P.S. I have pictures but they won't load--sorry

The First Note--Video Clip

Click on this link to watch a video of "The First Note" in the beginner band. It is pretty funny and makes me laugh every time, but just wait and I will put a clip of their progress later in the year. That's what's great about Nate--he has such vision for what potential students have. "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord."

http://www.ghormley.org/files/Becker/08.10.06_133.avi

Fun With My Korean Students

This year we have a far greater number of Korean students than we have ever had. It's been quite an adventure making sure we are reaching them and making sure they understand.

Today after school I met with the Korean study group in the library to explain our Bible quiz. I slowly explained what was on the quiz and I wrote down the information. They looked up words in their electronic dictionary and nodded.

Finally after 20 minutes of explaining and teaching and discussing, my whole message got through clearly to Joyce (her chosen English name). She was like "Oh!" and then she turned to the whole group and rapidly interpreted all that I had told her in Korean. The whole group listened to her preach the word of God that I had just reached her with. Finally they all said "OH!" and they said "Thank you, Teacher!"

It was an experience that I had to tell you about! I can't even describe it, but I love them so much! They are so wonderful and so willing to learn. What a joy to finally get the message of the Word through and to hear another student pass it on immediately to her peers. Be praying for us this year that we will effectively teach and reach our many Korean students.

*Disclaimer* These pictures are not from our study group! They are the ones from the retreat that I took of the girls.

Boat Building Contest

During the high school retreat (mentioned in the last blog), my co-leader, Victoria, and I invented the idea of a boat-building contest. We saw a pile of driftwood and bamboo and thought "Hey, let's have a boat race!"

The students quickly grabbed on to the idea and set to work. What a great team-building game it was! Students were helping each other and working together. I just sat and observed so I could learn about their various personalities and strengths. It was hilarious watching girls drag junk wood from the pile and watching boys take over leadership of the construction.

After everyone built the boats (or what have you!) Victoria and I got into one of the "real" boats and said, "We want to be like Jesus, so we're talking to you from a boat!" We explained the rules and blew the whistle. Off they went. They were to transport their whole team from here to there using that boat they had made. It was an event to remember that's for sure!