Jan. 16th, 2011 - Gibsah (party)

Dear Family and Friends!

Greetings again from Addis Ababa! A lot has happened since my last letter. So where to begin? The weekend before school got out for Christmas break, we had a Christmas Gibsha (party with lots of food) in honor of all the Ethiopian staff on campus. They were all invited to bring their families and let their kids use the playground here and enjoy a great Injera meal together. There about 80 Habasha (Ethiopian) staff on campus (office, classroom, maintenance, kitchen, etc.). So this was a really fun way to say thank you and for us all to have an afternoon together here at Bingham.

The Cross-country season has ended and we hosted a great final League meet for all of the international schools in Addis (about 7). It was so great for me to watch my kids run with all their might as fast as they could after a season of hard work. Currently, tennis continues (8 kids on the team), and so does JV soccer. It is a privilege to coach these teams as I remember the profound impact coaches have had on my life.

I am so thankful for the decision I made, and the opportunity I had to go home for our three week Christmas break. I had such a wonderful and refreshing time at home with my family, friends, the ocean and ice-cream! I didn’t really travel anywhere outside of SLO, therefore I was able to spend good time with my parents, brother and sister.

It already feels like I have been back here for a month. So much has happened in this first week of school. This past week was the Elementary Spiritual Emphasis week, and a team from England came to put on the morning program for the kids where they learned what/who their treasure is and how to look for it. Also, I am teaching middle school now, so I have traded grade 1 for grades 6, 7 and 8. So far I really enjoy it and am excited for the rest of the semester. We are preparing for field day, which is a huge, two-day event for the entire school to have some fun competition (track events) at the end of January.

I am excited about an opportunity this weekend to go up north to Mekele to visit and volunteer at a blind school and orphanage. My roommate Monica, knows a lady from Santa Barbara who helped start the school and came out to visit. So we are going to fly up with her on Friday afternoon for a quick weekend trip.

One of the best friends I made since being here was only here for the first semester, so I am sad that she is gone now. But there are about 5 new teachers (all youngerish ages) that have arrived this semester, so I am excited to get to know them, and hopefully connect with one or two of them. This verse from Galatians 5 has been on my mind the last few days, “…those who reap in the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” May we continue to preserver together as we serve the One who is worthy of our lives as we experience both the trials and joys, confusing times and life-giving times, the disappointments and fulfilled hopes, and the hurt and love that life brings. Praise God is sovereign over all.

Again, thanks for your love, prayers, encouragement and continued support for me as I teach here at Bingham Academy. God has proved so faithful in his provision and love for me. I hope that you too are experiencing the joy and salvation of the Lord.

Blessings from Ethiopia,

Rachel

Praises and Prayer requests

- A great and refreshing time at home

-For safe travels and a good adjustment back in to teaching here at Bingham.

-For a great and safe trip next weekend up north to the blind school and orphanage.

-The 5 new teachers as they learn the system of the school, their students, the city and make friends here. They are from Pennsylvania, Melbourne, Switzerland, and England (2).

-I am leading our 15min. morning staff devotion’s next week, so prayer for the Lord’s leading in what I share.

Dec. 12, 2010 - A bite of Turkey for Thanksgiving!

Dear Family and Friends,

Salom no? Dananachoo? Andatena? Tenestaling! That’s how we greet Ethiopian’s here. This past month has been full of teaching, coaching, the crazy streets of Addis and expectations for Christmas. I decided to come home, so I will be seeing many of you! The chapels have been full of Advent and what the candle’s represent (hope, preparation, joy and love). The Kindergarten did their Christmas Nativity play which was so darn cute to watch my kids being Shepard’s and angles and Mary and Joseph!

We had ETHIOPIAN DAY at school two weeks ago. It was so much fun. We braided our hair and dressed in traditional Ethiopian clothes. The kids were SO cute and it was great to see how appreciate the Ethiopian’s were for having us show a love for this country. We also had a Gibsha (big party with lots of food) as a way to thank and honor all our Ethiopian staff and workers here at Bingham. It was a great afternoon of sharing food together, pictures and games. The high school Christmas party was last night and the kids did relay races, ate lots of sugar filled food, and sang Christmas carols around a bonfire.

THANKSGIVING was wonderful. We had a group of us youngerish American teachers got together for a potluck Thanksgiving on Thursday night (it was really good and we had chicken instead of turkey since it’s so expensive). And on Friday night had a whole compound Thanksgiving with about 50 people and I put up a map of the US so all the Americans could mark where they are from (and we all got one bite of Turkey!).

And my racing days were brought back to memory twice in one week. We had our cross country finals here at Bingham which included 6 other international schools here in Addis. And secondly, I ended up being the first forengie women (white girl) to finish the GREAT ETHIOPAIN RUN! I ran the slowest 10k of my life by about 10 minutes, but was weaving through thousands of people (35,000 total) for about the first 3k and breathing the lack of oxygen available at 8000ft. It was so fun!

SCHOOL has been good and busy. We wrote report cards/paragraphs for each subject for each student (I have 170 students). We just finished a soccer unit and this last week in PE, and are now playing fun games like capture the flag. I feel so blessed to be being used by the Lord to serve these kids and their families here. I am So grateful for you, your love, prayers and support as I am living and serving here in Addis. I am also reminded this Christmas season of the expectation and hope that we have of the second coming of our Lord and Savior, and am so thankful and confident of the One we can place our trust in!

Chow!

Rachel

Praises and Prayer Requests

-The Lord’s constant protection and provision!

-A good Thanksgiving and Ethiopian Day at School

-For safe travel home, and a good time at home, for Christmas.

-To finish out this last week strong as we wrap up the semester.

Nov. 13th, 2010 - Different Norms of Life

Dear Family and Friends,

Tenestiling endagena! Hello again! Sorry it has been awhile since an update. Remember that I am so thankful for the many people in my life who love me, care about me, who have invested in me, and come along side me in prayer! God is so faithful to me and showing me more of who He is.

Since my last update the first term of school has ended. The week before the “holiday” as they call it here, was Spiritual Retreat weak. Each grade from 6-12 went on a retreat for a week. I went with the 7^th graders to Langano, about 4 hours south. It was quite the week of camping with baboons, monkeys, and 7^th graders throwing frogs in each other’s cabins. I led a service project of painting the tuberculosis room for the local clinic. Our theme for the week was who we are in Christ. The next week, six of us teachers went up north in Ethiopia to visit some famous rock-hewn churches in Lalibella. They were absolutely amazing. We also visited some Orthodox monks on some islands in Lake Tana (the largest Lake in Ethiopia), in Baha Dar. And we finished the trip with a castle and an African like Sistine Chapel in Gondar. It was great to have a break from school and see some other beautiful parts of the country.

Most of the NORMS of life here have become normal ways of life for me too. For example, the ELECTRICITY is out now, I am writing on a Word document. The kids don’t blink when the power goes out in class. It’s normal to drive by people SLEEPING ON THE MEDIAN in the road, and to slow down or stop for cows and goats. It’s normal for my kids to speak Amharic or German to each other during class. It’s normal to NOT get what you order in a restaurant. It’s normal to come home to ‘Sebalah soup’ waiting on the stove for my roommate and I after school. All of us teachers here have hired house workers to cook and clean for us. It provides work for people in the community and helps us after a day of teaching, and is super cheap for us. It is normal to hear the Muslim call to prayer, and say hello to the compound guards. It is normal to bleach the vegetables and eat injura b’ wet. It’s normal to learn new British vocabulary as well as Amharic.

CROSS COUNTRY practice continues and our first meet is next Thursday (I am co-coaching). The TENNIS season (I’m the coach and recruited a 12^th grade student, Mari, who plays in the national tournaments here to help) started last Friday! Parent teacher conferences were a few weeks ago and I met with over 40 PARENTS! I organized a big “Fun Sports Day” this past week for the 100 youngest kids (Kindergarten -3^rd Grade). It was a great afternoon full of relay races and games. Attached are two pictures.

Again, you are an answer to PRAYER and the Lord is using your sacrifice to enable me to work here, influence these students lives, and enable so many of their families to remain on the mission field.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” -Jeremiah 33:3

For Christ,

Rachel Valliere

PRAISES AND PRAYER REQUESTS

-A great midterm break in the countryside.

-Aaron and other kids spiritual decisions for Christ.

-What to do for Christmas

-Continued patience with my Kindergarten I class and 2^nd Grade.

-Meheret, a high school student with a tough family situation.

September 28th, 2010 - Meskel

“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” -2 Cor. 5:15

Dear Family and Friends,

I read this verse this morning and was greatly encouraged. We do not live for ourselves, but for the greatest cause in the universe. This is why I am in Ethiopia. Obedience involves sacrifice and although it’s hard to be away from family and loved ones, strength and life comes from knowing I am serving HIM who ultimately loves me, provides all I need, and is always with me.I hope this letter finds you well and encouraged.

Today is Meskel, an Orthodox holiday where they celebrate the day they think they found the cross of Christ. Needless to say, we don’t have school! So, it’s great to have a day of rest and lesson plans. This weekend, four of us girls got to get away for a two day backpacking trip to a crater lake about 3 hours west of Addis. It was so refreshing to get away from the city, smog and people for a little bit. It was absolutely beautiful and reminded me of a mix between Crater Lake in Oregon, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth, and somewhere else that is REALLY green. (I am hoping to create a blog that works here so I can post pictures and those of you who like to follow blogs will be able to!) We had lots of crazy adventures with Ethiopians and communication, riding a boat across the lake, drinking carbonated water from a natural spring, going in a "hot spring" waterfall, being followed by Ethiopian men with horses for miles! trying to convince us that we were tired and needed to purchase a horse ride, and to finish it off, a flat tire when we got back to our car the next day! SUPER fun. Learned how stubborn we as American's are, and how much better life is when you go with the flow, have low expectations, and laugh at your circumstances.

School is going well. I am enjoying teaching basketball right now. It is so much better now that I know the kids names and believe I am forming relationships with them. It’s hard as I only see the kids twice a week. I am SO thankful for the opportunity to teach some of the 5^th grade science class as well (twice a week). They have been learning anatomy and it’s great to impart my passion and knowledge of the subject to the kids. (And to be involved in their lives a little bit outside of PE.) Although I am learning and becoming even more convinced of the importance of sport and competition and what it teaches about life, character and attitude. There are many teachable moments about so many aspects of life that come up through competition and physical activity. Lastly, I have two periods of monitoring study hall, which is great to get to know some of the high schoolers. My rule is that they can either do school work, or talk to me. =) So most of the time some put in their headphones and work, and at least one or two who don’t have work to do, or don’t want to work, talk to me. I have learned much about being an MK (missionary kid), and what they like and don’t like about it, along with the advantages and challenges of living abroad.

Anyway, before this gets to long, know that I am SO thankful for you. I would not be here without you. God hears your prayers and I am SO humbled by them!

Here is a picture of us passing out Chickens to families/women on the street for the Ethiopian New Year in September!

Praises and Prayer Requests:

-A good weekend away from the city

-My health has been great (I have only got sick from the food once and have not been sick for any length of time.) It seems that there is always someone (or someone’s kids) on the compound who are sick enough to miss school.

-A mentor or someone older who I can confide in and process teaching and mission life with.

-Continued influence on the kids, and the development of relationships with the other staff here.

For fun:

Some of my kids names: Aku (m), Aiku (f), Eyob, Yeab (m), Yoab (m), Tummo (f), Zoya (f), Shenani (f), Tummo (f), Mariamewit (f), Zoya (f),

September 2, 2010

Greetings Family and Friends, Tenesteling!

I hope this update finds you well. I am so blessed by your prayers and support. I am almost finished with my second week of teaching and already see the Lord at work here at Bingham Academy. It is such a privilege to teach and serve these kids. My very first class was 5^th grade, and there are 12 different nationalities represented from the 23 kids. I love watching the kids arrive at school and saying goodbye as they drive off in their taxi’s. My first day of teaching I was amazed at the skill ability difference between the 5^th and 6^th graders. And I learned quickly after, that there is a big jump between each elementary grade.

My first week here I gained a HUGE appreciation for the many people who have to walk miles to get water. There was only one spicket for filtered drinking water across the campus and the first week (only the first week, thankfully!) we had to retrieve our drinking water in these buckets and carry it back. WATER IS SO HEAVY! Needless to say, all of those ministries and organizations that support making wells, and give people clean water nearby are HUGE!

I am getting used to being called Miss Valliere, and my learning curve for teaching is very steep. A handful of the younger kids know very little, or no English, so that is an extra challenge. It was so neat to talk with and meet some of the parents during back to school night and hear what they are doing here in Addis. The school here is such a blessing to so many families and really enables many to stay on the mission field. (I met a boy today whose dad is from the Netherlands, his mom is from South Africa, he was born in Zimbabwe and now they live here in Ethiopia.)

Ramadan (the main Muslim holiday) is about half way over now. So multiple times everyday we are reminded of our community by the calls to prayer and “chanting/singing” that has become so normal to hear. I now have my Ethiopian driver’s license and have taken on the challenge of looking out for people, sheep and potholes!

Thanks again for your prayers, love and support. It is SO neat to see the body of Christ and how each teacher here represents the prayers and love of so many from their homes, and how literally there are people all over the world invested into how the Lord is working here at Bingham Academy in Addis Ababa. “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.…” -1 Tim. 1:12. And, let me know if I can be praying for you! I run in circles around the compound here and pray for people on different loops, (because I get quite a lot of attention when I run in the community)! So I’d love to pray for you, if I don’t already!

May the Lord bless you!

Rachel

Prayer Requests:

-That God would reveal Himself to Muslim’s now during Ramadan.

-Discernment of who to invest in both students and staff.

-This week just finished spiritual emphasis week for the high school kids, so pray for the kids to continue to respond to Truth.

-For me, as lately I have been a little homesick.

P.S. Our internet is really bad here, it goes off all the time and is very slow (we didn’t have it last week for almost 6 days in a row). So please don’t be offended if I don’t respond promptly to you and don’t worry about me. I’m in good hands (the hands that hold the world).

August 28th, 2010 - In Addis for One Week

Dear Family and Friends,

I have been here in Addis for one week. Orientation for the teachers

and staff started this week. On the first day, the school director

gave a nice welcome and introduction. He spoke to my heart as he

shared the miraculous answer to prayer that we all are. This year

Bingham Academy has had the largest turn over of staff than ever

before. It was humbling and exciting to see his excitement and

amazement as to how God has faithfully provided staff for this school

year in and year out (since 1946). He imparted to us the huge

ministry that it is to teach TKC's (Third culture kid's). Kid's who

are "from" one country, and live in another country. They really are

unique. About 25% of the kids here do not speak English at home.

Everyday my senses are inundated with new stimuli. The smells are

incomparable, from the trash to fresh fruit and foods. The sounds of

the barking dogs, the Muslim call to prayer, and the constant rain.

The tastes of the injura (the main sour bread tortilla thing they eat

all of their food on/with.) and mochiato's. The sights of the masses

of people, flooded streets, and constant traffic. The feeling of the

cold apartment floors,

breathlessness (elevation 8000ft.), and bucket showers.

Also, unfortunately blogspot does not work here, so I will have to

create a new blog. My apologies, especially to those of you who

created an account so you could follow.

Thanks again for your love and support!,

Rachel

Prayer requests:

-orientation and planning. The school uses the Cambridge curriculum,

and it seems SOO vague - especially for PE.

-The family and remainder of a team in Afganistan who were brutally

killed this last week. 5 confirmed were killed and probably up to 10.

A staff girls best friend was/is on the team (a survivor) and it is

a sad and evil story.

-Discernment of who to invest in and become closer friends with.

It has begun!

I arrived safely here in Addis Ababa last night. So far it is great to be here. I recognized the smell right as I stepped outside of the airport. Monica (my roommate who is teaching 4th grade) and I arrived together and were taken to Bingham. We moved into our apartment, which we think is the best one!, and slept very well! There is a river that runs on the other side of the wall behind our apartment which looks like watered down milk. We feel very welcomed and met many other staff this morning during tea time.

The school is actually on the edge of the city, which I am thankful for, as there is so much traffic and smog. We had a tour of the campus this morning.