Use your god-given Talents and Professional skills to make an impact for the gospel

“My full name is Hasinirina Boulter, but most of you know me as Coach Hasina. I serve in the Aquatic Department and this school year, I have begun teaching Elementary PE. It is with joy that I serve our Lord and you here!

I was born in Madagascar, where I lived until I was 19 years old. Most people only know Madagascar from the movie! While we do have cool wildlife – the only natural habitat of lemurs, the world’s smallest chameleon, and the baobob tree – it’s also the fourth largest island in the world – a very dry island in the Indian Ocean settled by Malay and African people – which is why I am frequently mistaken for a Filipina! Then I moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, and so many new things. A new language, a new climate (deserts, wetlands, grasslands, bush, subtropical forests, mountains and escarpments!), food, and friends!

By simple definition, I don’t fit into the ‘Third Culture Kid’ category. But have you considered the actual definition of a TCK? This is what I found: ‘A TCK is an individual who has spent a significant portion of his/her formative years in a culture that is different from their parents. Someone who builds relationships to all cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background.’

I can relate to the information above, and that helps me relate to students and adults here! Juggling the number of cultures that I have been privileged to experience can be challenging at times, however it enriches my life. I am glad and honored to be part of Faith Academy family and community as we experience and find joy in these different cultures together.”

“I started working at Faith Academy in 2013 and my plan was to stay and teach for only a year, which became two, then more. I didn’t expect to meet my husband here, though! We taught next door to each other, became friends, and fell in love. We got married, and we love doing life as a family with our 11-month old daughter. We look forward to the day when she can attend Faith and be a Vanguard too!

A big part of what keeps us here is the community. The parents, staff members and students at Faith have demonstrated so much love and care for us, and we love investing in those around us. Also, our students bring many different experiences and backgrounds to school each day, sharing their unique gifts and talents. Our teachers are invested in developing students both academically and spiritually. I love seeing the small but significant steps of growth that happen each day!”

“From the time I was born until I was 12, I lived overseas as a missionary kid, first in Kenya and then in the Philippines. In fact, I went to 5 different elementary schools on three continents, including four years at Faith Academy.

Transitions and new experiences were all I knew, it was what I felt formed my identity. However, when I was 12, my parents sensed God calling them to stay in the United States. My life as I had known it changed completely – I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my friends and life here at Faith Academy because the decision was made while we were on furlough. Needless to say, as a young teen uprooted from all I had known (even as that had changed so often), I became angry at my parents and at God. I felt that if there even was a God, surely He must not love me, since I had such a hard middle school experience. I did not understand my classmates in the US, most of whom had rarely been outside the state of Colorado, and they did not understand me, this strange girl who had lived all over the world. God used that hard transition in my life to make my heart tender towards the transitions missionary students go through. God also gave me a heart for middle schoolers, even though I first vowed I would never teach that age group, because of my own negative Middle School experience. But God knew those experiences would lead me to seek out the hurting and left-out students while working with their classmates to include them.

That is why I came to Faith Academy in 2013; I hope I can be a consistent person in students’ lives and identify with them through their struggles. When I share my story with my students, especially new middle schoolers, they seem to breathe a sigh of relief that someone understands what they are going through. I love being an encouragement to them and seeing them become more comfortable with the community here at Faith.

The students are what I love the most about Faith. I love how they bring such a richness and diversity of thought to their studies. I love how they are so grateful and that I can build relationships with them on multiple levels, both inside and outside of the school day. I pray that God can use me to show students that their identities don’t come from being a missionary kid, or a business kid, or even a Faith Academy student, but that their identities are rooted in the fact that they are beloved children of the King of Kings.”

“Faith Academy is home to me because I have spent the majority of my life here. I went to Faith Academy K-12, and now I have the amazing opportunity to serve here as a teacher. Initially my wife and I were open to serving anywhere in the world, but God opened and closed doors to have us end up here in the Philippines. At first I loved that I had the opportunity to teach at the school that helped me grow so much. However, since teaching here, I have grown to love even more how my ministry is helping missionary families by teaching their children so they can do their ministry with ease.”

Caleb spent his childhood years in the Philippines.