Use your god-given Talents and Professional skills to 去产生影响 为着福音的缘故

“The first six weeks of first grade are not easy for me or my students. The kids are adjusting to the ‘big kid class’ – struggling to find their stamina and learning that reading and writing is actually really hard work. But as the year moves along it is unbelievable how much they grow, not only as readers and writers but as little human beings. They start to think about things on such a deeper level and by the end of the year I don’t want to see them go.

When I look back on how far they have come from the beginning of the year, I see that this is the year in kid’s lives where they get into their little rockets and take off for the moon. Even though I am the teacher, here are a few things that I have learned from first graders:

1.万事开头难。但只要你继续努力，尽自己最大力量。最终你的付出不会白费，你会获得丰沛的收成。

2.摇晃的牙齿分散注意力，但为终于长出来的牙齿庆祝也很有必要（即使只是生活中的小事，我们也应该为此庆祝。）

3.上帝对我们生活的每一个小小细节都很有兴趣。即使是我们的小狗抽动鼻子，或是我们的父母正飞往地球的其它地方，上帝也能呵护好这一切。

4.我们要像一年级学生那样去祈祷。他们满怀信心地祈祷，全心全意地相信上帝必会回应。（我们每天开始时的祷告时间是我一天中绝对的亮点）。

5. A little band aid and just some words to acknowledge their ‘owie’ can make such a difference. We need to remember that we don’t have to have all the answers but just a kind word to one another can make such a difference.

6.一年级的学生对一切都饶有兴致，并总能从小事中找到快乐，比如从大理石罐里抓满满一把大理石。哪些小事让我们充满感恩并找到喜乐？

7. Life is an adventure . . . there is so much to learn. Let’s always be lifelong learners.”

“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.

“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.”

“I (Rose) first came to Faith Academy in November 2005, working as operator of the Copier Machine, contracted with another company until 2012, but was not yet a Faith employee. I became an official office assistant in 2012 by God’s grace. Working at Faith Academy is really a blessing and is also an answered prayer for me. I prayed to God that hopefully he would bless me with a job that is just near home so I would be able to stay near family. I cherish all the moments of sitting down to eat dinner with my mother and siblings, and just being able to spend time with them after arriving home from work.Through this, I have seen God’s goodness, and I am so grateful for Him placing me here at this school.

One of the things I enjoy about my job is interacting and being around and able to learn from the Faith students. When I first started working here, assisting the students was a huge learning experience because they were asking me questions that I didn’t even know all the answers to! But, I am grateful to have Ate Mars here by my side always there to help. Faith students are so gifted with the talents they show through theatre, art, sports, and academics. I find it all admirable and they never cease to amaze me. I’m really blessed and thankful to be part of FA community.”

“I (Mars) joined Faith Academy in 2004 as the Assistant High School Secretary, and then moved up my current position. Aside my work here at Faith Academy I am also very much involved in my church as a deacon’s wife, Sunday School Head and teacher and also member in our church worship team ministry.

Now, what is my favorite Faith Academy story from the past 13 years? I can’t think of just one, but I think being able to meet with different people from different countries from all around the world is one of my favorite things. I am able to get a taste of all the countries I have never been to because of the different nationalities I get to encounter here at Faith. The ability to face, converse, assist, etc. to different kind of nationalities, for me, is such a privilege.

Something I love about this school and the students is the uniqueness it holds. I get to have my fun moments with them – especially when they try to converse in Tagalog! I enjoy all the little things, like giving their locker combinations, especially during appreciation days, which is a day when you get to appreciate your friends by placing a little treat in their locker for them. With all honesty, for thirteen years in the high school office, I have cherished every moment of helping and assisting our students in my own little ways and Lord willing will continue ’till my retirement day. Wait, I also think that high school students are smart and very talented!”