MY JESUS HAS SUCH A GREAT BIG PLAN

‘….I chose you and appointed you, so that you should go and bear fruit and your fruit that should remain... John15:16'

At the end of the last week of August 2014, I asked many of friends and family to pray with me for God to bring me back to the school I had taught on my first teaching practice. Wow! The answers to prayers and to my own longing have come true on Sunday after church services in the afternoon. My friend and coordinator of the teaching practice, Madam Stella [Mama Eunike] asked me if I can go back again.  Yes, I am ready to come at any time wherever God may lead me to. That is what I said.

That was a tremendous joy to me, I told her that I had praying and expected to come and would like to teach again, ‘just come and teach' she said. I thanked the Lord for His goodness. I believe God honored the desire of our hearts and prayers to take me back to the precious place He has planned for me. I knew that my sweet Lord and Jesus Christ chose and appointed me to go and wanted to do many wonderful things through me to the life of adventure with God.

So, I wanted Jesus to speak, to say many things to me that I may speak for Him to others with His power. I love Him distinctly, positively and more than more.

So, here we go……….

It was a sunny day and good July morning and my team sat on the front part of the faculty of education in my college. My friend Denice France and I had agreed the day before over the significance of good teaching preparation which would bring about a positive change to the school we were going to do our field

Many of the team joined in our conversation which lasted for a while.  I knew it would be a good way to get some new ideas about our teaching practice.  I could hardly wait to hear from everyone until we get everything ready. Our loving teacher, Madam Joyce came out of the office she begun to remind the dressing way of a teacher as well as how the lesson plan and scheme of work have to be designed and hold them in place. She ended up with the talk that it would be great if all of us will do well and be a good example to others.

The next forty five minutes we assembled again, each one would hold and bind up everything we have told by our teachers and university administrators.

 We continued to talk and laughing and laughing together, we laughed and laughed and laughed but didn't imagine that time was a beginning of the sad time; everyone said ‘I will miss you so much especially at this time of separation'

 As we laughed and giving best wishes to each one tears begun to run down my face, I knew that my friends and classmates were going away and will take a longest time to meet again. The harder tears streamed my face the harder I admitted that God is such a good God and He put us together now in these many wonderful ways so He will bring us to have time like this we are back to the college. Each one said his/her goodbye but no one moved.

As time passed, Denice and I watched some of the students took their way home. With a long lazy conversation, Denice asked me:  “what are you going to do on this trip?' My answer was, I know exactly what I am going to do on the field so don't be surprised…….

If you ask me what I will be doing on this field: I would tell you' teaching.'  I love teaching, God put this on my heart in such a special way and He is opening the exact doors on which I knock. So, I am 100% confident God is calling me to Juhudi Secondary school and I must go with Him. My desire is to love Him, even when it is hard.  I am going to glorify Him through communing with the school workers and students

I'm going to continue to be bold in sharing God's love and be confident in what He is speaking to me and use that spoken to share with the community about His love – that He has sent me there because He loves them.

I will be praying for God to teach me to love Him and my work so deeply, to teach the students with pure heart, stamina and kindness so as to put tears of joy into their eyes day after day.

I am going to mean something beneficial to the students and to the other people and to my God. He has placed me here for reasons; to help, to offer my services of teaching, to make me grow and learn more from all of these students and teachers.

I am going to encourage the brokenhearted students by showing the love of Jesus and to tell them about Good News of my Heavenly Father.

I am going to be a living example by showing the love of Jesus through my faith to the son of God that loved me and gave Him for me

And I will be quite honest to do what the school will tell me to do especially to teach, encourage and perform my daily routine

I'm going to encourage the students and light and make them enjoy their studies and lives with God

I'm going to know many peoples and will make friends and renew the old ones and learn from them

I will really love and comfort my student and the teachers and help them to do their schoolwork as comfortable as possible. I am not talking about the kind of love where you get something in return, but the kind of love that God loves us with.

I will help them to aware their potential and will give them confidence and self esteem.

I will learn to know my God intimately through the work He has given and as well as through encouraging and praying for students who are ill- treated by their friends, families and teachers.

I will perfectly be happy to see what God will be doing for me on this entire trip. I am so eager to see Him working in me and in the school at whole.

I am going to be like living water that can give life to others. I am enough and the precious son of the King of kings. I am not going to be the same.

Jesus was a teacher who loved his students. So I am going to do what my Lord has been doing.

That's very good; God needs people like you, Mahona. Be patient, God will lead and help you' Denice said.

The time had come and it was day one of the week. The clouds were heavy, the light of a day came slowly because of the simple hug of the morning was so complicating to me.  The wrong alarm of my phone which was set to wake me up in the early morning but the ring rang was still dark. The lack of sleepy caused headache as well as pain in my eyes.

Two hours, more or less, the high sound of the stubborn rooster sounded into my ears. The sun rays greeted me through the windows, surely that time I supposed to be at school.

 I got up again and scurried with an effort to leave for school though I was too late. I moved quickly passing the dirty huts and, narrow roads, main road and   streets for more than fifty minutes to get the school. While in the school, the happy little face of Madam Stella, the coordinator of teaching practice of juhudi secondary school greeted me warmly with high fives. She said in Swahili language ‘karibu tena' (welcome again). I could also say,' a pleasure to meet you again' I was quite proud of her and thankfully nothing was missed although of being there late.

After a few minutes of those elements of excitement the school board held a meeting of some kind with us in the computer room which was dirty on the outside but tidy and well organized on the inside. The meeting was incredibly quite but there was so much to say about the school routine and discipline at whole. Each one of us stayed quiet and put more attention to listen than before. The meeting ended on wonderful/l compliments made by the school headmaster and academic master for the positive change we made in academic issues in the year of 2014.

At the time, I was pleasing myself for the big job we did in 2014, while I was squatting with my favorite drink [mango juice] which had given by the head master, the crowed of students showed up with the expression of joy on their faces. Their joy invited everyone in that moment and I noticed that the crowed consisted of the students I taught from July - August in 2014.  I was buzzed with excitement after being told that they did very well in my lesson. I asked them to show their results and there was no hesitant.  Truly their exams results were excellent. Praise God! The students broke into cheers that echoed through the school. My fear of their voice melted away and tears of joy filled my eyes as the students gathered around us. They were laughing happily. The laughter of those students was melody of praise to my ears.  Others were patting our backs gently.

I then told them, ‘It is only God through His beloved son who wills what is best for us and in His wisdom He knows how to bring it about. So whether we see beneficial results in life or not, still need to be caked upon to trust Him' He is greater than our hearts and he knows everything'. That day was wonderful to me and I hope God wanted me to go there to share his greatness, hope and love with them.  

The next morning greeted me with lots of responsibilities to do. Rolling out of bed, carrying my bag pack, lesson plan and the scheme of work,  headed to school, walking sometimes jogging on the road and sometimes on the sidewalk, generally there was so much waiting for me. A little while later, my field notes had already prepared.  This arrangement seemed to fit into the scheme to be in the class again. As I read my favorite Bible verse from Psalm 25:4-5

‘Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you' I realized that everything I did filled me with tons of amusement and happiness.

While in the classroom, my students greeted me with cheers and warm greetings, their shouting greetings amazed me and were admirable but the classroom filled up with the 65 students  and desks, no enough space for a teacher to walk to reach the backbenchers.  Only the space was in front of the class. I found myself without a word to say instead of asking them to get a little time to know their names. Then afterward, the process of teaching begun, that was month one on the field.  I was describing the subtopics of the topics I dealt concisely to make them understand the lesson and to give them a clear experience at whole.

Trusting God's love and guidance was of more value to me as I taught my students; Jesus continued to be there with me. I was very much surprised when I said anything sensible enough for them to understand.  I was amused. As I did after each class section, I appointed them work to do and I asked them to bring their exercise books that I could mark them and correct one after another. I told them'' It seems to be impossible to get to end their studies without a vast effort.  Since then, many committed students became my very, very dear friends and we I had to learn and greet them with same effusive shouts. Yuriah, Dorah and Mary were doing excellent than other girls. Roman and Matt were brightest among of the boys but Yuriah was the best than all. There was a girl called Night who wanted to learn and to do well at school but she lived so far from the school, so she found three teaching sections had gone. I tried to talk to the headmaster and the academic and the discipline master who were close friends to me, they called Night's parents for further advice.

‘The more you are called to speak for God's love, the more you will need to deepen the knowledge of that love in your own heart.' This was what touched my heart when I talked with my students when I asked them if they understood the lesson they answered yeah! I asked why? Then they told ‘''You know how to teach''' then I tried to tell them the true answer that it's only God who makes things possible. So we need to trust Him and walk with Him.

One afternoon after my three weeks of worshiping with the students, Stella invited me to her church named' New Jerusalem Ministry church ‘.  While there I was welcomed by many believers cheery and felt really at home.

The church was handsome with unfinished doors and windows. While sitting in that little church Jesus continued to put His love and blessings into my heart. I was really at peace and feared nothing though I was among of the new comers who came to sense on the Love of Father God. God was pulling me to know Him intimately. Everything made me smile. Many believers were happy for us who came as strangers. The Pastor used a microphone to serve on the sermon on Isaiah 60:1

After the sermon, Stella asked me to stay and spend more and more time together. She gave me some brief bit of her church history. Our time of sharing God's love and our life stories were excellent. As I moved out from church heading to my lodge,   I promised to join them someday. Finally Stella concluded by saying ‘''Welcome again and come with others''\

THEY CALLED ME WITH NEW NAMES

During the first three weeks of first month on the field, my teammate- teachers and I got used by the work. When we were out walking together my friend Jenifer who has been at the school during the first teaching practice and this begun to hit me with plenty of names which my students have given me.  I really didn't hear from a student before but Madam Stella and Mr. Bakari called me----‘'' Brother in the Lord'''' and I called'''' brother and sister in the Lord'''.   Sometimes we called each other ‘'''My Teacher'''''

Here the list of names which my students called me;

 ‘Teacher of a cheerful touch'...‘Number one of the radiant list'...‘‘Man of Hobbies'

For the first time that day I began to feel really homesick and the hot tear steamed down my face because I didn't know the meaning of those names but God does.  I whisper a little breath, God, this is enough!!! So the excitements of that strange venture had borne me up but Jennifer and Beatrice told me that the students appreciated me.” The names are all very pleasant and soothing of all the glory scores” Beatrice said.

 I was so jolly glad and felt very grateful.

 So, month one was almost over and if you ask me how it was, I would tell you … month one was as good as gold, yet with abundant blessings from our Heavenly Father.