It’s week of worship here in Pohnpei. For this quarter, five teachers were asked to give a talk for each day. Our theme was “chosen” by Carl Dupper (a fellow SM from Colorado who teaches PE, Computers, and Government). The theme is: Choices. “God’s ways and the choices we make.”
It’s been really fun to see the teachers step up and try to speak to these kids about choosing God everyday, in every part of our lives. Chapel is not really my favorite part of the week. It’s usually only on Monday, and it lasts from 11-12pm. To be quite honest, it feels like torture. Chapel felt like torture every Tuesday when I went to Walla Walla, too. Why? Well, you’ve just had about four classes, and its right before lunch. All you want to do is grab a sandwich, relax your brain, chat casually with your friends – but NO, you have to sit quietly while your stomach growls and all your social instincts are clawing at you to chit-chat with everyone around you.
The boys here agree with me, apparently. The boys sit on the left, and the girls sit on the right. Let’s just say, the girls aren’t really the noise makers… the boys do the weirdest things in chapel!! One student (yes, his name is actually MacGyver), likes to occasionally jump around the pews and climb over people. Other students like to sprawl out their whole bodies and take a full-out nap. Others enjoy sneaking around on their phones, or reading various books. In general, it’s mayhem. It’s really hard, too! Especially for us lady teachers! Because you’re supposed to sit next to the girls, but the entire time you look over at all these crazy boys! My face is SORE after chapel after sending so many disapproving glares over to my left!
One of my new roommates, the lovely Ms. Kristina Kyle from Southern, gave the first talk on Monday. She did a wonderful job, lightheartedly introducing the kids to the idea that the choices you make, every day, affect who you become in the future. My “assignment” for Tuesday was to address some of the biggest, and more damaging, choices a lot of these kids deal with here in Pohnpei. All those…..(close your eyes professors!!)… ridiculously boring health promotion classes I took in college came in handy as I was preparing my medical statistics and visual aids! The big issues? Well, of course the addiction trinity: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana.
The FSM in general has a big problem with alcohol. Most of the violent crimes and suicides are all related to drinking alcohol. I’ve had a few kids come to class hungover (I’ve developed entertaining ways of punishing them – like making loud noises, applauding, and pounding on their desks for encouragement!! They just LOVE that). But the last thing I discussed is an issue common here around the pacific: betel nut. It’s this seed that they find around palm trees, pop into their mouths, and chew chew chew. You’ll see locals walking around with this big nut floating around their mouth. It has all kinds of acids and alkaloids which basically poison you. It stains their teeth and gums red, causes all kinds of mouth ulcers, and increases their risk of a whole mess of cancers. Many of the high school students have reddish stains on their teeth. About… 5-6 of my students have been suspended/expelled/disciplined for chewing betel nut so far this year. We don’t allow it on the campus. Another really disgusting thing about betel nut is that while they are chewing it, they spit out the juices. Those juices stain everything. All around the corners of the halls, classrooms, outside the windows – betel nut juice. Our principal says it’s not too bad this year as it has been in the past, but we still notice is around the school.
Sadly, I have smelled alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette smoke on some of my absolute favorite students (I have favorites!? Whoops...). It’s so frustrating, because most of them have so much potential! They are smart, funny kids who just don’t understand that they aren’t invincible. The choices they are making now can screw up their future, even their relationship to God. So I spoke to them about all of that, and told them how much God wants us to honor Him with our bodies. I asked them the questions, “whom will you serve? What will you devote yourself to? Where will invest your time, effort, and labor?” It went pretty well. But I’m sure some kids still fell asleep or lost themselves in their cell phones.
I realized today why I felt so passionate about talking to them about all of this stuff. This entire year I have devoted myself, invested my time, and put all my labor into helping these kids. I have chosen to serve God, and serve them. I want so much for them to learn, enrich their minds, and grow closer to God! But I can only do so much. They have to choose each day whether or not they will listen, respect, and value me. Many of them have, and it lifts me up so much to see them learning, understanding, and enjoying it!
But it’s okay that some of them haven’t yet, because I’m still here – working, waiting, and praying for them every single day.
(13 more weeks to go) Please pray for me so I can be an effective witness to these kids in the little time that I have left!
Kasalel,
Kelsey
“ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua 24:15 NIV
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