My Mission Girls

It's amazing how you can not know someone for your whole life, and then it changes instantly once you meet. You can't imagine how life would have been without their laughter, friendship, and presence. 

I just want to give a special shout-out to these Gal's for sharing Palau with me and for being my mission girls for the last two years. These girls have hugged me when my family and friends were thousands of miles away and have shared special memories that will never be forgotten.

It's hard to leave your friends and know that their lives are going on without you and that you may miss big things that happen in their lives. It's even harder, to bond with one group of girls, have to say goodbye to them, and then have to meet and befriend a whole new group. (Kill me now, I stink at making new friends.) I don't know how the locals do it with new missionaries every year.

I felt almost disadvantaged and like I was making friendships in vain at first. Everyone is from a different place and we will most likely never be in the same place again. But something special happens when you put people together. Whether we meet again in Palau or not, I've made some mission friends for life.

2014-2015 Girls 

2015-2016 Girls

Frescinos on the Move

Whelp, the packing in the Frescino house is in full swing. I’ve got my smaller suitcase all zipped up and we have 5 boxes ready to ship. It’s amazing how much stuff people accumulate in two years! 

We’ve lived in our little Palauan apartment for two years and now it is time to pack it all up and move on to the next great adventure. We really want to be able to enjoy our last week here in Palau, so whatever isn’t clothes and being used right now, is being packed.

Palau is special to us. It was our first home. Joey and I moved to here just weeks after getting married. Like just under three, I think. Everyone thought we were a little crazy, and we kind of were, but we made it! Praise God! This home has so many good memories that will never be forgotten. Geckos and all. ;)

Mornings at Palau Mission Academy.

At first, I struggled BIG-TIME with our cinderblock walls. Not exactly a home-y element if you know what I mean. But after some time, I was able to come to terms with them and just let them be. So, I put some christmas lights up on the ceiling, got some framed pictures on our nightstands, and called it home. And for two years, it has been. :) 

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The view from right outside my door. Across from me is the dorm for students and the Student Missionary apartments. 

My mom contributed to our home by sending me some cute kitchen towels & my mother-in-law sent me scented candles for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Both things seem so small, but were such a blessing in our home and made it feel all the more special. :) Thanks mamas! <3 

Some of last year's decor. 

Some of this year's decor. 

While we were here, my husband learned a bit of carpentry. He saw a need for furniture and a free supply of wood- why not make a few things?! His first project was a nightstand for yours truly, and I LOVED it! I wish I could take it back with me. Isn’t it darling?

Our friend Joe Mixon helping Joey out. Quality guy. 

The next project was a shoe rack. Our shoes were taking over every available corner. Really glad he made this! 

Here I am doing all the easy work. ;) 

Then my husband endeavored into the intricate and challenging task of making a chair. It’s made for a person who is like 10ft tall, but hey, we have another chair now!

Last, but not least was a project for himself. He made a desk. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of this one. I was happy to see my husband busy doing something he loved, and that we had some functional, personal furniture in our house. Yay!

I learned that home is what you make it. There are still more packing to be done, memories to be had, tears to be shed, and blogs to be written before I leave Palau, so off I go!

Xoxo,
Rachel

Life Without Water

Life without water is rough. 

Some of you may or may not know, that my little island home of Palau was experiencing some extreme water shortages and drought. Every day we had “water hours” when the water got turned on for a short amount of time each day. In my town, the water turned on from 6-10pm. Other towns get their water in the morning. 

I’m not going to lie, it was a challenge adjusting to not having water whenever you want. 

We saved water in buckets to make sure we could wash ourselves, the dishes, and flush the toilet during hours that we knew the water wouldn't be on. And after a little “overgrown stomach bacteria” issue I had in my own belly, we now buy our own drinking water instead of drinking from the rain tanks. 

Although it’s annoying and incredibly inconvenient, this season of drought isn’t all bad. I’ve been learning a few things during these dry days.

Preparing water buckets at night taught me to plan ahead so I can take a quick “birdie bath” and flush the toilet in the morning. (We learned that lesson REAL quick when we had no water the first day.) 

This drought is teaching me to not take life’s little things for granted, like running water. 

It’s teaching me not to WASTE water. Because now when it’s on, we treat it like gold. 

It’s teaching me that not everyday will be sunny (or rainy) and both are okay. Seasons come, and seasons go. 

I remember one of my professors from Southern Adventist University, and a little project she did on campus one day. One day there were 5 gallon buckets of water at various spots on campus. She encouraged people to take a bucket, or two, and to walk with it to their next class/drop off station, in order to become aware of people in the world who have to carry all the water they need to use. I delightfully took a bucket because I’m a stinker for things like this, and remember taking a picture with it. As I walked with my bucket, my hands became a little sore. I had to switch hands a couple of times and remember thinking, “Man! People in the world really have to do this!” Here I am about 5 years later, carrying my water from the rain tank to my house! Oh, the irony. 

I absolutely loved the water project that day and I wont mind carrying my water down the sidewalk ever again. 

Life without water is rough. In fact, it’s impossible. 

Water gives life. It cleanses. It purifies. It’s refreshing. 

I’ve discovered that life without Jesus is rough. In fact….it’s quite impossible. I go through periods of life where my priorities don’t always begin with God and after a while, I thirst for Him. I feel the difference without Him. 

I can survive and “make it” but I’m be more like a zombie than a real human being. REAL, invigorating, inspiring life, is impossible without Jesus.

Here are some verses that remind me that God is my living water and source of life. 

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” 

Psalms 51:10 

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” 

Psalms 34:8

May you never live thirsty again, 

Rachel 

Mrs. Rachel's 4th Grade Classroom

Today is Monday and that means there are only 16 school days left. I can't wrap my mind around how this year is almost over! So before the decorations come down and the cleaning begins in a couple weeks, I wanted to take a minute (or blog) to share a little bit of my 4th grade classroom.

Let me start with this, missionary teachers do not have the luxury of JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels, U.S. Toys, School Box, and all those other stores that teachers swoon over. We have one office supply store on the island and lots of love shipped to us. Out of these humble classrooms we teach and we love, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Last year I was quite frustrated for a while at my lack of resources because I had already had a classroom in the U.S. and wanted this one to be equally as amazing and adorable. I finally realized though, that it's truly not the cute that makes students learn, it's the environment and attitude that I create in the classroom. Once I came to terms with that, my classroom started to take on its own homey feel in a unique mission-classroom way. Here's what mine looks like. :)

This is our "command center." It tells my students about important dates, our daily schedule, and our job schedule, all in one place. I had all of these elements last year, but they were all kinda floating around the room (It took me a while to figure it all out). I'm happy these pieces have all found each other because it makes for a perfect year-round bulletin board.

This is a white board that I use as an anchor chart center. I am blessed with lots of windows and natural light in my classroom, which also means my wall space is very limited. My white board also doesn't EVER erase so I was struggling with how to use the space. What better spot for my anchor charts than to have them front and center right where all of my students can see them at any time? Score.

A student enjoying the Writing Center. 

This reading corner started off so humbly with not even enough books for each student to have 2 at their desk. Now, thanks to some beautiful people and their generous donations, our library has overflowed to a REAL bookshelf AND enough for them to have 2 books at their seat! Praise the Lord!

Back to enjoying my room before it's all taken down!
Xo,
Mrs. Rachel