Graduation Day!

Hello All,
This was a really great week - highlighted by Trevor's Graduation!  What a wonderful ceremony to mark the end of a time with this great group of young adults.  Sitting there watching this group that I have worked with over the last 4 years walk in was very emotional.  They are going to places all over the world and have such a tight bond.  They will really need each others' support over the next few years and hopefully some will stay in touch.
Trevor graduated with Salutatorian honors!  We are so proud of all his hard work.

 The whole class and Mr. Hall

 Timothy, Silly and Karissa being typical 7th graders!

Getting ready for the big event

 Trevor and one of his best buds, Chris

Sallie and her "big Sister" Tegan

 Chris, Trevor and Braden - love these guys!

 Trevor and Benji

 Trevor and Micah (Both trumpet players extraordinaire)!

 Trevor and Njoki (we helped her with her house in 2011)

 Trevor and Mr. Taylor - Band Director, Mentor and Friend

 Timothy and his bud Landon

Last Saturday, the jazz band performed its last.  They are so amazing.  It is one of my favorite events.  Trevor and Micah play trumpet and they rock!  They play old jazz songs that are just classic.  I know they will miss playing together.  Hopefully, Trevor will find a new group of people to play with up at MTU.

Trevor and Micah being photo - bombed!

Just before the jazz band concert, there was an alumni dinner.  It is really a dinner for the seniors as they are becoming alumni.  We were invited to go as sponsors of the class.  What a great opportunity to get dressed up and have a dinner and a concert!

Us with our friends the Carters

Trevor and Min

Timothy and Trevor got a chance to play again the next night.  It was concert night with the concert band, strings, wind ensemble, and choir.  About 2 hours later, we had listened to a whole bunch of great music and really enjoyed it. We will miss these opportunities to hear the kids play, but maybe others will come.

Timothy after the concert

Last Monday was the annual awards ceremony where the school gives the academic awards for the high school and junior high.  Trevor walked away with the top honors in his computer science and statistics classes (we love our geek)!

This certainly has been a week of good-byes.  Lots of tears shed.  But, I am waiting for when I am sitting on that airplane seat.  Sallie and I have decided that we will bring tissues and cry when we get settled in that seat!  We also had Senior night on Wednesday.  It is a 3-4 hour event that highlights the time the kids have been here.  Some arrived in preschool, some came just last year.  It was so much fun to see pictures of these kids as they were just itty bitty things!  Then we had a ceremony with just the class and the adult sponsors saying good-bye.  The sponsors stand up front to start the procession, and the kids come up in order of who has been here the longest (starting with preschool and going through last year) and we all hug and say our good-byes.  Each person gets a chance to hug every other person.  It takes a while but is well worth it!  Then we had a candle lighting ceremony.  At the end, as we were in a circle, we all were told to turn and face the outside.  This was symbolizing everyone taking their light to the world.  It was a great symbol.

As I sit here writing, there is a procession of people coming to the door.  They are saying their good-byes but also wanting what ever is left over.  It is one of the hardest things that Jim and I have had to adjust to.  But, as I listen to some of these people tell me how I have impacted their lives, I feel grateful.  I feel grateful to have had a chance to do that.  We had another going away ceremony with the engineering team at the hospital where many speeches were made.  One person said of us that as he walks around with us, people are always coming to greet us and as he sat in our house, there was a steady stream coming to the door.  And, even though the buildings may not be 100% complete, we had done our job.  The job was in the relationships, not the structures.  Glad to know that we got something done!

I had a final site meeting this week with the Arts Center at RVA.  I am so glad that Tony is here looking at things with fresh eyes.  The class is going to give a gift to the school in the form of an inlaid buffalo head (school mascot) on the balcony.  It will be about 4m x 3m in a circle or a rectangle.  We have the graphic arts teacher helping with the stencil and the man that does the terrazzo says he can do it.  Just hope it turns out that way!  They started with walls on the upper floor this week!

We also had a final walk-through with the Bethany Kids project team.  We found some things that needed attention and some additions, but overall things are going well.  I am heading up in a bit to paint the "river of life" on the floor so that the terrazzo man can have the same vision as Mardi and I for the floor.

The "Whites"

 The nurses station

 Just got back from painting the "River" on the floor.  Hope it helps them to see the vision: 

Acacia and Ali

Trevor

The Team!

Sallie had a fun event this week.  They had built a hot air balloon and filled it using a propane tank.  The second time they flew it, it caught on fire!  They were screaming and had a great time watching it go up in flames!

If you want to see the "burning of the balloon," go here.

Next time I write, I will be in the states!  We leave on Tuesday.  We are all ready to come home for a while.  Not sure what God has planned for us during that time, but I am sure it will make itself known!  

Please pray as we travel and that we will finish well over these next few days; preparing and saying farewell.

In His Hands,

Jullie T

PS - Just a few more pictures: