Bulletin Boards

One of the ways I help around campus is to decorate the bulletin board in the office. It's one of the first things you see when you enter the office. I realized if I was going to be decorating the bulletin board each month it would be helpful to have a Cricut cutting machine to cut out the needed letters. I added it to my wish list on my newsletter and felt it was a long shot. I prayed about it and asked God to put it on someone's heart if this was an item that would be helpful for me. In October I received a text message from a friend with a photo attached saying my new Cricut Expression 2 was on it's way.

September 2013

In September I created a tree out of a crumpled up paper bag and then added apples with the kid's names and grade level. I didn't get a picture and I'm bummed I didn't have the foresight to document my work of art (or so the office staff referred to the bulletin board I created).

October 2013

In October I was sick and unable to change the bulletin board. This made me sad in more ways than one. I felt bad I wasn't able to do my job of caring for my girls or being creative on the bulletin board. I was also bummed I wasn't able to use my new Cricut, but I made up for it in November.

November 2013

The secretary is Navajo and lent me her Navajo Bible to write out Psalm 107:1 in Navajo. I had to get a little creative with the accent marks because my new Cricut Expression doesn't have accent marks. Not to mention the accent marks in Navajo are a little different depending on where they are located. It's not exactly like a Spanish accent mark all the time. 

For the turkeys I handed my girls craft supplies and asked them to make turkeys. The girls had fun making "king" and "cheerleader" turkeys as well as very colorful turkeys. 

I like this bulletin board decoration. Simple, yet so cool to look at with the Bible verse written out in Navajo. The secretary said parents and grandparents would come into the office and were pleased to see their language on the bulletin board.

December 2013

For Christmas I wanted to put the Bible verse in Navajo again, but I also wanted to add the meaning of Christmas symbols from a Christian perspective and realized I'd run out of room on the small bulletin board. I opted to print out the descriptions and Bible verse. I was told staff, parents and visitors would stand and read the bulletin board. I hope they remember there is more to Christmas than presents and shopping. 

Here's what I found from an online search and added to the bulletin board:

Christmas Tree

Evergreen coniferous trees stand for the ever-burning fire of life. The evergreen attribute signifies man's everlasting hope in Christ, which has been given to mankind by Christ's sacrifice, death and resurrection, to those who believe in Him. The triangular shape is believed to symbolize the holy trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Candles/Lights

Candles or lighting on the tree stands for Jesus Christ who died at Calvary on the cross for the salvation of mankind. he came as light and hope into a dark and doomed world. He came to bind up broken hearts and free those in bondage.

Star

God promised the World a Savior who would come and set humanity free. The star on the tree represents God's fulfillment of the promise He made ages ago, through all the prophets. It also represents the shining hope of mankind that first shone in Bethlehem, leading the wise men to baby Jesus.

Candy Cane

Candy canes represent the shepherd's crook, which helps the shepherd gather his lost and strayed sheep. Our Heavenly Father is our shepherd who eagerly waits for His sheep to turn back to Him. The candy cane can also be turned upside down, wherein it stands for the letter 'J' in Jesus. the red and white sugar coloring stands for Christ's blood and purity, which when brought together make us holy before the Father's eyes. 

Wreath

Christmas wreaths represent the unceasing love of the Father. It shows how God's mercies are new every morning, and how true love has no beginning or end! Wreaths remind us of how privileged we are to have a Father whose love is never-ceasing and unconditional! 

Read and Green Colors of Christmas

Red stands for the fire of the spirit, while green stands for nature and one's life on earth. Red along with green symbolizes the Holy Spirit's union with nature to be incarnate on Earth and save the world. 

Gifts

Gifts hung on the Christmas tree remind us of how we have received the greatest gift on earth, which is 'eternal life' through the blood of Jesus Christ. It reminds us how God gave His all for us and how we are to live our lives for Him on Earth. 

January 2014

I thought I had a picture of January's bulletin board before I took it down to put up February's bulletin board. Bummer. It was Goodness and I had used the Cricut to cut out Goodness and added Bible verses along with a few sparrows cut from the Cricut.

February 2014

Again, I thought I had a picture of February's bulletin board, but apparently I don't. Bummer. I asked the school secretary to translate 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. I realized it was too long to cut out on the Cricut, so I took the descriptive words of love and used them to decorate the bulletin board. I used a pink Sharpie to write their English translation just below each word. 

March 2014

Our theme for the month is Gentleness. I used scrap paper and created a rainbow. I started with purples and moved into blues, greens, yellows, oranges and finally red and pinks. To make the 3D cloud I taped a few pieces of legal sized papers together an then bunched up the edges and stapled them. I stapled the top from underneath to attach it to the bulletin board. Gentleness was cut out using my Cricut. 

April 2014

If you remember April was my month of technical difficulties. My Cricut was being sent in to be repaired and I wasn't sure what I was going to do for April's bulletin board. The theme was Patience. I used my Custom Cutting System from Creative Memories to cut out the flower pedals. the stem was used by using my wavy cutter and the leaves were left over stems cut down. 

May 2014 - April 2015

Apparently I wasn't as good with documenting the bulletin board designs for a year because I have no pictures. I know last summer I had a small scenic scene with a tree and butterflies with the idea that the butterflies could be taken down to count down the weeks before the next school year, but the office staff liked the butterflies they chose to leave them all up all summer long. For the start of the school year I used a Pinterest idea to use puzzle pieces I punched out and wrote all the staff and student's names and grades. I pieced them together and used the Cricut to write out something along the lines of "We fit together at SVIS." I don't remember if I changed the bulletin board in September, but I know I had something different in October, but I can't think of what it was. In November I used the same Thanksgiving design as last year minus the turkey hands, but put up cards that were sent to the school. In December I made a new Christmas banner with Bible verse in Navajo similar to the Thanksgiving bulletin board of the previous year. I know these were saved for future use. I don't remember the others from January to March, but I know I had a some really cute designs. 

April - May 2015

I used Pinterest for inspiration and came across something similar to this chain link rainbow. In the sky the office staff put up cards and letters. This stayed up for a few months while I was sick with pneumonia which resulted with a hospital stay. The office and staff didn't mind because it was so cute. In fact, the secretary asked if she could have the rainbow to put up in her grandson's room. This was one that could stay up for a long while because it was so cute.

June 2015

Another Pinterest inspiration gave me the idea for this bulletin board. The name of our school changed from Sun Valley Indian School to Native American Christian Academy, so I wanted to incorporate the new name and logo. Unfortunately I don't have very many Cricut cartridges and only had one fish to work with, but with different colored and pattered papers I was able to vary them enough to make it work. As I was finishing up this bulletin board the principal walks by and says, "Oh man, who's going to do our bulletin board next year? These have been so creative and something to look forward to as they change." It's a good feeling to know my work hasn't gone unnoticed and has been appreciated. 

Changes and Opportunities

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

As this year has winded down and the school year has come to an end there have been many changes to come about. First the school administrator announced she has retired and the principal will be taking her position starting this summer. With new leadership you can imagine the changes to come. Although the changes I've heard about are good - they are changes nonetheless. Next, I've learned my friend and coworker will be going back to school and this has been a change that I was not most happy about. Then the school announced the school will no longer be called Sun Valley Indian School (SVIS), but will now be called Native American Christian Academy (NACA). The reasons being it's more politically correct and includes who we are - Christians. As you can imagine these changes, both good and bad, have had me praying and adjusting to the changes. 

As I've adjusted to these changes, or the thought of the changes to come, I gave much prayer and thought to myself. I thought about what the next year will look like and up to last Friday I thought my year would be in Arizona. As many of you know I have a large student loan in which the payments have been on a scale and each year the monthly payment is raised. I've reached a point where continuing at this school in the position I'm in will not cover the payments and my living expenses (as little as they are). After much prayer and seeking God in what to do I've been given an opportunity I cannot resist. 

Starting in September 2015 I will be working for Nightlight Christian Adoption Agency helping families in the adoption process. The position is currently part-time with an opportunity to go full-time. Although this is not the most ideal situation I am hopeful with the possibility to go full-time. I will be moving back to California to continue my mission of following after God and seeking His will. 

My time as a missionary to Native American children has been one I will forever hold in my heart. Although the time was not always easy and often draining mentally and spiritually I can look back with a smile and know I have accomplished my purpose of allowing God to use me to reach these children. I have learned many new things about myself and what I am capable of overcoming. I now have a skill of using a drop spindle to make yarn from raw sheep wool in addition to the skill of processing the wool in preparation of spinning the wool. I have fed and overcame my fear of being in the llama, sheep and goat pen by myself the time I dropped a plastic bag while feeding them our leftovers and needed to retrieve the bag and then led the animals as they sought more food they thought I was bringing them (that adventure was documented in a blog post). I took care of a dead bird I found in my storage shed without the help of anyone else (I wish I could say without screaming and gagging... but that's a whole new level of strength). I have learned what it is like to be a parent of teaching life-skills I hope to have left with each child no matter the amount of time I had with each child. I have taught the girls not only who Jesus is, but guided many to a relationship with Jesus they will have eternally. 

My new adventure and mission is bitter-sweet. I am saddened to be leaving, but am happy and excited to help families come together by adopting a child and being their forever family. I am excited to see all the areas I will continue to grow as a person as well as the adventures I will have on my continued journey. 

End of the Year Awards

This year's end of the year awards.

At the end of every school year the dorm parents and teachers give out awards during the promotion rehearsal. Last year I used the fruit of the spirit and chose a girl who displayed that fruit of the spirit. I printed a certificate with a cute boarder on card stock and called it a day.

Apriel

This year I was thinking about doing the same thing, or something similar like using biblical characters with similar characteristics as the girls, but with being sick and hospitalized I let the thought remain a thought. Then, this weekend I was scrolling through Pinterest and came across a cute idea. I don't know if this idea was better than using biblical characters to describe the girls, but I got an image in my head and the Pinterest idea was cuter. The Pinterest idea was done on a chalkboard background with chalkboard fonts. I went simple with a touch of Miss Alice.

Briana

I headed to the nearest dollar store and found 8.5x11 certificate frames for $1.50. I got the certificate frames so I didn't have to worry about trimming the paper because I knew spacing was going to be an issue with making a boarder. I found some glitter tape for $2 for a pack of two in our school colors and did a little math to make sure I had enough rolls of each color. Unfortunately I had to get 3 packs because the school colors were in different packs. I spent a total of $15, but have glitter tape left over for another project - bonus.

Kanaalah

I then got to work in finding words to describe my girls and used the Villa Didot font which was perfect because the lower case letters were plain and the uppercase letters were more bold and fancy. I tried not using the same word in each name - except for beautiful. I liked this way instead of finding words that begin with each letter of their names because as you can see there are a lot of a's in Navajo names. There were a few that were difficult like the k's, but I managed to find appropriate descriptive words for each of the girls.

Karolina

After printing on white card stock (which I already had so there wasn't an added expense) I added the glitter tape around the edges and got glitter everywhere as glitter is known to do. It took me maybe a half hour to put the tape on the paper and I'm glad I was smart enough to get a ruler and measure out the length before putting it on the paper. This made it easier to slowly peel back the backing and lay out the tape and then start the next color before getting to the end so my corners would be the way I wanted them. The taping process for all six frames was no more than a half hour. I was surprised how quickly I was able to finish these keepsakes for the girls. 

Katelyn

When giving out the awards I will say something the the effect of "Leandreyah gets the Leandreyah award because she is athletic, active, beautiful, kind, delightful, a pleasure, respectful, lovely, amazing and honorable." 

Leandreyah

I love how they are already framed and more than just a piece of paper that may or may not make it home. I'm hoping this will be something they will keep, understand these words are words to describe them and will be a keepsake they will enjoy forever.