3 Years Later...

"Are you driving?" Mom asked. "Yes" I answered. She knew I always called her on my way home from work. "Can you pull over?" was her next question. I immediately knew something was wrong. As I quickly pulled into a parking lot my mind raced to the worst possible outcomes.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "It's your dad," mom replied. I felt my heart fall to my feet as my mom spent the next few minutes explaining to me, through her tears the events of the prior 24 hours. My dad had been arrested for purchasing pain pills illegally. He had spent the night in jail, and after my grandparents and my uncle bailed him out he was now at home experiencing horrendous withdrawals.

In one short phone call my life was flipped upside down. I have a great family. We aren’t perfect, but we are the Bass Family, known for our Christian views and scripture board in our restaurant. And now my dad, my wonderful, amazingly loving father was going to rehab?  I couldn’t wrap my mind around this. I do have to add that my dad suffers from chronic back pain. He’s had pain ever since I can remember. He started taking pain medicine years ago, and like any addict, he needed more and more over time. Like I said, we own a restaurant, so he’s worked on his feet for 25 years. With the chronic back aches, he took more medicine to work through the pain and provide for our family.

The following 3 days were filled with a tidal wave of emotion. After calling my boss and explaining the situation I took off work and headed home. (I was living in Nashville at the time working as a nanny).  I recently found this old facebook post describing my feelings from those few days.

I was right. The roller coaster did have it’s ups and downs. We celebrated our family Thanksgiving at rehab that year, our family received hate mail (my dad is a local politician and known for being very conservative), we watched our dad’s arrest story on the news, and we all had to give more than ever before. But God never left us and our friends and family rallied around my family like never before. 

The Monday after the arrest, mom and I picked dad up from a detox center and took him to rehab. That day dad and I shared a very special moment that I will never forget. My dad has the greatest heart of anyone I know. Seriously he would give up everything he has to help someone in need. And as news of his arrest spread lots of people started sharing stories of his compassion with us. My favorite was from a man who we went to church with. He told me about the time he saw my dad buying girl scout cookies. As this man was trying to sneak past them without being asked to buy some, he saw my dad hand back the box he had just purchased and heard him say, “Why don’t you girls keep this box and use it for free samples. I think you would sell more if you had samples.” As mom, dad, and I were sitting Crackle Barrel in Sullivan Missouri I started telling him these stories. I remember telling him how much I love him and that I had never been more proud to be his daughter. He stood up right there, reached across his pancakes, and hugged me while we both cried.

I am sharing all of this now because of God’s grace. God has taken a situation that was intended for destruction and used it for His glory. Tomorrow marks the 3 year anniversary of these events. My amazing father has not only been free of his addiction for 3 years, but he is allowing God to use him and his story. Dad has always been somewhat of a minister. He ministers to people in our restaurant everyday. He feeds people who are hungry and prays with anyone that needs prayer. But through rehab and celebrate recovery he is reaching a whole different crowd. He has a  new understanding of others, addictions, and the healing power God brings. 

God is faithful. He loves us enough to break our addictions, heal our hearts, and make us whole in Him. He meets us right where we are, pulls us out of the mud, cleans us off, and rebuilds us. I’m so thankful for my dad. I couldn't ask for a better father or example of Christ’s love. 

Zephaniah 3:17 – The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.  

Dad, My niece Ruth, and me. -This is one of my all time favorite pictures. 

Year 3

Life is going at full speed! I can't believe first quarter and parent teacher conferences are already over. My class this year is so wonderful! They are sweet, eager to please, and love to learn. Now, they are not perfect, there is no such thing. But I tell them all the time how easy they make my job, and it's true. They are the first class that can handle how fun I am! Haha, they get my jokes too :)

Last week we studied how to expand our writing to make it more interesting. On Wednesday I put 4 boring sentences on the board and had my students chose two to expand. I told them to add details and exciting words and then draw a picture to go with the sentence. Here are a few of my favorites!

These were the boring sentences:

The student's like their teacher.
Then I ate pizza.
The girl sang a song.
The boy walked.

This one is sweet.

This one is really nice too, I just hope my hair doesn't really look like that...

And this one is so funny! One of my sweet, quiet little girls wrote this. I was so shocked!













Also, this week is Red Ribbon Week! Today was, "I mustache you not to do drugs". It was hilarious seeing all the kids with mustaches on! I bought temporary finger stash tattoos to make sure all of mine got one, so fun!

Overall the year is off to a great start! I'm not sure if it's this group of kids or if I'm finally feeling confident in myself as a teacher...probably a little bit of both. Either way, I'll take it!

Haitian Love

Wow. What a difference one week can make. It's funny, I went to Haiti praying that my heart wouldn't be completely broken. I was afraid that I would go, see the poverty, feel so sad for the Haitians, and come home feeling helpless. That is so far from what really happened...


The Haitians taught me so much about true contentment in the Lord. Compared to even the poorest Americans they have nothing. They live in make shift huts, mostly constructed out of tarps and pieces of tin. They have no running water and no electricity in most places. They kids don't have any toys, except for maybe an old wheel or piece of rope. And many people are thankful to get one meal a day. Despite all this, they are so happy. Happier than most Americans I know. Their joy is real. It's real because it is not found in material possessions but truly in the Lord. The Haitian people are materially poor, but spiritually blessed. 


I did come home with a heavy heart, but not for my Haitians brothers and sisters, for Americans. Because we are so distracted with all our stuff we are spiritually poor. We don't rely on God for our every NEED, and therefore our trust in Him is weak. 


I can sum up the biggest lesson I learned in one word, less. Less of me, less material possessions, less worry. And in place of these, more Jesus, more loving people, more giving, and more trust in the Lord.  


Haiti has forever left a hand print on my heart. When I think of Haiti I will no longer of a country in despair. I will think of the smiles on their faces, the beautiful little children, the openness of their hearts, and the contentment in the Lord. 


As content as the Haitian are, they are still in great need of so many basics like food and clean water. 1 John 3:17-18 says, "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." It is our job to love our brothers and sisters and provide for their need. The bible tells us over and over again to love one another. It's so easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget about the rest of the world. But this is what being a Christian means to the core. Love God, Love People. How do you show God love? By loving His people. I pray that we as American Christians can start to truly live out our faith in "actions and truth". I also pray that God will show me areas of my life where I can give more. And I pray that God will continue to bless Haiti for their love and faithfulness. 

Me with the Principal/Pastors daughter, so sweet. 

Getting her first ever school picture taken. 

Sisters in Christ. 

Best Birthday Present

This morning, thanks to my roommate, I got to go visit one of my students out at K1. She is such a sweet and kind hearted little girl, not to mention adorable! This is her very first year at Kanakuk and today is also her birthday. She is the first student I've shared a birthday (we were both pretty excited about it when we found out) so I really wanted to give her a big hug and tell her Happy Birthday.

Lucky for me, Chelsea has connections! She works for Kanakuk and took me over to kamp to make my birthday wish come true. My student was so surprised and excited to see me. As we stood there talking and hugging I asked her what her favorite part of kamp was so far. She looked up and me and said, "Well I don't really know...but I accepted Jesus in my heart last night." I melted in a little puddled and tried to hold back my tears. I gave her another huge hug and told her how proud I am of her. What more could I possibly want for my birthday? She now has Jesus in her heart. Truly the greatest gift EVER!

Forever Changed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgEl9LkejD0 

      I listened to this song for the first time last week while I was driving home from Nashville. As I listened and soaked in all the lyrics I began to cry, and not just a few tears...full on weeping. Why? Because I was reminded so much of my beautiful mother and how blessed I am to have her in my life. And thankfully we won't be to verse 3 of this song for a while (she's still so young). As I listened, I started thinking of all the ways I'm changed because of her love. She is amazing. She has taught me so many lessons from how to put on make-up, how to clean the bathroom, how to treat others, and so much more. Her strength and knowledge inspire me. She is the one who makes our family operate. Without her we would be a complete mess. I often tell people she is Super Woman. And I really do wonder sometimes if she has super powers. I am forever changed because of her love for me and my family. And I hope one day I can be like her.

I love you mom. Thank you for always loving and caring for me.

Trust

Have you ever had a moment where the Lord hits you square in the face with truth? When it feels like God is literally grabbing you by the shoulders and saying, “Listen to me you stubborn little child.” I love those moments.

I had one last weekend. I was feeling sorry for myself and I began to let the lies of the devil into my heart. The biggest lie devil continually tries to feed me is that I’m not enough. Not pretty enough, strong enough, thin enough, smart enough, and the list goes on. I spent the day feeling pretty yucky and in this constant argument within my head, battling back and forth the between the lies of the devil and the truth of the Lord. Finally, on Sunday while I was driving home from church God grabbed my attention and told me to trust. Trust Him. And believe that He is enough and through Him I am too. God gave me the clarity to see that every need I have is more that met in Him alone. Even my wants, He sees and fills. For example, I want a family someday. It is something I strongly desire. God showed me that while I don’t have children of my own yet, He has given me a career where I have an entire classroom of children to love on each day. 19 little hearts that need love, and He’s trusting me to do just that, love them, and at the same time He’s fulfilling one of my greatest desires.

God also put this little poem on my heart. While I was journaling I wrote down this poem to help me remember that trusting God is simple.

Taking

Rest

Under

Simple

Truths

God’s word is the truth. And He promises good things to those who believe and TRUST in Him.

"Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word." -Psalm 119:35-37

Miss Bass is going to Haiti!

For years I’ve wanted to go on an overseas mission trip, but never really pursued the idea. A couple of months ago I read the book Kisses for Katie. After finishing I felt God had  placed a strong desire to go on an overseas trip and soon.  I was ready to pack up, move to Uganda, and start adopting babies (it’s a really inspiring book!) but instead I began to pray.

I prayed about the opportunity to go an overseas mission trip this summer; however I had no idea how to even begin planning a trip. So needless to say, after a couple of weeks, life went on and I didn’t further pursue mission options. I did however start to look into so pretty awesome summer vacation ideas. I was getting pretty close to booking a luxury vacation at an all inclusive resort when I heard of the Haiti opportunity. I was sitting in church and saw the video announcement and immediately felt that tug in my heart again. I knew I had to go.

So I began to pray, and quickly received my answer. Go. One evening I was talking with my best friend Lori and she said, “Sometimes, you just have to keep walking. You keep walking through the doors until God closes them.” She’s a pretty smart girl and I’m blessed to have a friend like her, she is a wise encourager.

From there, things have fallen into place naturally, just as they do when God has His hand in things. First, because I had been planning a vacation I had some money saved. I know without having a little saved already the cost of the trip alone would have slowed my enthusiasm. But it didn’t. I plan to fund most of the trip myself, and I trust that God will do rest. Second, I found out that the main purpose behind the trip will be visiting the school that our church built in Carrefour Defort, Haiti. We will going to meet the students and teachers and to build relationships with them. Our days will include taking school pictures, playing with the kids, doing home visits, putting on talent shows and worships services. As I heard this I thought, “seriously could this trip be more fitting for an elementary school teacher?” Not that I’m incapable of manual labor, if the purpose of the trip was to go build a school and carry cinder blocks, I would do it whole heartily….but building relationships with kids is what I’m most passionate about. It’s like God is saying, “Here you go Janae, look what I have for you.” Now I don’t expect it to be easy. I fully expect to be pushed and stretched physically, mentally, and spiritually. But I couldn’t be more excited about getting to love on those brown eyed kiddos.

Our team leaves on June 14^th (the day after my 25^th birthday) and we will return home on the 21^st. I would love and appreciate your prayers as I prepare for the trip, as well as prayers for a safety. Most importantly I ask that you pray for the lives in Haiti we will be coming in contact with and that their hearts will be open to building relationships.

 I’m so excited! Miss Bass is going to Haiti!!!

We Are Branson

    I love living in Branson. It's the strangest little town, but has some of the nicest people I've ever met. This has proven so true over the last 48 hours. In the aftermath of the tornado that hit early Tuesday morning I have seen so much love in this town. My roommate and I were completely unharmed. Our only set back was losing power for about 36ish hours. With just that minor set back I had so many friends and co-workers offer to let us stay with them. It's really comforting to know that although I don't have any "family" here, I do have my Branson family here to love and support me.

   This morning I wasn't sure what to expect as I headed into my classroom. I knew the kids would have lots to say. And they sure did. We took about 30 minutes to share this morning. And even though a lot of them talked about being scared, overall they were so mature about everything. I honestly think my 8 year olds are handling this better than some adults.

    I did have one student that lost her house. As she told her story in class, we all discovered that her trailer was crushed during the tornado. Tonight I had the opportunity to visit with her and her mother for a few minutes. Her mom showed me pictures of the trailer, over half of it was flattened. Luckily her mother received a phone call warning her the tornado was coming, and she was able to get my student and her sisters to a nearby house for shelter. If they wouldn't have gotten the phone call my student would have been crushed inside her bedroom. Seeing that picture just brought a whole new sense of danger and relief to my heart. I'm so thankful she is okay. God is so good.

    In comparison to what happened in Joplin last May our damages are nothing. We didn't lose any lives and only had reports of minor injuries. In fact many parts of town are completely unharmed and open for business.  But it is still hard to see the community you love hurting. Thankfully, this is a community that shows love and compassion daily, under "normal" circumstances. I know we will continue to help each other through this. We are love. We are compassion. We are family oriented. We are neighbors. We Are Branson.

I do have a few cute quotes from the day:

"I don't understand how the trains were able to keep going and blasting their sirens during the tornado?" -she was confused by hearing people say the tornado sounds like a train and hearing the warning sirens (don't worry we got it all straightened out).

After I explained that I still didn't have power as of this morning on of my girls said:
"Oh...so that is why your hair is in a ponytail..."

After saying we were lucky to only have minor injuries one of my special needs boys said:
"Oh no! Minors! They are so bad!"
-As part of our school discipline policy student receive minor and major forms for poor choices. It was kinda hard explaining the difference to my little guy.

And this one was sweet, from the little girl who lost her house:
"My clothes, toys, and all that other stuff don't mean anything. We can buy more. But you can't buy a new me."

Early Valentine's Day!

I love Valentine's Day! All the pink, hearts, and chocolate, what's not to love??

Being a teacher on Valentine's Day is the best. I can't wait to celebrate with my kids on Tuesday. I'm sure I will be blogging about it next week. But I wanted to quickly share a gift I received today. This is from one of the most shy girls in my class. She is very quiet and reserved. Her home life is not the greatest and she's often very sad. However, she is a wonderful student and very talented at writing poetry. I'm always telling her how much I love her poems, so in return she writes me them all the time. She even made a folder for me to keep them all in!

This morning she brought me this. It made me cry. I will keep it forever. Such a great way to start the Valentine's celebration!

Roses are red

Violets are blue, 

You love me and I love you too. 

You're the best teacher so far,

I wish 3rd grade would never end. 

I will never forget you when it does. 

Now look in the mirror in the heart

and you will see someone very important to me. 

Kisses from Katie

Lately I have felt the Lord lavish His love on me more than ever. I know that it’s because I’m seeking Him more and more, therefore I’m seeing Him more and more. He reminds me constantly that He loves me. He shows me in so many ways that He is pursuing my heart daily. I'm worth it to Him. He wants all of me, and I want more of Him, less of me. 

Last week a friend of mine loaned me the book Kisses from Katie. It is the story of Katie Davis, a girl from a Brentwood TN, who answered God’s call and went to serve him in Uganda. She originally planned on staying for 1 year, and then continuing her plans to start college. But God had different plans. She is still living there today, has started an amazing non-profit, and adopted many children as her own.  I had heard of Katie and a little bit of her story when I was living in Nashville. So I was excited to read it. But wasn’t prepared for the emotions and desires it would stir within me. It’s the most inspiring book I’ve ever read. I loved it from cover to cover and didn’t want it to end. I have never felt so motivated by a book.  Not that I think God is telling me to move to Uganda and start adopting kids (although, it’s kinda temping after this read) but I’m inspired to love more fully right where God has me.

 The biggest concept I took away from Katie’s book is seeing the “one.” So many times the world tells us that we are too small to make a difference. And that what we do doesn’t matter. But it does. No, we’re not solving the world’s problems, but to that one person you are.

Also, it’s not about the things WE do, but it’s the work GOD does through us when we are willing. I Janae Lynn Bass am a no good. There is nothing good in me. I am a sinner to the core. But through my salvation in Jesus Christ I am able to do great things when I serve him.

Katie Davis’ words have caused me to pause and really look at the way I view my life and my time on earth. I was created with one purpose, to serve the Lord. And right now, that means teaching His children in my 3^rd grade classroom. This week I’ve been praying that God would show me ways I can be more like Katie to my students. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in all the “work” I have to get done at school. So I’ve been praying that God will make me more aware of my students needs and that I will have the means to meet those needs. I can already see a difference. My kids crave attention so much. And it really doesn't take much to show them love. Yesterday I played basketball with a few of my kids at recess. It was so much fun, for them and for me! It's the smallest things sometimes, but taking just a few minutes and laughing with them as I missed every shot made our day so much brighter.

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book:

“People are people. They all need good water and medicine, but mostly they need love and truth and Jesus. I can do that. We can do that. We can give people food, water, medicine, love, truth, and Jesus. The same God created all of us for a purpose, which is to serve Him and to love and care for His people. It is universal. We can’t do it in our own strength or out of our own resources, but as we follow God to wherever He is leading us, He makes the impossible happen.”

“Everyday we have a choice. We can stay nestled in our safe comfortable places, as I did when the rat was in my room. We can let fear of something that really is small compared to the greatness of God cripple us. Or we can talk a risk, do something to help someone else, make a person smile, change someone’s world. Life to the fullest exists. It’s available. All we have to do is decide to get up and embrace it.”

If you want to learn more about Katie, her book, and her ministry click here. You won't regret it :) 

http://www.amazima.org/katiesbook.html

Kid Sense

I’ve decided no matter how strong of a front I try to put up at times, my students see right through it. It’s like they know when Miss Bass needs that extra special note to bring a smile to my face.

Today was one of those days. As much as I was looking forward to seeing my kiddos after a 3 day weekend, my heart felt deflated this morning. For about 2 years now I’ve lead a small group for junior high girls at my church. One of the girls’ father is very sick and dying from cancer. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain she’s going through right now, to lose a parent in the 8^th grade is unimaginable.  I spent Monday with her trying to be there the best I know how. She is amazingly strong, and has incredible faith in the Lord.

This morning I was still very much thinking about my sweet friend and her family, but of course I didn’t mention anything to my students. I just put myself in Miss Bass mode and started teaching. Well, after reading groups I found this note lying on my desk. When you read it you will see this little girl already has an extremely obedient heart for the Lord. I have no doubt that He put it on her mind to write me this. He continually showers me in his love. And I’m thankful for his love and my students too. 

On a lighter note…I also received this note today. It was wrapped up like a scroll and tied with a red ribbon. It’s a joke. It's actually a girl student who wrote it. She’s very funny and constantly making me laugh. Today she just wanted me to know I’m admired, haha.

It says: 

Dear Queen Bass, 

    Meet me at sensual recess at 12:10 pm sharp. 

                                              Love, 

                                                      Secret Admirer 

Where she came up with "sensual" is beyond me. Like I said, she's a funny one. And she sure did make me laugh. 

Kid sense. I'm thankful they know without me saying a word. And where as adults can be hesitant to share encouragement with each other, they just write it in a letter. So simple, and yet so effective. I'm thankful for my sweet students that give me purpose each day. And mostly I'm thankful for God and that His love is the same forever and ever. 

Do you trust me?

trust

noun

1.

reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

2.confident expectation of something; hope.

3.confidence in the certainty of future payment for property or goods received; credit: to sell merchandise on trust.

4.a person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust.

5.the condition of one to whom something has been entrusted

      Aladdin was one of my favorite childhood movies. I even had a cat named Princess Jasmine (Jazzy for short).  God has been teaching me so much about trust lately. And today when I was thinking about the trust I’ve found in Him for my future, I thought of this scene from Aladdin. She’d just met him, but she trusted him enough to jump off a roof top! I’m not sure I’d have trusted Aladdin that much…but I should have that kind of trust in the Lord. Life is very difficult sometimes. I know what God allows us to go through various trials and hardships. And I understand that sometimes it feels like He’s sitting up in heaven watching and doing nothing to help. But deep down I know that is not true. I know He is good. He is love. And I know He has good things in store for His children.

 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

A few weeks ago in youth we discussed trust, and I that’s part of what started my focus and study on trust. Also, I was recently made aware of my lack of trust in a situation. I was feeling reluctant and nervous to allow myself to get hopes up, because of a past failure. Luckily I was gently reminded not to give up before even trying.

I think its part of human nature to be fearful because of our past. In fact, we are wise to learn from past mistakes. As a result, over the past few weeks I’ve been praying and trying to find the balance between learning from the past and living in the past. Most importantly, I’m learning to trust the Lord with my future. I’ve spent hours praying and reading scriptures. I’ve come find comfort in and peace in His word. Proverbs 29:25 says, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” I know that trusting someone involves risk, but with risk also comes excitement. I’m excited to know my trust is in the Lord. I know that no matter what happens in life I can trust He is there at my side. He has great things in store for my future and I can’t wait to see what they are. When it comes to trusting in the Lord, I’m like Jasmine, ready to JUMP!

I hope you too will trust God in all of life’s circumstances. Even when it seems hard, pray and seek the Lord. He loves you enough to send His own son to die to save you. He will never leave us of forsake us. 

Psalm 32:10
Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.

Psalm 52:8
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.

Psalm 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

New Year Goals

New Year Goals

Today I had my students write out their goals for the New Year. I wasn’t sure how seriously they would take it, but some of them were really good, while others are funny, and a few made me teary eyed. Enjoy!

I want to jump to 1,000 without stopping on my pogo stick. Because I’m great at it. It will help me because I want to become a professional pogoer.  -Thomas

I was to earn at least 100 dollars. I’m saving for college, because it will help me get an education. -Janet 

I want to lose weight because I really want to fit into clothing so very bad. It will make me healthier and make other people want to play with me more. -Kacie 

I have a goal to eat healthy so I might lose weight. I have a goal to get over my parents separating and dating other people so they can be happy and so can I. I have a goal to be nicer to my sisters so we can get along. I have a goal to keep my thoughts to myself so I seem nicer to others. I chose these goals so I can achieve more in life. -Chelsea

I want to become a better person than I am now. I’m going to try to use more self control. -Logan

These are just a few, but it was so enlightening to see into 8 and 9 year old minds when it comes to resolutions. I was so sad to read that about half of my girls want to lose weight. They are in the 3^rd grade. What does that say about the world’s skewed view of size? And some of their resolutions were about such grown up issues. Makes me wish I could do more for them…which leads me to one of my resolutions. I want to be the best teacher I can be. And I want to continue being there for each student and loving them daily.