When a little league team from the Sint Maarten, Dutch Caribbean (SXM) visits Canada, what do they do? They play hard, of course. I’m so proud of our team, The Daily Herald. They consisted of five 14 or 15-year-olds, five 9 to 11-year-olds, and a six year old. They faced a team of 14 and 15-year-olds without a single qualm, and they dominated on the field. Someday, you might see some of these in the major leagues! Here’s Little King, on of our 10-year-olds, reporting on his team’s game.
Today we went to a baseball game, The Daily Herald vs. Blue Jays- St. Catherines.
1st batter: Triston. Walk.
Triston up at bat
2nd batter, Little King, walked.
Puppy had no fear. He even made it to first base.
3rd batter Tre hit a single.
Adonis after scoring a run
4th batter Big King hit the two runs batted in.
“I got two first base, two second base, third, and we won.” Adonis, 12
Skijlaar ready at first
When we got three outs, Triston was the starting pitcher. Little King was the catcher.
“I went 2 for 2 with 2 singles.” -Tre, 14
Lewis on the mound
The ball one could have passed, but I blocked it.
“I was left outfield and the team that we played never hit a pop fly so I didn’t do much.” Theo, 14
Little King catching
A boy hit the ball. Herald make an error. He ran to second base after the next batter came to bat.
“We had so much fun.” Triston, 9
Big King in the infield
The boy on second, he stoled 3rd. I got the ball and I throw one time.
Zack watches his teammate slide into home
We win St. Catherines Blue Jays 11-7.
SXM proud.
Yes, these boys certainly did make SXM proud! Way to represent your country, team. It’s not so much that they won– it’s the hard work they put in and the courage it takes to go up against bigger kids. It’s the good sportsmanship, the encouragement, and the confidence. This team makes me proud all the time! I’m thankful for them and glad I get to be one of their coaches.
Safari Niagara is probably the coolest zoo I’ve ever been to. The cost of entry gets you a look at hundreds of animals, interesting shows, access to the go-cart course, and even a huge ropes course. It’s a great place to take a huge group of kids. Here’s 14-year-old Theo from the island of Sint Maarten on Safari Niagara and his experience there.
Today we went to Safari Niagara which is a zoo. First we saw a bird show that had owls, hawks, and falcons.
A lady showed us different species of birds.
And then I saw more animals.
I saw tigers, bears, lions, parrots, macaws, foxes, tapirs, and camels.
When we reached, we took a train and saw flamingos.
I think at first we couldn’t look at one bird because a skunk went inside the cage.
By the rhino’s exhibit I rode a buggy whilst watching emus.
Then we ate hot dogs and hamburger and I climbed a huge jungle gym.
Thanks for sharing your journal entry here, Theo! We certainly had a fun time at the park. Be sure to share and leave an encouraging comment for Theo to read!
Harriet Tubman is an international hero. Her story continues to inspire countless around the globe, including Triston, a boy from Dutch Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. Triston and I are on the same trip to Canada with the little league group I help coach.
Hi my name is Triston and I’m a baseball player. I’m 9 years old. I’m in Canada with my team for pleasure and learning.
Today I visited the Harriet Tubman school statue. I also saw the Underground Railroad and St. Catherines Heritage Church.
The statue is located in the Harriet Tubman School. It is her in a chair. My team and I surrounded the statue and took a picture. To escape slavery she followed the North Star. She was a courageous woman. The men dressed as women and the women dressed as men to escape slavery.
At the church there are readings about how she escaped slavery. One of them shows where and when she was born. She was born in Maryland and was born in 1820. She died in 1913.
Peg Leg Joe taught them the song ‘Follow the Drinking Gourd’. In the song explained where the Big Dipper and the North Star was. They jumped from trees to trees and lakes to lakes. The reason they jumped to trees to trees is because there were tracks on them. They swam because the dogs they sent can’t sniff in water. At night they followed the North Star.
Harriet Tubman helped slavery end.
Triston wrote this all by himself– from memory. He is our resident expert on Harriet Tubman! From his reading, he has memorized many important facts about her story, including dates, names, and places. Please take a minute to show encouragement to Triston by commenting, liking and sharing! He’ll be excited to see that other people enjoy his writing.
“There is a terrible mystery around us…a mystery much more to be feared than any number of ghosts or genii!” ― Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera
One of the most magical and mystical stories I know is that of the Phantom of the Opera. I have always loved stories of elusive figures, like Peter Pan, Edmond Dantes and Percy Blakeney, but the Phantom of the Opera holds a special fascination for me. Perhaps it is because it has become one of Broadway’s most iconic hits. I especially love shows with a soundtrack is as classic as the original book.
For years, it has been a dream of mine to see Phantom on Broadway. My mom and sister have also dreamed of seeing a great musical on Broadway. My dad isn’t exactly a Broadway buff, but he has always encouraged our artsy habits and enjoys seeing a good show now and then. So when my sister and I realized we were going to be in New York City on the same weekend, my whole family decided to make a trip of it and cross “Broadway show” off our bucket list. The choice between Les Miserables, Wicked, and Phantom was quickly resolved. You just can’t pass up the Phantom of the Opera.
To be honest, I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that this really happened. We went to see PHANTOM on BROADWAY, and we got to build a whole New York City trip around it. I’ve been drooling over these shows and these soundtracks for years, and I actually got to see one in real life with my family.
When we saw Phantom of the Opera, it was playing in Majestic Theater. This was appropriate, because the theater is pretty old yet well maintained, so it has the right look for a play that takes place in an old Parisian opera house. My dad went all out and got us the best seats in the house: front row balcony seats, right in the middle. Even beats Box 5, if you ask me!
Of course, the show was fantastic. Broadway is the apex of American theater, and it certainly did justice to itself, to expectations, and even to the great show Phantom of the Opera. It was appropriately eerie, and the use of stunt doubles, secret entrances, and unexpected staging played with our senses. We could feel the heat of the flames that shot from the stage floor. The singing was phenomenal! It was absolute perfection in every note.
As a Phantom nerd, I’ve done a lot of research about the story’s creator, the background of the setting, and the history of the musical. Be sure to check back soon for a “Did You Know” post about the Phantom of the Opera! For example, did you know that the Phantom has a name? Subscribe to this blog to get an email when the next post arrives! I always appreciate it when you like, share, and pin. See you back next time!
Marrying into a missionary family is hard. It’s the most wonderful thing in almost every way, but it is so hard to always have to say goodbye. For third culture kids, who grew up in another culture and lived a life of transition and change, goodbyes have always been a part of life. Ben and his family are all third culture kids, with the exception of myself and two other in-laws. They’re so used to this goodbye thing, and they’re so good at it. They know how to leave with grace and meet up again and start right where they left off. I’m not good at good byes. They are the hardest thing in the world for me.
This last Johnson family reunion has been particularly hard, because each family left one-by-one, and I was the last to go. Every time someone left, I’d say my goodbyes and then find somewhere to be alone and cry.
The hardest people to say goodbye to are the kids, especially the littlest ones. We adults are okay at all staying in touch, despite lack of good internet. We video chat with them, and we write to them, and everybody’s on Facebook and email, but none of the nieces and nephews are old enough for that yet. We only get to see them when we actually see them. Since the Johnson family lives in six different countries, we see them only every couple of years. There’s a lot of growing up that happens during those years, and I’m missing it. I’ll meet a baby who’s crawling around on the floor, and the next time I see her, she’s running around the house and telling me all about her favorite princesses. I’m missing the little tea parties, I’m missing the end-of-school-year ice creams, I’m missing lazy Saturdays at the beach and dinners together. With every turn of the calendar is another two or three birthdays come and gone, and I wasn’t there.
It stinks that I have to spend the first day or so of every family reunion getting to know the kids all over again. I have to gently let them warm up to me, and I have to re-introduce myself to the littlest ones for the second or third time. They have no idea that I think about them and miss them every day of their lives. And then when I finally get to see them, it’s for just a few days and then we’re all off to our own corners of the world again. How am I supposed to form close relationships like this? How am I supposed to be a significant part of their lives in I can’t even see them but once every two or three years? Even when we do move to Africa, we’ll only live near one or two families at a time. And by the time we get there, the oldest ones will be in high school. Sometimes I wonder, will that be too late? Will I have missed out entirely by then? It’s not fair to love someone so much and to be so far away. I have to let my heart break over them again and again.
In my perfect world, Ben’s whole family and my whole family would all live in the same place as us. We’re so lucky that everyone on both sides gets along and genuinely likes each other, and I just wish we could take advantage of that all the time! We’d have big family dinners every week. We’d share all the holidays. I’d get one-on-one time with every kid. I’d get to hang out all the time with our parents, my sister and Ben’s siblings. And nobody would have to say goodbye.
I’ve learned something important about goodbyes from my TCK family: goodbyes are never forever. Even if my dream of being close geographically will never come true while we’re alive, Jesus’ death and resurrection has made it possible for us all to live that way forever in Heaven. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop crying about goodbyes, but focusing on eternity rather than this temporary situation will help me to cope with this ever-transient lifestyle we live. Furthermore, it will keep my eyes on Jesus and on the end goal of glorifying the Lord and enjoying him forever. When that day comes, I’ll spend all eternity worshipping the Lord with my family—and never have to say goodbye again. What a beautiful hope.
Crackling flames, melting chocolate, and campfire songs. All the sounds and smells of summer are wrapped up in a bonfire under the stars. When the Johnson and Brown /Wilson families got together for Stevie and Kirsten’s wedding, we all gathered on the lawn of the farmhouse for a bonfire before the big day.
Both families love to spend time together singing Gospel songs, reading the Bible, and praying. On the Johnson side, this time of family devotions is a nightly tradition that is being passed down through generations. We love to sing family classics that Ben’s mom wrote down years ago for his dad as a wedding gift. We also sing songs that Ben’s brother, Jesse, wrote, as well as French, Swahili, and Kirundi songs. With so many people from around the world present, we were able to sing some of the hymns in multiple languages, including American Sign Language, Spanish, and Arabic. Several of the family and friends present took turns leading worship songs to thank God for the good things He has done in our lives and praise Him for who He is.
Check out the guitar Luke is playing. Jesse had it made out of an old hand-carved guitar neck and heavy-duty can.
When the prayers had been said and the singing died away into the night, the smell of melted chocolate and roasted marshmallows began to permeate the air.
It was time for the time of day that the kids looked forward to most! Okay, I’ll be real– I was probably more excited about the marshmallows than the kids were. But I was good and I didn’t sneak more marshmallows than I was entitled to.
One by one, the chairs emptied. The fire died down to embers, and a lone guitar played soft tunes in the fading light. Ben poured water over the glowing embers, and they extinguished with a slow hiss. All around me, the fireflies flickered silently in the night. Inside the barn, the horse stomped his feet in the damp hay. I looked up and sighed with awe. Above me, a billion points of light pierced the velvety black of the night sky. It had been a long time since I’d seen the stars so clearly, and I could hardly look away. Even that night, as I lay in bed in the farmhouse, I kept my drooping eyelids open long enough to drink in the sight of the big dipper shining on me through the open window.
Check out the guitar Luke is playing. Jesse had it made out of an old hand-carved guitar neck and heavy-duty can.
It was time for the time of day that the kids looked forward to most! Okay, I’ll be real– I was probably more excited about the marshmallows than the kids were. But I was good and I didn’t sneak more marshmallows than I was entitled to. 