Contact Info: email: nbenoit@teachbeyond.org GIVING SITE: https://give.teachbeyond.org/support/nicolette-benoit/ Faith Academy Address: MCPO Box 2016, 0706 Makati City, Philippines TeachBeyond website: https://give.teachbeyond.org/ address: PO Box 6248 Bloomingdale, IL, 60108-6248 phone: 630.324.8177

Maligayang Pasko! Merry Christmas! I have had a busy and SUPER fun last couple of months! Here are some snapshots of fun things that have been going on and ways God has been working!

Filipiniana Week We had a week in our elementary school devoted to celebrating the Philippines! Buko Harvesting We got to learn about coconuts, how they are grown, watch the grounds keepers at Faith Academy harvest buko (young coconut) and write books about them!! God sure made a delicious creation!!

Field Trips We got to go on 3 different field trips: A zoo, furniture factory and a ministry for disabled adults. It

was really eye opening for my students to learn from people who have lived their lives in wheel chairs. Here is a quote from Julia, one of my students, “I first felt really bad for them and wanted to pray for them to not be hurting, but then I realized that God made them special and he loves them just the way they

are!” Celebrations! We also got to have a day filled with fun Filipino games like chasing a greased piglet! :)

Thanksgiving Through the month

of November, my second grade class got the opportunity to learn about Native Americans. We got to study about 4 different tribes and then end our unit with Thanksgiving. I got to teach my class about the true generosity that the Natives had despite the genocide that had and was going to take place because of the pilgrims. This unit was a great time for me to teach my students about racism, prejudice and the persecution that happens to people all around the world. We learned to see all people from different cultures, race, and religions through the eyes of Jesus. My students even spent time in prayer for the leaders of ISIS to find the love of Jesus. What an incredible learning opportunity we had that is VERY relevant to the broken world we live in today.

Novermber and December 2015

Planting Oaks of Righteousness

Contact Info: email: nbenoit@teachbeyond.org GIVING SITE: https://give.teachbeyond.org/support/nicolette-benoit/ Faith Academy Address: MCPO Box 2016, 0706 Makati City, Philippines TeachBeyond website: https://give.teachbeyond.org/ address: PO Box 6248 Bloomingdale, IL, 60108-6248 phone: 630.324.8177

God Surprises Family A healthy and loving family is such a blessing that many people here and around the world don’t get to experience. I have been SO blessed by the family that God has given me! I am incredibly thrilled and excited to have my family visit my sister and I for 2 weeks over Christmas!! We are both SO excited to share with them the Philippines and give them a taste of our lives here! Prayers for safe travels and good health while they are here visiting us! Brand New Day Ministries (BND) God is incredible, but we still live in a broken world. Lin, one of the youth at BND, ran away last month and chose to live back on the streets. Please pray for her and so many other youth who chose to live on the streets due to unhealthy family situations and abuse. Even though there is so much brokenness and darkness in this world, God still redeems. This is a picture of the church that that is starting up in the Ilog community because of the outreaches that Brand New Day has been leading. God is moving!!

We (BND) also got to have a privilege of going to a leaders conference for the people of the Gates of Praise church. This was such a refreshing time of worship. We serve a GREAT God!

May the peace of God be ever real to you in this joyous Christmas season and may your hearts be filled with the HOPE that Jesus has brought to this world. Don’t live your life preparing to die and go to Heaven, but bring that home here to earth, right now. Hope. Peace. Live it. Breathe it. Be it. With lots of love from the other side of the world-

“Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:14

PRAISE:

My family coming to visit my sister

and I over Christmas!

For an AWESOME first semester

teaching at Faith Academy and the

growth my students have made

PRAY:

For my class to grow into a deeper

community with each other

For me to be more attentive to the

Holy Spirit in the moment

For the church that the Brand New

Day ministry is starting up

For Len and other youth who will

spend their Christmas on the streets

For safe travels, quick adjustment

and blessing of the donations that

my family will be bringing

His- Nicolette Benoit