Elisa broke her kneecap during mission service in the Marshall Islands. She became angry and stopped listening to God. Find out how she reconnected with God and went back to the mission field!
“My name is Elisa Albertsen. I am the second grade teacher here in Ebeye at Ebeye SDA School and I teach all subjects for second grade.”
Ebeye is a small island in the Pacific Ocean. It’s part of a chain called the Marshall Islands. More than 15,000 people live on this small piece of land, and half of the population is under the age of 18.
“Ebeye is very small, very populated, lots of children running around. They are very friendly. They will tell you ‘hi, yokwe (yaw-kway)’, want to touch you, want to touch your hair, give you a hug. There’s not that many trees, not that many flowers, just a lot of buildings because of such a high population.”
Ebeye Seventh-day Adventist School plays an important role on the island. It educates children from preschool to grade 12.
The school relies heavily on Adventist volunteers to function. Student missionaries, especially, come every year to fill the empty teaching positions.
Elisa was a hairstylist in the United States, but she believed God wanted something else for her life. So she began praying for direction. Someone suggested that she consider volunteering her time for God’s work.
“I had no idea where Ebeye was, but there was an available opening, so I applied and I asked God to open the door if I was supposed to go or shut it if I was not supposed to.”
Since she arrived, Elisa has grown close to her students. They frequently hug her and want to spend time with her. The bond she’s formed with the people on the island has motivated her to put her best effort into her job.
But there have also been major challenges to living abroad. Since Ebeye is an isolated island, getting fresh food here is infrequent, and healthy living can be difficult.
“So some of the struggles on Ebeye have been getting sick and also not getting enough nutrition because the food is very different here. There’s not a lot of fresh produce. My first sickness was chikungunya (chik-un-goon-ya). It’s a mosquito-born virus. And then I got a dislocated kneecap from teaching the boys’ soccer. So that was a struggle. I had to return to the US.”
“When I had to return home from dislocating my kneecap, I was very angry. I felt guilty for leaving all my kids and my fellow missionaries. I was angry at God. I blamed God for it. I told all my family I’m never coming back to Ebeye. I drifted away from God a little bit and then I started praying. ‘God, I need to come back to You. Tell me what to do with my life. I need my purpose. I need to know what it is.’ As I prayed, God showed me that I was supposed to come back to Ebeye because He was the one who led me to Ebeye in the first place.”
When Elisa’s knee was better, she returned to Ebeye for another year of teaching. She feels even more dedicated and closer to the students than before.
“What I like about being here is being able to provide that support for the children and a nurturing experience for them. Most of all is Jesus Christ. Telling them about Jesus and His love, and showing that love to them. Not just telling them but most importantly showing it in my own life to them.”
One of the biggest obstacles the school faces is maintainance. The salt concentration in the air is so high that everything deteriorates at a fast pace. Something that would normally last 20 years in other parts of the world might only last three years in Ebeye. The staff and students are grateful for your contributions to the 13th Sabbath Offerings.
“Yes, most definitely the money is needed for our school. There are many renovations that are ongoing. With the salt water, it affects the building structure and also right now we have termites in the wood. So we are trying to turn the school into concrete so we don’t have the termites. There’s a lot to do, and things are always falling apart with the weather, the salt water, and a lot of kids being hard on the school.”
Please consider how you can help the Ebeye Seventh-day Adventist School in the Marshall Islands, as well as other schools throughout the North American Division. Education has a huge impact on future generations. Thank you for supporting the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church!
