My Birthday!

Today I turned...well a year older....but I still love to act like a kid!

Well my birthday started at about 12:15 a.m. when I received a phone call from two of my students, calling to tell me Happy Birthday!

When I got up to start my day I began receiving text messages from friends here and family in the States. Technology is fabulous!

When I got to the school this morning I was greeted with many hugs and well wishes for my birthday.

At about 10:00 I left to go to my house where I was meeting my "sons" for a water balloon fight. I got home, changed into some clothes to play in, and began filling my 9 balloons. That was all the balloons I had, and thought that would be enough. WRONG!

I was already to attack them when they would get to my gate...only then I saw them getting out of mom's car with a cake and a bottle of coke. Well I had to refrain from throwing the balloons, thinking how sweet, they are bringing a cake for my birthday. They come in and then show me the two bags of balloons they brought as well.....yea more for water balloons.

What started out as us all throwing and chasing with water balloons ended up with Gabriel pouring an entire bucket of water on my head. Who needs water balloons when you have a bucket handy!

I had a great time! I'm sure my neighbors think I am completely nuts as I am running around screaming and laughing with the 3 boys throwing water balloons with them! But I tell you, we had a fun time!

After we were all completely soaked, and my house floor was pretty much covered with water and mud...it was time to dry off, get in some dry clothes and have cake.

Of course Gabriel thought it was fun to take some photos of me with my new "wet hair" look!

We enjoyed the delicious cake and I had fun laughing with these boys!

(Gabriel is definitely my son! I can't get a picture of him without sticking out his tongue or making a goofy face!)

They headed home and about that time I got a call from Henry at the school asking when I was coming back because he had something he needed for me to sign. I explained I had been soaked and had to clean up and dry my hair but I would be back.

So I hurriedly got cleaned up and ready to go back to school....I walked up and there was Patty cooking pupusas! Nothing needed signed...I just need to be there for my surprise birthday lunch!

Oh YUM!!!! We all enjoyed pupusas with all the yummy cabbage and chile on top!

And... another birthday cake!

I enjoyed the rest of the day with the kids, helping them finish up their Paces.

I had one more fun visit today. I was getting together with a Ruach Graduate, Marjorie, my Honduran daughter. I picked her up at 5:00 and we went to Coffee & Cakes to visit and catch up. Well we barely began talking when we notice they are turning out the lights....they are closing up and it is only 5:30! So we take our sodas and hop in the car and go to my house.

I enjoyed our time today of sharing stories of the past, discussing old memories, and talking about plans for the future. It was a wonderful visit and she shared many gifts with me!

My day ended with a text message from Joshua wishing me a Happy Birthday!

That was a perfect ending to a perfect day!

I have begun the countdown for my return to Honduras. Before I arrived I thought when I get to the states I will have some down time, some quiet time, some time to read my Bible and pray....oh how my cup runneth over with everything else!

Joshua gave me several CDs for Christmas. One of them is a CD by Kutless that I just love! I have been playing it in the mornings and many days while I am driving to and from work in the car. I love to drive and play music and sing....when no one else in the car.... (One of my closest friends, Annette, one day said to me... "do you sing? I have never heard you sing." Exactly! There is a reason she has never heard me! ha ha!) There are a couple of songs that have really spoken to me and made me think about my heart, my faith, my relationship with God.

I want to share these words with you.... they are from a song called I'm Still Yours..

If you washed away my vanity/ If you took away my words/ If all my world was swept away/ Would you be enough for me?/ Would my beating heart still sing?

If I lost it all/ Would my hands stay lifted/ To the God who gives and takes away/ If you take it all/ This life you've given/ Still my heart will sing.

Those words really got into my spirit. And I wonder could I still lift my hands. If God chose to take away the life I have right now, my family, my friends, my kids in Honduras, my life in Honduras..... it's easy to say when you are in a good place - Oh yes my faith is strong and I trust God for everything....but when you aren't in that good place it isn't so easy.

This song has really made me think and also made me want for that! Want for a faith that is so strong that when things aren't as I think they should be I can still rejoice, still lift my hands and praise my God who loves me!

p.s. I have just added the song to my Playlist...so if you have your sound on you can hear the song. Enjoy!

I always love when I am back in Texas and I go to church, and no matter what has been going on in Texas or with the Church or in my life in Honduras, I always have at least one Sunday where I leave saying "YES! That was totally for me!" It is like Pastor Ron can see into my heart and he says exactly what I needed to hear. Sometimes I don't even realize I need that Word or I need that question answered...but God knows.

I am thankful for a pastor who listens to God and speaks the truth!

Well this year is no different! Pastor Ron was talking about our purpose, and how even the little things we do and say effect people, it might lead that person into their purpose....it is like a chain reaction. (check it out... http://www.restorationdfw.org/ "God's Tapestry of Purpose") There were so many days at school this past year that I wondered is anything I am saying or doing with these kids making a difference...but I have had those tiny moments where I know that my words have made a difference in their lives. Those moments, no matter how tiny they might seem, do matter..and I needed to know that. It gives me the encouragement I need to go on!

If we don't step up and say or do the thing that God has for us, he will send someone else to do it....but the joy you get when you know that you have done that thing that God planned for you...that you have fulfilled your God purpose...that God actually used you! WOW!

On New Years Day I was reminded of a day that I fulfilled my purpose. I received a phone call from Annette that one of our past students had been killed in a car accident. I was stunned and I was sad and I was shocked...but then God brought to my mind the day I sat with Kenne in the Learning Center at Ruach in 2008 and talked to him about making a decision as to who he would follow, and he told me he wanted to follow Jesus...and I sat with him and we prayed together for him to receive Jesus into his life.

That moment had nothing to do with me...if I had not been willing to talk to Kenne about Jesus, God would have used someone else to share with him, but what an honor to be a part of God's plan and God's purpose for Kenne's life!


Kenne at his 6th grade graduation in 2008.

I can rejoice to know that a young boy who started his life in Honduras is now running and playing in paradise!

Where did the time go?

I have a lot of updating to do! I could tell so many stories about my students over the last couple months of school, we had fun days, hard days, tears, laughter, and a lot of hard work! I grew closer to my 6th grade students than I ever thought possible! They are MY kids! Always will be!


The last month of school was class from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 or 4:00 or 5:00...then kids coming to my house at 6:00 and staying until 8:00....they worked so hard to finish their year! 6th grade means graduating from primary school, so no carrying forward a Pace or two until the following year...and I pushed them hard to complete all their work. I wanted them to learn and grow as they enter into highschool.



It was exciting to see them accomplish things they never thought possible. It was awesome! One of my students did not have confidence that he could finish all his work for the year, and I was constantly encouraging him, hanging signs in his office that said "I CAN!"....which he would change to "CAN'T"...but he pushed through and in the end he did it! And the joy on his face when he finished that last test was worth all the long hours I had spent with the kids. And now he knows that when he is determined and he does not give up, he CAN!

I could tell you story after story about my students. Accomplishments of the year, the obstacles they overcame, the hardships they had, the perseverence they learned. It is an awesome honor to be part of that process!

The school year ended, the Paces got completed and we had graduation! It was so exciting for the students to be there that day and be honored. I was so proud of them!



Naturally after spending so much time with these kids it was hard to say good-bye to them after Graduation. The weekend after graduation meant graduation parties to attend of the Seniors, and visits from my 6th graders to say good-bye one more time before I flew to the United States.


I left that Monday to fly back to Texas to spend Christmas with my family. I got to talk with several of my students throughout the day...even receiving an early morning (3:30 a.m.) phone call from one of my boys, he wanted to be sure to talk to me before I hit the road at 4:30 a.m.


I was excited and exhausted when I arrived in Texas on December 7. I had days of fun visiting with my family who live in Texas...Elaine and Jim, Stacy and Travis, Shawna, Austin and Ashlynn...even the dogs were happy to see me as Stacy announced to Jack that Aunt Stephanie was home! And I was happy to meet the new puppy, Molly Joy.


Joshua arrived from Ft. Riley, Kansas on December 17. I was so happy to see him and have him home with us for a few weeks! It was a great time to catch up and hear about his life in the Army. And of course we played many games of Monopoly, which he won!


Christmas Eve meant the tradition of gathering with friends to go into neighborhoods in Fort Worth to deliver gifts to children and families. It is always a wonderful time of giving. Seeing the faces of children as they answer the door and we hand them gifts, and sometimes even a new bicycle. Christmas is not about gifts, but about the ultimate gift God gave us of Jesus, and we use showing love to those we don't know, those who might be forgotten, those who might seem untouchable, as a way to reach out and share the Love of Jesus.



We had a wonderful time once again and even had snow to add to the feeling of Christmas. Glad I could feel something because I could not feel my toes! COLD! It was cold! But we had a wonderful day!

That evening all our family went to the Christmas Eve service, and then all back to Elaine's for dinner and a few gifts to open.



Christmas day was so much fun, sharing and giving gifts! And of course watching Ashlynn open gifts and play with her new toys. She is so much fun!



One of Joshua's favorite things to do on Christmas day is shooting cans with Uncle's BB gun....so of course this year was no exception. And now with his Army training he was excited to show me all he could do. He even tried to teach me...which I actually did finally hit the can!



Love his shooting uniform - new Pajama pants...new jacket...and of course his boots!

It was a wonderful Christmas Day!

WOW I cannot believe that was my last post on my blog. I have just been too busy to sit and update and post pictures or even take pictures off my camera.

Well....I've had a girls baking day at my house...I'll have to post some photos of us covered in flour.

We've been working hard at school!

Miss Carol had a week of fun parties with the students before returning to the United States to be with her son who was having surgery and who had a succesful operation and is currently recovering with all good reports at home!

I've been having classes after school and at my house in the evenings and on the weekends with my 6th grade students.

This is an important year for them, because they actually receive a diploma for completing their primary school. But I have many students who are behind. Some because they carried over Paces from last year...some because they are struggling in some of their subjects...some because futbol and girls are much more interesting than Paces....some I don't know why or how they got so behind...but here we are. And right now we have TWO weeks left to finish their work! So we are working non-stop!

I have been stressed over them for a while now....and it is only getting worse...but now I can see that some of my students are actually starting to see that if they don't get busy and really start to work they aren't going to make it. Some are responding to that reality with hard work and determination which is making me very hopeful!

And today I booked my flight back to the Texas for the holidays. It always brings mixed feelings for me. I am happy to see my family, flush my toilet paper, take a shower, and GO TO WALMART and OLD NAVY.....but I hate leaving my kids here. Even though school will be out, thinking about the end of the year brings tears.

Some of the students will go to different schools...some for financial reasons, some have selected a different school for their highschool years, and even those who will return next year, I may not be working with them as much during the day and I have gotten so attached to these 6th graders. I have never had such a stressful time of trying to get the kids to finish their work, but also a glorious time of getting to know them on a personal level, and getting to share with them, and seeing them come to me with questions and concerns. It has been a great experience.

Hopefully they won't forget all the fun times we have had this year!

And now I better get off this computer and get ready for my day because I have 4 girls who should be arriving in about an hour to work on Paces!

Oh ....and my dates in Texas are.... arriving on December 7 and returning to Honduras on January 23! See you all soon!

Saturday was the Futbol (soccer) game between Honduras and USA. So I had a 6th girls watching party at my house. The girls were all very excited about the party. It ended up that msot of them needed a ride to my house, and then I had to take them all back home because it would be 10:00 when the game would end. So I learned the answer to the all time question.....HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN YOU FIT INTO A TOYOTA COROLLA? The answer would be TEN!

It was great as we were picking up all the girls, and taking them back home, making our way through town and they were screaming at people on the street...VIVA HONDURAS! They even had me yelling! And they were singing the Honduras national anthem... we were quite a site!

The girls had a fun time, and it was one of my best memories of my time here!


Go Honduras!!
Maria Fernanda and Sandy

Beautiful Daniala!

Miss Carol cheering for her USA team!



The girls singing the Honduran anthem at the beginning of the game.



Munching on treats and chips and coke and settling in to watch the game!

Cheering for Honduras when they made a goal!


USA scored again and Miss Carol is getting her groove on in celebration!


Ready to crawl back into the car and take all 8 of the girls home! We were all sad that Honduras had lost, but that didn't stop us from showing our love for our team! As we drove through town still shouting cheers for Honduras and the girls singing!


Katherine is under all that paint! She was the one picked to sit up front on Miss Carol's lap. She was cheering out the window while the other girls were trying to get crammed into the back seat!



Getting everyone back into the car...7 girls in the backseat, Miss Carol in the front seat with Katherine on her lap.
A picture taken of my backseat! Remember there are 7 girls back there...So glad they are smiling!

Well it has been so long since I have blogged….Things have been crazy and I have been busy – with school in the day, and staying after school with the kids and two weeks ago I started with 4 nights a week that I have students coming to my house from 6:00 – 8:00. By the time the end of the week gets here I am exhausted! Physically and emotionally…the kids are probably tired of seeing me cry, but when I get more than tired I can cry at the drop of a hat…yep that’s where I am these days.

My 6^th grade conversation class has been doing some experiments. Okay, so I’m not a science teacher…..we are following the directions, but not getting the exact result. But we end up having fun and some weeks making a nice mess.

These pictures are from the week we were going to blow up a balloon, by putting soap, baking soda and water into a bottle and putting the balloon on the top and supposed to blow up the balloon from the chemical reaction…..okay so that didn’t work.

We also tried to make a compass…again didn’t work, but we had fun playing with a lot of different types of magnets I had brought back from the States, and trying some different things with the magnets.

The kids decided I didn’t pick good experiments so they looked in the book and decided we should make a volcano the following week. So I brought the supplies and we first “built” the volcano with the newspapers around the soda bottle. Well that is of course after we all had a paper ball fight…me included!

Then Gina read the instructions…the students added the ingredients…and we waited….waited…waited…no erupting volcano.

Then they decided they wanted to see what was happening inside the bottle…so we ripped apart the volcano …..it was bubbling, but not an erupting volcano.

Well another dud for me! Maybe we’ll try it again…I must test it home first the next time!

4^TH GRADE ART CLASS

In our art class we have been studying animals and the verse that says ..”everything that has breath praise the Lord”…..So we spent two weeks making animals – starting with a box and then letting their imagine run! The kids did a great job!

We had a bunny….dogs….turtle…and some unknown animals.

Daniela and her dog.

Farys and her pink bunny

Andres and his turtle.

Last week we made animal puppets with paper sacks - unfortunately I forgot my camera that day, but we had butterflies, a lady bug, a tiger…and a Ninja! The kids were awesome!

DASSIA’S PIZZA PARTY

At the beginning of second partial I told the 6^th graders that for all who were caught up at the end of the partial we would go to Pizza Hut….well at the end of 2^nd partial I had one girl who was….even being gone through part of 3^rd partial in the states I gave them extra time…still I only had Dassia. So I had talked to her about what would we do for her trip to Pizza Hut….no friends had completed it. So she had asked me if we could just have a pizza party at school with the whole class.

We planned the day for the pizza party…and all the kids knew it was for Dassia’s accomplishments that we were having pizza for lunch.

Well God is so good …I never knew how much we would have to celebrate that day!

The 6^th grade girls had been fighting, and were completely divided. When I would call the class together…there would be this invisible wall dividing the girls. I had talked with them one day and heard everyone’s version of what had happened….and I had been praying for them that they would be able to resolve their differences and be friends again. It was Friday, the day of the pizza party and I wondered what would happen, how could we have a party together when the girls were split, 3 and 6…..that morning the girls asked me for a time that they could all get together and talk. Miss Cristy had asked Miss Dinora to sit down with them to talk through things but this was the day that parents were coming for report cards so there was no time for this to happen. I went to Miss Cristy wondering what we could do …she came to me and said Mr. Alan wanted to see the girls. They relunctantly went to a classroom with Mr. Alan and about 30 minutes later they emerged, walking down the patio with their arms around girls they hadn’t spoken to in days, all crying and laughing!

One of the girls told me “Miss we are all laughing about how silly we were being!” So I had been worried about the pizza party to celebrate Dassia’s accomplishments…and it was all in God’s timing as we had more to celebrate! We celebrated friendship that day too!

Daniela even made a chocolate cake the night before to bring and share during the pizza lunch. It was a perfect day!

KAREN’S B IRTHDAY PARTY

Last week Karen had a birthday party and Carol and I were invited. It is so much fun spending time with these girls outside of school…where we can just hang out with them, and laugh and cut up with them.

It was a fun day of food and gifts and of course birthday cake!

….and of course the birthday girl’s face in the cake!

SAMSON’S NEW FRIEND!

One morning I was awoken by Samson barking and barking and barking! I was very irritated because I had about 20 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Normally if there is a person he doesn’t like walking by, he will bark but then the person is gone and he is quiet…or a stray dog comes by and he barks for a second but that’s it. But this morning he was barking and barking and barking and he was not relenting! I finally, out of frustration, got up and looked out my bedroom window…and this is what I saw!

In the field across from me there are always horses and cows over there feeding and normally Samson isn’t bothered by them. But on this morning the horse had come over to my fence and they were nose to nose. It was funny as I sat and watched them for a while. The horse was putting his nose through my fence and Samson had his nose to his and was barking like crazy, but it wasn’t a “I want to eat you because you are in my yard” kind of bark…it was more of a “I want to get to know you because you look like me and kind of smell like me but you are 3 times as big as me – what are you and can you be my friend?” kind of bark.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!!!

Today is Joshua's 21st birthday. It is so hard being away from my son on special days, and then there are always those whispers of guilt telling me I have deserted him. Those whispers are sounding off in between my tears of just wishing I could be there to spend this special day with him.

I am so thankful for my sister and brother-in-law who drove most of the day Friday to arrive in Kansas, to have dinner with Josh and spend the evening with him, and take him to breakfast on his birthday, and who are now driving back home to Texas.

I pray that Joshua will be blessed beyond words today on his birthday and will know how much his mom loves him, even though I can't be there with him!

I am so very proud of my son, my little boy, my strong young man, my friend, my 21-year old, my son the soldier!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

Sunday I got up to get ready for my day of driving to Tegucigalpa to pick up Annette and Carol from the airport.

I should have known I was in for some kind of a day when as soon as I began to dry my hair the power went out. It is not uncommon for the power to be turned off and Sunday is a typical day for this to happen, more people are home, not as many businesses are running...but it was only 8:00 and I wanted to dry my hair.

Well there would be no hairstyling that day!

I headed out about 9:00 to go to the airport. I made great time there, met Carol and Annette and we decided to go to Chili's for lunch.

So we went there, had a wonderful lunch and sat and visited for a while. We left....drove through the city and got on the highway and out of the city almost 3:00.

The traffic was barely moving and all we could see ahead of us was a long line of cars. Not normal! Especially not on a Sunday. So we kept putzing along wondering what is going on.

Well about 10 minutes out of the city is a very large cemetery up on a hill...and as we came closer to the cemetary we could see cars and cars lining the side of the highway. There must have been a very important funeral going on because there were tons of cars and people and that had caused this long line of backed up traffic. It picked up a bit when we passed the cemetery, but there was still bumper to bumper traffic for quite a while.

We finally spread out a bit...but still there was so much traffic to try and pass and get around, more cars than normal it took so long to get to a point where you could just drive!

We finally made it and I felt good...looking at my watch because I knew I wanted to be down out of the mountain before the sun set.

We had a pretty good trip the rest of the way home...only having to make our way around the road construction....and then...boom!

I hit something in the road and it sliced my tire.

We pulled over and got out of the car to see the tire...it's dead! Now I have a spare tire but no jack (I must buy a workable jack!). Annette sees within walking distance up the road a little shack on the other side of the highway with a sign for tires. So she walks up there....they have used tires, and they say they can help me if I can drive my car over to their little place. About that time the sky opens up and the rain pours out of the clouds!

We all get back in the car and I slowly inch up the road on the shoulder, and wait for a break in the traffic so I can wobble across the highway.

I make it...and we sit with these guys to try and wait out the rain a bit. It finally lightens up enough that they decide they can put my spare tire on. Now this is a place that sells used tires, but they do not have a jack! They are in worse shape than I am. But somehow they changed the tire...we decided we were better off not knowing!

They put my spare on, threw the slit tire in my truck and put back all our luggage and we were back on the road...in the downpour!

We did make it home....I was so happy to finally see Comayagua!

With the funeral and the traffic and the tire incident, it took us almost 3 hours to get home! Double the time it should take!

What a day! But we had many things to be thankful for....

...I got down out of the mountain before dark and before the downpour of rain
...we got the flat in a safe part of the road where there was a shoulder to pull off on, not just the edge of a mountain
...we got a flat near a place where they could change my tire

And as Elaine just reminded me...another praise....I was not alone, but with Annette and Carol. Makes things like this much easier to handle when you are with friends!

It was a long, stressful, drive home, but I am thankful that even in the midst of the craziness God was taking care of each one of us! He never said we would not have any trouble, or life would be smooth and easy, or that we could just skate by without a care....but He does promise that he will always be with us...and yesterday He was!

We had troubles, and we had difficulties, but nothing that we couldn't handle!

With a week of vacation today was my one day that I had planned for myself....to relax...and do some things I enjoy just for me. HA!

My rent is due on the 15th of each month, so I had gone Monday evening to the bank to withdraw the money I needed to pay my owner, 4,000 lemperas. I counted it at the ATM, yep it was all there. Put it in my wallet and came home. That evening or maybe the next morning I put it in my envelope in my closet with my receipts for September (my bookkeeping system - ha!). Normally the owner comes to the school to collect my rent, so I wasn't sure when I would see him this week.

This morning I slept in, stayed in bed until almost 9:00...wonderful!

I got up, got on the computer for a minute...enjoying being in my living room in my jammies smelling the wonderful jasmine blooms from my front bushes, happy I have nowhere to be this morning.....then was reading through a science experiment book to find a fun experiment to do on Tuesday with my 6th graders during conversation class (their request)....when I hear someone tapping at my outside gate. Well I am in my jammies, and not prepared to receive guests...and I am thinking it is probably someone begging for money, or the gaurd coming to collect for October early...so I will just ignore it and continue with my lazy Saturday morning.

A bit later I hear someone tapping again and now I hear my name...oh no it must be the owner coming to collect the rent. So I run to my room to get dressed and grab his money from my envelope. I pull it out and count it....3,500...what! No, that can't be right. So I count it again., 3,500....I get dressed and count again....still 3,500. Oh no! I look through my receipts, in another envelope, no other money, and I have no cash other than about 30 lemperas in my house!

So I go outside with my 3,500 lemperas and he smiles and hands me my receipt. I am so embarrassed and upset my Spanish brain has completely shut down! I finally get him to count it and frantically tell him I had 4,000 lemperas and now I cannot find it in my house! I am so sorry!

He is so nice...God has certainly blessed me with a nice house and a nice owner who just smiles at me! I tell him I will go to the bank now, so I grab my car and we hop in to run to the bank, I am thinking I can just go to the ATM and get out 500 lemperas. .....

NO!!!! Nothing can be that easy! The machine is down, which means I must go inside the bank to use my debit card and get the rest of his rent money. That would be alright EXCEPT I HAVE NOT HAD A SHOWER....I HAVE NOT BRUSHED MY TEETH...I BARELY COMBED MY HAIR....I HAVE ON NO MAKE UP....

Being a Saturday morning there is a long line of people inside. I know they must all be looking at me and thinking she smells....she needs her hair colored look at those gray roots.....and she looks so old with no make-up....and what is that bad breath smell????? Oh it is the gringo!

Well I got his money and apologized again and again....lo siento lo siento!!! I am now back home and thankful that is over, and very thankful that I did not see anyone I knew in the bank!

This blog with not have a picture.....and thank God there is no scratch and sniff! LOL!

What a morning! Not as I had planned...but it all worked out in the end....the rest of my day will hopefully go better. I am looking forward to my appointment at 1:00 with Glenda to color those gray roots and get a pedicure from Ana!

TGIF!!!!

Well today was 6th grade Learning Center in my living room. Yea, not a great idea! Maybe all girls...or all boys...but with the group of kids I had we didn't get much work done. I had a few who really wanted to work... but my two boys were here because their moms made them come. So they were not a good mix. But it was fun to see everyone!

Not much was accomplished today....two tests was passed....a few math pages were worked. Some serious talks and decisions to be made about committing to me and to themselves to work and finish their year. Without their commitment, I can't make it happen.

A lot of food was eaten...one Pace was lost...and then found..but only after everyone was accused of throwing it on the roof and I was trying to see on my roof to see if it was there. And there it was in the couch all the time! Girls!

I'm glad the "vacation" is over...and tomorrow I really am taking vacation...sleeping in and then going to Glenda's to have my hair colored and a pedicure! Next week will be back to school and I will be happy to be back to class and with my kids again!

It was hard today to try and keep them working...because I wanted to play as much as they did!

Thankful I survived the week!

Thursday...Day 4 of Vacation

This morning I headed to Maria Fernanda's house at about 10:30. Karen arrived shortly after I did. So the three of us sat outside and worked on Paces.

A little while later Maria's mom announced that lunch was ready. WOW! To me lunch is a sandwich and a piece of fruit....not here! Her mom served a delicious lunch of chicken with a wonderful mushroom sauce, rice and the vegetables were beets and cucumbers, and a small square of Honduran cheese. I cleaned my plate! It was all delicious!

I usually don't eat beets - it's one of those things that bring back horrible childhood memories, of soggy mushy purple things and then the eggs that have been soaked in the beet juice....awful memories! But this was so delicious!

Our afternoon snack was freshly made lemonade!

I am totally getting spoiled this week! Next week when we are back at school I will be back to not eating lunch or trying to eat some fruit as I work on giving out 6th grade homework assignments...and staying after school to work on Paces, and not get home until late and being too tired to do more than make a scrambled egg or grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. I will remember and dream about the wonderful lunches I have gotten to eat this week at Katherine's and Karen's and Maria's homes!

Tomorrow I am having as many as will come of my 6th graders to my house to work. I am hoping for the 7 who I have heard from or that Karen has talked to .... I'm planning an easy lunch of spaghetti...I have snacks of chips, fruit, cookies and banana bread. Hopefully we will do more than just eat tomorrow!

I have sure enjoyed spending time with some of my students this week. Some days at school they make you crazy...but I love them all so much! I miss the kids I haven't seen this week!

Saturday I am actually going to have vacation!!! I am looking forward to sleeping in and then at 1:00 I have an appointment at Glenda's salon to get my hair colored and treating myself to a pedicure! After this crazy week I am sure I will fall asleep in the chair as Ana gives me my pedicure! It will be so wonderful!

Wednesday.... Day 3 of Vacation


My mountain get away....at Katherine's house!




This morning I headed to Katherine's again. I arrived at her grandma's house to leave my car and her grandma walked with me to Katherine's because I wasn't sure if I could remember the way. When we arrived grandmother was hot and tired and stayed a bit to rest and have a cool drink. I told Katherine, and she translated for her grandmother, that I had hoped that over vacation I could go somewhere, hike up a mountain and spend some time enjoying the beauty here....and even though I didn't go anywhere, God gave me what I had wanted, as I hike up the side of the mountain to Katherine's house and I can sit outside with her and enjoy the beauty around us. I told her how much I love coming to her house. She thought I was crazy for liking where her house is, but I think it is peaceful there.



Katherine took her Math test, finished her English Pace and took her English test, passing both!


Afterward, I headed to Karen's where we began working on Math. Maria arrived also with her Paces. Maria is loving her new Math Pace as it has introduced a new concept, variables, and she is enjoying solving these new problems! She is very excited to be the furthest in Math Paces in her class! Go Maria Fernanda!!!!

Karen took THREE tests today and passed them all! She is working like a crazy woman! But so happy about it! She has a lot of work to do to complete her year, but she is motivated to work and really wants to complete her Paces!

I had a wonderful lunch at Karen's house that her mom prepared for me. How sweet! They really do make me feel special!

Tomorrow I will be heading to Maria Fernanda's house for more Math and English Paces and hopefully a test or two!

Friday I am calling the kids together to have a work day on Paces at Miss Stephanie's house. I am hoping they will all come!

I am attaching some pictures I took today at Katherine's house! My vacation spot!!! :)


Katherine's little sister yesterday, pretending to get married!




I loved watching Genesis play today. She didn't need toys or videos or games or even tv shows to keep her occupied. She played with a sheet, a hanger, a towel and her mom's jacket. She hung things on the hanger and sang and wore the sheet on her head and pretended again to be getting married with her novio .....I loved watching her use her imagination as she played while Katherine and I worked on Paces.



The view from the porch where we worked


Part of Katherine's house and you can see there isn't much further to go to reach the top.

Cars....gotta love em!

Last night when I came home I pulled the door handle to open my car door so I could get out and open my gate...only to have my door handle crumble into about 8 pieces.

So now, to get out of my car I have to roll down my window and open it from the outside.

JOY!

What is really funny, is that several months ago the outside handle on the passenger door did the same thing. So now each door has part of a working handle.

But I am still thankful that I have a car to get around...it drives good and is able to carry me around Comayagua and to nearby cities to visit friends and pick friends up from the airport....so all is good!

Just another thing to laugh about!

Vacation!

So this week we are on vacation. Today was Honduras' Day of Independence. There are many holidays during September.

Well while others are celebrating this week many of our kids are working hard. Why they wait until the end of the year to kick into gear, I don't know. But this is what they do. I even tried motivating 6th grade by offering a pizza party at the half-way mark if they had completed their first two partials...only one student completed.

So now that we are about to start our final partial they are all beginning to feel the pressure. Even though their teachers have been stressed out over them for months!

So this week Henry has high school students coming to his house working on Paces, mainly 10th grade and 11th grade (11th grade is a combination of the U.S. 11th & 12th grade).

Some of my 6th graders have been calling me for help this week...so I have been working with students all week.

Monday I had Fernando at my house all day and he almost finished his entire Math Pace - way to go Mini Tino!

Maria came Monday afternoon and finished her Math Pace and took her Math test. When her mom, came to pick her up she invited me to come to her house to work with Maria later this week and asked if I could come early to have lunch with them. So Thursday I will be at Maria's house.

This morning I went to Katherine's house to work on her Math Pace. (None of my kids like Math!) I loved being at her house! She lives in a barrio that is crazy to drive in .... very narrow streets, and some streets you can't drive through ...I met her at her grandmother's house, which is way up on a hill, but is on a drivable paved street. So we parked my car there and walked to her house, because it is way up a jaggedy dirt path - not drivable by a car. I loved it at her house...we sat on the porch outside to work and it is so pretty with the breeze and the trees and being up the mountain. One of her friends came to the house, she wanted to see her teacher who Katherine had told her about. I was greeted with hugs from her little cousins and a big hug from her sister Genesis who also attends Ruach.

I was honored when her mom asked if I would like to have lunch with them. She had prepared the traditional Honduran soup. (I had been smelling it cooking all morning!) It is similar to an American vegetable soup. My first instinct is to say "no thank you", not because I don't want to eat the food she has prepared but because I feel like I have come to serve, come to help, and I feel guilty for taking from the families here. But I am reminded that it is not polite and considered rude here to say "no thank you" . . . I don't feel worthy, I don't feel deserving of their gift. But I accept and am truly touched by the hospitality of the families here!

I am going back to Katherine's in the morning for her to take her Math test and get her next Math Pace.

After I finished enjoying my lunch with Katherine it was back down the hill to get my car and head off to the Mall Premier to meet Karen to go to her grandma's house to work. When I arrived they were sad to hear that I had already eaten lunch with Katherine.

Karen and I worked on her Paces and I am going back tomorrow also, for her to complete 3 Paces and take her tests.

Karen told me to be sure not to eat lunch at Katherine's so that I could have lunch with her at her grandma's house.

I feel so special! Yes this is my vacation, no I'm not relaxing, I'm not resting, I'm not laying in a beach chair next to the water sipping a tropical drink.....but I am doing what I love and spending time with the kids that I love!

I will continue to post about my Vacation Adventures this week!

We celebrated Dia de Nino (Day of the Child) on September 10. It was a lot of fun! We had food, and games, gifts and pinatas, and time to just hang out with friends and visit. It was a lot of work for the Spanish teachers....I got to hang with the kids but Miss Kristy and Miss Mary Cruz did all the work to prepare!



5th graders hanging out waiting for the party to get started.


Katherine looking so cool! With the shades and the hat....I told her she looked like a biker chic ready to hop on the back of a Harley with her cute boyfriend!


4th graders!


Gabriel...aka Dr. Brainiac....aka Dr. Lagos... One day he may be performing brain surgery or finding a cure for cancer or helping sick people who cannot afford to go to the big city for treatment...and I can say I was his teacher! Love this guy!



Katherine's little sister , Genesis, who is in Kinder. She is sooo cute and looks so much like Katherine! She is a real cutey!



The 3rd & 4th graders had Burger King for lunch...which came with the awesome masks! Andres and David Arturo are showing me their cool super hero moves!




Dassia and Miss Kristy's daughter, who the kids started calling "Mini Miss Kristy" She is so cute!




Yea, they may be in 6th grade, and they may think they are all cool and grown up and sophisticated and with their cool clothes and their boyfriends and their cell phones and their music ...but give them a pinata full of candy and they become kids again! I love these guys!



Katherine's pile of candy! I was at her house today and they are still eating on this candy.



This little guy has the biggest beautiful eyes!


Miss Candy has some of the cutest kids in her Kinder class! The little guy in the middle is so adorable and everyone loves him! I can't wait to see him as he grows up over the years.


Miss Candy had some music playing outside her classroom, and as soon as the song came on that the kids had learned a dance to this year, they began dancing. I love it!


Ivis, Josue and Hanssel. Josue and Hanssel look so nice in their new outfits.

David Arturo and Andres. David and his younger brother Josue got new clothes in celebration of the day of the child. He was so proud to show me his new outfit.

The 6th graders have been practicing this skit for weeks. They were excited to perform this day.




Fernando - PREACHING!
He is taking after his big brother.


These are the gifts bags Mary Cruz and Carol made for the 3rd and 4th graders. Mary Cruz is so creative! She made these gift bags out of pieces of construction paper and yarn, then decorated them and put each child's name on their bag. The kids loved them!

My 6th grade boys chillin and listening to music.

Nicole has this beautiful natural curly hair. I remember last year her mom fixed her hair this way on the Day of the Child too. She loves it when her mom fixes her hair this way. It is so pretty...and I love to play with her ringlets!


The tables decorated by Miss Kristy for the 5th and 6th graders