God is faithful

God is faithful, and He kept me safe, and tranquilo while I went to Belize for my visa run. Even though it's mandatory that I leave the country every 3 months, its a great opportunity to get away and relax and refocus on God. Working with these kids can be challenging and tiring sometimes, and going to Belize was a needed break for me to spend time alone with God, and be refreshed.

Next week we start the last marking period for the 2009 school year. We have about 8 more weeks of school. In a way that seems like a long time, but then I remember how fast the last marking period went.

Some of the girls with me. (and a few silly faces)

Amy and me playing Twister the other Friday night. We had a few crazy rounds of this game that night, while the other half of the group were busy playing....Uno.

The Friday night before I left for Belize we celebrated a birthday! It was Jorge's 18th birthday, so he is now able to come to Friday nights! It was a fun evening, and a full house, almost everyone was there plus a few visitors, so we had around 13 people.

Here's a picture of Amy and me. She was alot of fun to have around.

Here's a glimpse of the Caribbean in Belize.

I got to climb one of the Mayan temples at Lamanai.

Please remember to pray for the kids here. God is working in their lives.
Peace.

Tests, Belize and company

It's about that time again. That time when according to Honduran laws, the foreigners have leave for a few days, because they've already spent 3 months in this beautiful country.
So, I'm heading off to Belize on my own little adventure. I anticipate visiting some people I stayed with when I lived there for a month...a few years ago.

As for school, I was slightly shocked the other day to find out that in just over a week we are having testing for the third marking period. Where did the time go? I look over my lesson plans and wonder what we even learned over the past six weeks, what am I going to put on the tests?

The past week and a half I've had a young lady my age- but from the other side of the States- hanging out with me and helping out where she can. She is visiting relatives who are missionaries serving here in Valle. So she comes during the day and she's been in some of my classes (and helping me keep the kids in line,which is great!), and we've been doing some special things with the kids like painting nails, playing sharks and minnows, and coloring the Disney princesses in the coloring book.

I'd show some pictures that Amy took (since she remembers to take pictures, and we know that I'm notorious for forgetting to take pictures), but I have to get some from her yet. I hope to do that soon, and then I'll post them.
Peace!

A Pet???

I have unpurposefully, gained an unwanted pet. I didn't ask for it, and I've tried to get rid of it twice, but it just won't leave. I guess I should start thinking of a name for it. What is it, might you ask? A lizard. I've found it in my room twice now in the last week, and I figured that its the same one b/c it's missing part of it's tail. I'm reminded almost every day that it is in my house, as I hear it chirping (okay, maybe only birds chirp, but something like that). One day I hear it in the living room, another day in the hallway, and de repente, one day I walk into my bedroom and there it is, sitting on the floor. I did get a picture of it though, to add to my weird collection of lizards on my blog.

Here's a pic with my second and third grade class.

So, here's some of my random ramblings. Hopefully next time I write it will be more like deep thoughts...Peace.

Visiting Ceder

August has arrived already.

Today 3 of the older girls and I went in to Teguz to visit the elderly at Ceder, one of the ministries I had worked with last year. We had gone once before and they wanted to go back. After the whole deal with Zelaya and the political unrest I was a little hesitant to take kids into centro, so today we finally went back to visit. There are some others who are also interested in going, so hopefully we go again soon, and with more people.

Mirna and me hanging out with the elderly (the elderly aren't on the pic though)

Mirna with one of the ladies we talked to

Sidey painting Isolina's nails

Thanks for reading my blog! Peace.

Food, Movies, Indios and more food

Despite the great disappointment of finding out that a friend from the States would not be able to visit me this week like planned because of the political unrest here, I had some exciting things happen this weekend, so now I can write a blog! :-) Well, I could've written a blog on Thursday but we would've heard more about English classes.

I kept busy this weekend, hanging out with friends by the fireplace, having the older girls over to watch a movie, making 10 dozen cookies, going up the mountain, and celebrating another birthday.

Friday night, because of a short power outage (which seems to be the norm for evenings now), one of the girls suggested we have a fire in the fireplace, which was a wonderful idea and made the house cozy, good conversation, and the people very sleepy.

Saturday afternoon one of the girls came over to help me make cookies, and in the evening a bunch of girls ages 16 and older came over to watch One Night with the King (the story of Esther).

Sunday I hiked up the mountain with some of the guys to a friend's house where we had lunch and the guys played soccer and I hung out with some of the others there. In the evening the older kids came over to celebrate Miran's birthday with the ever popular chocolate cake with peanut butter icing.

Today the primary school celebrated "Dia del Indio" and I had the privilege of being one of the judges to judge the selected children who dressed up in traditional dress.

The winning "India"

Some of the others who dressed up

Mirian's birthday

And now for your viewing pleasure...a short clip of my dear friends trying to blow out relite candles...when i saw the candles in the store I couldn't resist but pay extra just so I could see their faces when the candles kept relighting.

A New Post (watch out for my crazy creative titles)

Greetings from a politically unstable Honduras. If you watch or read the news at all I'm sure you've heard about the action occurring in this country. I don't know much about politics, so I won't even attempt to inform you about whats going on, I would just encourage you to look at more than one news source to try to get a balanced opinion about whats been occurring. Here at the Finca we haven't been too affected by all the action, apart from the high school kids not having classes for the past two weeks, evening curfews (as if I ever even go out after 6:30pm), and sporadic electricity outages.

My "routine schedule" continues on. English classes in the morning, random things and lesson planning in the afternoon, and library duty and devotions with the girls in the evenings. If something out of the ordinary and exciting happens I'll try to remember to post it. Please keep praying for us here at the Finca. Life continues to have its many challenges and joys. Well, I don't really have any new pics, and I were the reader I think I'd want to see pics, so, I picked out some random ones from when my family was visiting.

"working"
(gotta love the outfit...my painting clothes)

helping to study for an English exam

What I've been doing...

June 13 I was able to take a group of the oldest kids to a youth conference and concert in Tegucigalpa. It was a fun time for the kids, the speakers were really encouraging, and the concert in the evening was energizing.
Here's the group that went.
The Concert.
Hanging out at the concert.
The finished computer room.
Where has the Woodcrest shirt been? Tegucigalpa, Honduras!
Mirian and me.
My sisters and me.
Celebrating Alicia's birthday in Honduras.
Teaching English.
Enjoying popcorn and fellowship with family and the other missionaries.
Visiting Crystal's host family.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!
Peace!