Jungle gyms and English words.

Some goings on of this week…

We had our first full week of school. It was fabulous. I am in heaven with all these sweet little ones.

A schedule of what I do most days during school hours (give or take):

7 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Kim and I split up between classes to help with writing and ECA time. We help check and grade their homework during writing. During ECA we help with their art, or dance, or whatever it is they are learning that day. I really enjoy this time because I am not only getting to be with the children during school hours but I am also learning as well (since I MIGHT be at about a kindergarten level of Spanish). The kids love learning English. They are always asking me questions during class “How you say??? How you say??” and I love listening to them try to say the words. Right now, in the fourth grade class, my name is “ In ingles SUUmer, en espanol Verano”. Kim and I are in charge of a few of the P.E. classes and I really enjoy this. Last week we taught them duck duck goose, red rover, and red light green light. We taught them these without a translator (it was pretty humorous). We also help serve the children their meals. Xiomara’s mom cooks for all 180 children. 5 days a week, that is pretty impressive. A taxi brings it around 9:30 and we deliver it to all the classrooms. This takes a good 45 minutes. After we finish distributing meals we go outside to recess, where my back begins to ache and I sweat for an hour but it is worth it. Apparently, white girl means jungle gym. They LOVE to jump on me, tickle me, and chase me. Whatever they decide to do, it is never less than 25 children. It is precious. I hope they never get use to me being here and it stays this way. When recess is up, they eat and then we wash out the cups they drink their juice out of so that they can use them to brush their teeth. Teeth-brushing time is my favorite.. Oh it is so sweet. They are all in a line outside their classroom brushing away with a grin from ear to ear.

School gets out at 12 but I usually stick around until 1. Each classroom has two children’s parents helping clean up each day.. So there is usually about 14 or more children who have to stay late. We play soccer or pato, pato, ganso (duck, duck, goose) or sometimes they just enjoy making me run in circles.

Around 1:15 I head back up to my house for lunch and to study up on my Spanish. From 3-5 I have Spanish school. When this is over the sun is setting and I have been trying to make a habit of walking or running during this time. It is beautiful. I then usually visit with the neighborhood kids, try to practice what I learned in espanol class. Then it is time to cook dinner. Kim and I have been very experimental and been cooking lots of different new things. That has been very fun. I have enjoyed having my very own oven for the first time.

Schedule of visitors in the month of March:

3/2-3/9: David McCrary, Tim Agee, John Bentley, and Marie will be here this Wednesday.

3/4-3/11: THIS FRIDAY I HAVE MY FIRST HOUSE STAYS J Lindsey Morse and Kristen Mitchell are coming to see me and I am so happy!

3/16-3/19: My cousin Lincoln, My aunt Kristie, and Mrs. Kathy will be making their way over here to visit me from Honduras! First family visit award goes to them ;)

3/18-3/25: The JCS mission team will be here for their spring break.

So exciting!

Tuesday night I felt my first earthquake. I don’t have any way of getting news here right now so I did not know about New Zealand’s so I wrote about it on my facebook. Big mistake. But it was not a bad one and no one was injured. I was in the perfect place for it.. Sitting in a hut surrounded by palm trees.

Because of my scoliosis, I have been going to the chiropractor 2 times a week since I was in 5^th grade; so moving here without one has been an adjustment (ha double meaning). My back got really sore after painting for a week and a half and so my Spanish teacher told me about a masseuse here. I got a 30-minute massage for $8 from the “blind massage, seeing hands”. It was incredible. I have never had a massage, but I am pretty sure he is the best there is.

Wednesday morning I woke up with a gecko in bed with me.. no.big.deal.

Wednesday is FRESH MEAT DAY. This is a pretty wild day here. It is like a holiday, every week.

Thursday morning was our one-month of Spanish, and for a celebration…we got to take a 10 pg. exam. I have officially passed my first level of Spanish school. I can’t wait to be done with Spanish so that I have the afternoons to work in the villages around me. But I wont do much good until I know the language. until then…

Thursday night at church a sweet elderly woman came up to me and asked me to pray for her legs so I prayed with her and talked to her for a while (as best I could). She was very sweet but was in so much pain. Please pray for this woman and for God to show me what I can do to help her.

Friday night I had my first girls night out. Cynthia and I took a taxi down town and walked around, ate dinner, and went to a movie(English with subtitles). I am very thankful for a friend like her down here. We talked about our vision for helping children down here and I can’t wait to see some of our ideas play out. It was awesome.

-Just an FYI for people interested in visiting. I paid for a taxi downtown, two meals, two movie tickets, snacks, and a taxi back home for less than 15 dollars. Incredible.

This weekend has been very relaxed. Getting prepared for a month full of visitors.. Cleaning, groceries, etc. We also had a lot going on with the church.

Saturday morning I went to the beach to read for a couple hours.

Saturday night the power went out so Kim and I cooked by head-lamp-light AND we did not have water. It was an experience.

Today was a great day at church with our brothers and sisters. When it was over I got to rock the preacher’s infant son to sleep and I loved every minute of it. We then went to a member’s house to pray with her because she had something wrong with her leg. Please keep her in your prayers.

Another prayer request: one of the 3-year-old boys is dealing with sexual abuse. He has been profoundly affected by it. Please pray that this first year at school will give him and his family a chance to heal. Keep all of the children in your prayers. This is just the first week of school and these children come from some of the most poverty stricken areas of Leon.

I want to praise and thank God for all the wonderful things happening. I know this is going to be a year of so much amazing-ness. I am praying that I can share God’s unconditional love in everyday.

If you would like to get involved and help NCS in some way please let me know. Supporting one of these children only cost 30$ a month and it provides them with their uniform, school supplies, a good Christian education, and a nutritional meal every day. 

“He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.”

"The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved."

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14