Semana Tres y Los Caballos

It’s the end of my third week here and I am even more in love.

I had a taste of what a “normal” week looks like. No work team. No visitors. No parties. Just a few normal school days.  It was a wonderful week! I am continually amazed at the amount of time I have on my hands here. I guess when you cut out drive time to and from school, preparing meals, and all that jazz, there is much more time to spare! It’s a beautiful thing to be able to take a walk down some steps, across a yard, through a kitchen, and up some more steps, and be at school in just a couple minutes. Sure beats the 30 minute drive (one way) I made for student teaching.--Our school schedule will be changing a bit this week. Our school is going to be accredited which means that our students will be able to take the test that public schools give during the year. However, we just got some of the books/curriculum for that and there is a test coming up in a couple weeks. Prayers that our kids would adjust to this new schedule well and work hard to cover what needs to get done as well as prayers for us teachers would be greatly appreciated during this time of transition!

It’s amazing how different life is here. I don’t mean in the ways you might be thinking: people speaking in Spanish, no toilet paper in the toilet or anything like that. I mean the simplicity of life. I feel like life in the States is so fast paced, high stress, and go, go, go! all the time, so it’s nice to have time to relax a bit, work out, read a book. I started reading a book when I got here and finished it last Monday! I can’t tell you the last time I’ve leisurely read a book…and I’ve already started another one. J This week, we also started up a new series for our ladies Bible study, which I am really looking forward to!

Wednesday, we celebrated (briefly) the students’ 100^th day of school. We had a few fun activities for the younger students to do in honor of the special day. They each painted 100 dots (of paint) with Qtips onto a paper and they also were able to decorate a little crown that said “100 days smarter!” They wore their crowns around all day and I even had a few kids wearing them on Thursday just for fun! :) You can check out a few pictures of these crafts at the end of this post!

Friday, we did not have a normal day of school. Friday ended up being our Saturday, a day for planning school for the next week, and Saturday (today) ended up being our Friday in the form of a field trip to the city. I really didn’t know what to expect. All I heard about this trip was that there would be horses from all over the world and we would all get to wear out matching red shirts!

The trip itself wasn’t too eventful. Almost half of the kids are sick and did not come with us—Prayers that they would be feeling better would be greatly appreciated! At least one member of the family has been sick all week and it just keeps getting passed from person to person.—We got to see lots of beautiful horses from all of the world, watched a few ‘competitions’ if you can call them that, saw the worlds fattest cow (at least the biggest one I’ve ever seen), and watch some horses ‘dance.’ The kids were exhausted afterwards and we stopped by Costco to get some pizza for lunch (at 4) before we left the city and headed home. Check out some fun pictures from the trip below!

100th day dots

100th day dots

100 days smarter!

Me with my buddy at the horse expo. She's such a cutie!

We got a group picture with what some kids called the "camel cow"!

He's HUGE...and has a hump?!

This is the main site where we watched the horses dance. There were horses lined up all around the ring and one at a time came up on the platform and danced while a band played music for them.

Dancing away...

Unas Fotos

I forgot my camera on some of our adventures this week, so I snagged some pictures from Amber...Enjoy!
& thank you Amber! :)

Kid's Club Speaking

Games at Kid's Club

5 kittens were born this week

The kids with their Valentine's Day bears/animals

Playing some baseball in the park.

Getting ready to play volleyball!

Playdough time :) Where my lack of creativity is viewed as brilliance!

La Segunda Semana

This week as been a pretty eventful one. I posted an update about the busyness of Monday, but the craziness didn’t end there!

Tuesday we had a normal day of school, but after school we hosted kids club. It was a really fun afternoon/evening and I think the total count of kids who came was around 80! I was forced to use my Spanish, but that I was actually excited about that! Brought me back to my high school days when I went to Torreon, Mexico and helped with VBS there a couple of summers.

The LA team was a big help with preparation, set up and everything! They got the snack ready, the craft ready, helped with the games, provided the speaker, and supplied the kids with lots (and I mean lots) of necklaces! :) We played while kids arrived and just talked to them, then the games began. We divided up big kids and little kids for the games and I helped with the little ones where I enjoyed some duck, duck, goose and Simon says (Spanish versions, of course). Then the kids took turns doing a little craft that the team provided before a little Bible trivia and the speaker. The pastor of the LA team spoke with the kids about how God is our shepherd and we are his sheep. After the brief talk, dinner was provided for all of the kids and after dinner, the kids slowly trickled out of the yard and back to their homes.

Wednesday things were a little closer to normal. The team left later in the morning and things seemed to settle down a bit around the house, but felt a little empty (if that’s even possible with 25 of us still here). The team got a lot of work done in their short time here which is amazing! I walked to my room one morning during a break and had to jump over a trench right before the steps up to my room, but when school got out at 3:30, I walked over to the room and it was like there was never a trench there in the first place…But don’t worry, I didn’t imagine it! There are now sewer pipes in place for the future school rooms (hence the need to dig trenches)! :)

Thursday was a unique day as well. We had our compliment party that the students earned in combination with El día del amor y la Amistad. We spent our morning doing lots of fun activities: had our morning message on the roof, played games (all sorts), decorated heart shaped cookies and ate them afterwards, color by number, played valentine’s bingo, and we even took the kids on a walk to the park where we played baseball for a bit and volleyball for a bit (as we have been learning about those sports in P.E.). Those were just some, not all of our fun activities for the day, but needless to say, it was a great morning! After lunch, our afternoon was pretty much our typical rest of the day. I’ll post some pictures from our party below.

Friday was the first day in a long time (I’ve only been here two weeks, but things have been busy right from the start) that we had a normal day. We made it through a whole regular day of school and I must say, though I love all of the fun days, it was nice to have a routine and schedule that seemed more familiar. I’m looking forward to next week’s lack of uniqueness—in the sense that I’m ready for some structure and consistency.

With every day that passes, I am confident and reassured that I am right where God wants me to be! And that is a wonderful feeling!

Decorating cookies

Decorating cookies...

color by number

A little math so we can color by number!

Playing with playdough!

playdough fun!

Un Día Loco

Today has been a slightly crazy, abnormal day.

Our Monday morning started by waking up extra early for a drive into the city…with (just about) all of our students. One driver. Three teachers. Twelve students. It was quite the morning.

Our school is now accredited which means that our students are able to take standardized tests and such, which is wonderful, but also comes with a few inconveniences. We have to participate in what are called “flag days” through our sister school (the school we are reporting to in order to help with our accreditation). For these days, we travel a little over an hour to the church we attend on Sundays where the school, Cornerstone, is housed. The flag ceremony lasted all of 15 minutes and then was over.

It wouldn’t be such a bad thing in and of itself, but when you have to wake up 12 tired children ages 4-11 extra early, load them in a van for a long drive to and from the city, and still have some school when you get back, it makes for a long day. However, we were able to make it a fun trip to the city because after attending the flag ceremony, we took the kids out to breakfast at Applebee’s!—Yes, breakfast at Applebee’s.—It was such a treat as I don’t think any of the kids with us had ever been to Applebee’s before! Each adult took three kids and we enjoyed our breakfasts small group style! Everyone at my table ordered something different and the kids all enjoyed getting to order their own meals.

Amber and Jenny were both able to talk to some of the waitresses we had and share a bit about what we do and why we do it. It was amazing to hear about their opportunity to be a “light in the world” after we had just had a talk in the van with our kids about that before going inside the restaurant. When we finished eating, our waitresses and other workers asked to get a picture with us. (Check it out below!) It was such a fun experience for the kids that turned into a great learning opportunity as well…Plus, it made our early morning worth it!

When we got back home, we went on with what was left of our morning as usual and then after lunch let the little kids nap and only brought up the older children for a revised afternoon schedule. We also got a school picture with all of the teachers and the kids that I’ll post below as well.

Thursday will be a bit of a different school day as well…I’ll be sure to give you the details on that after the fact! It’ll be a mix of a compliment party that the students earned and a Valentine’s Day celebration. I am pretty excited about it and I know the students are too! J

Another surprise of the day: I found out after school that one of the cats here gave birth to five kittens! I was not present to watch the miracle of the births, but the LA team documented it well, so I hear. However, I am quite content to just look at the kittens as they are now and not take a stroll into the past and see all the details J

I didn’t intend to post this close together, but I guess when there are things to tell, I’ll share them…

Me and the boys

Us and the Applebee's workers :)

School picture on the roof

Another school picture in the classroom :)

La Vida Mexicana

Well, I have had quite the first week here in Mexico! As I said, I am loving it here and I cannot wait to see what the next four months have in store.

The team from Louisiana arrived safely yesterday afternoon, so our room is now full—at complete maximum capacity. It’s been fun to get to know them a little bit, but hard to keep track of each of them. I’ve been overloaded with meeting so many new people and learning so many names, stories, and such this week that it is a bit of a challenge to remember all of the names of the people on the team.

Friday night, we were able to join the team as they went to Aguas Calientes (a nearby village) for dinner at a little—and I mean little—restaurant. It was like a vending booth at a carnival. There were two ladies behind the counter making food for our group of 20 some plus other families who happened to stop by that night while we were there. I can’t remember the actual name, but everybody calls it Tortas. They have the best chocolate milk I’ve ever tasted! I’m sure I’ll be back there in the next few months and hopefully then I’ll remember my camera to give you all a better, actual, picture of it.

Yesterday was a pretty relaxing day. We were able to sleep in a bit, then got started on our day. I was able to hang out with the little kids for awhile and spend some precious time with one of the youngest who left us this afternoon as she was adopted. She was going to be one of my 3 year old preschoolers starting this week, but now I’ll just have one (which might be a good thing for me and the little guy I’ll have)! J I will miss her dearly, but I am so grateful for the one week I was able to spend with her and I know she’s in God’s hands! After watching the kids for a while, I headed up to the school to do some lesson planning for next week!

Today (Sunday), Jenny and I are home watching the “babies,” the four youngest kids, as there was just not enough room in all of the vehicles to get everyone to church with the team here and all.

I thought I would finally put a couple pictures on this post to give you a better idea of where I am living and working. Enjoy!

[A couple sunset pictures over the mountains from my first night in Camichines ]

[This is the building the school is in. The first floor is the house and the second floor (the windows you see) are where the school is currently.]

 [A peek inside the classroom. There are 9 desks for the older kids and a table in the back in front of the bookshelves where the younger kids bring their chairs for whole class time at the beginning of the day.]

 [This table is on the back side of the bookshelves (above) and is where the kindergarten students do the majority of their work]

 [This is the roof of the school. It has a beautiful view of the whole village!]

[This is the building across from the Acosta house/school where I sleep. We live in the second story where the two windows are on the right]

 

[This is where I sleep at night...for now. This pictures just shows a few of the beds in our room. There are a LOT more.]

 [Last night's sunset :) ]

La Primera Semana

Well, I had a wonderful first day at the school on Monday! I mostly observed to see how the day works and get to know the kids a bit better, but I was able to teach some literacy blocks,which was fun! The kids are so sweet and I absolutely love the set up and working with small groups all day long!!

Starting Tuesday, I took on most of my daily schedule with the exception of a few things that will be starting next Monday. With so many changes going on at once, we decided that it would be best for me and the students to ease into things a bit. Next week, I’ll be in the full swing of things and add in teaching the two 3 year olds, helping with 4^th/5^th grade math, and teaching five kindergarteners P.E. a couple days a week.

I absolutely LOVE it here! Things are going well and my transition has been quite smooth! Amber and Jenny, the children, the whole Acosta family, and all of the other current volunteers here at Ranchito con Esperanza have made me feel so welcome and appreciated. I know that the next four months are going to be amazing!

Tomorrow, a team of 18 people will be arriving to help with various projects around “campus.” Amber, Jenny and I have been getting our room ready to share with the girls on the incoming team. We made lots of beds last night and have some cleaning to do this afternoon in preparation.

I hope to post a more detailed update this weekend…and maybe include some pictures as well! J

I Made It

Well, I’ve made it to Camichines safely. Thank you for all of your prayers! It was a bit of an adventure in the airport though…

My flight out of Grand Rapids ended up being very delayed and instead of only running 40 behind schedule, we didn’t leave until 2 hours after the initially scheduled departure time. That’s where things got interesting…My layover in Dallas was only 1 hour and 55 minutes long, so I was praying for some sort of a miracle to get there on time!

We made great time to Dallas and when the plane landed, I still had 18 minutes to catch my flight! By the time I had gotten off the plane and retrieved the suitcase at the gate, I had ten minutes to reach my next gate. I was in terminal B and had to get to terminal D. I quick hopped on the tram to get from one terminal to another the ran like the wind! I lugged my suitcase up and down escalators weaving by all of the people who were not running late for their flights in an effort to not miss my own. Then I saw it…The sign that said D 40 and I kept on running. As I arrived at the gate, my watch said “5:00.” That was the exact time of scheduled departure. The attendant at the gate asked my name and said he was calling me right then to see where I was. I showed him my boarding pass and passport and he had me run all the way through the gate…it was a long gate. I arrived right before the flight attendants were about to close the door. I made the walk of shame to seat 14D as everyone else on the plane glared at me like “you’re the one we had to wait for.” But at that point, I was okay wait making that walk of shame, sweating bullets and all because by some miracle, I made it on the plane!

Since that close call in the airport, my trip has been quite smooth! I arrived at the airport and made it through customs smoothly and all of my luggage came too! Amber and Jenny greeted me at the airport along with a pastor of the church I will be attending while staying here. We picked up some tacos (the most amazing tacos I’ve ever had!!) and brought them back to his house where he and his wife were kind enough to let us stay. We ate dinner together, talked for a bit, then went to bed.

This morning, we were able to sleep in a little bit and relax before heading to church. We attended the Spanish speaking service, which was wonderful. I love Spanish worship and, to my surprise, actually understood most of what the pastor said. One of the biggest surprises was that all of the children from the home had come to attend church there as well, so I was able to meet them all then! It was a bit overwhelming, but I think I already have some names down! J We drove over to Camichines after church and ate lunch. Not too long after that, I was able to get all unpacked and settled in. I even got to catch the sunset behind the mountains from the roof.

I am so excited for my first day of school tomorrow! I got a little tour of the “campus” today, but I’m excited to see everything and everyone in action. Ranchito con Esperanza is doing amazing things for some wonderful children and I am so happy that I get to be a part of their ministry!

Mexico

Yes, I decided to move to Mexico for the next four months.

For some of you, this might come as a surprise, but for others, you've heard a little more about it and aren't too taken back by the previous statement. Before I begin telling you all about the wonderful adventures and experiences I am now a part of, I’d like to tell you how it all began (for me).

Over Christmas break, God was at work! Two wonderful ladies from my church (Amber and Jenny) were home for Christmas to spend time with their families and talked to a group of women in a Sunday school class who had been praying for their ministry in Camichines, Mexico. They are both teachers. Long story (semi) short, they asked the women to pray for God to bring them an intern for the next semester as the one who was there in the fall had finished and there was now a vacancy. Well, one of the ladies in the group knew I was finishing my student teaching and spoke some Spanish, so she told my parents that I needed to talk to Amber and Jenny while they were home.

I set up a meeting with Amber and Jenny for later in the week, just a couple days after Christmas. They told me all about their ministry, the school, and showed me pictures and videos of the children they serve. I fell in love! But at that point I still hadn’t made a decision. I told them I would be thinking and praying about it and would let them know.

A couple days later I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending the PASSION 2013 Conference. Through the speakers, the worship, and community group chats, God was working in me and showing me His will for my life (for the next four months at least). In both the main sessions and community group times, we were reminded of this passage from Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!” I began to understand that the thing really holding me back from this incredible opportunity was finances and I knew that wasn’t reason enough.

When I got home, I continued praying about it, but eventually came to the realization that the choice was clear. I was supposed to go to Mexico! I talked with my parents and emailed Amber and Jenny that same night letting them know I was coming!

My greatest concern was not for things like my safety or my Spanish knowledge, but finances. I was just finishing student teaching and essentially had no money to cover the potential cost of the trip. God was looking out for me! I trusted that He is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine and He certainly did! I received full support within one week of making my decision to go teach in Mexico for the rest of the semester.

I am so excited to see what God has in store for me over the next four months here in Camichines! I look forward to keeping you all updated and a part of my experience.