FREE DAY!

Not for me... for my students :) I have a sticker chart and each day that a class comes to PE they have a chance to get a sticker that will earn them a free day. Today two of my classes had earned a free day. Some students do the typical: boys play soccer, girls jump rope... but then there's the students that I'd love to peer inside their minds and watch the creativity working! In the second grade class, two of the girls took the agility hurdles, cones, and batons, and created an obstacle course that looked like a colorful Chinese dragon! In my third grade class, there was a group of 5-6 girls also made a race course. They laid out over 25 hula hoops to run through, hurdles to jump over, then a space where they ran and jumped rope using the rope they carried through the first part of the course. At some point they were going to add badminton racquets in it but they ran out of time.

I think that we can all learn something from children. As I was walking my Pre-K class to the field yesterday they all started erupting in laughter! The teacher side of me wanted to quiet them down, tell them that they had to be quiet in lines and respectful of the other classes and offices that we were walking past... the kid side of me won :) I started laughing right along with them. I don't even remember what they were laughing at anymore, I just remember thinking as they laughed the rest of the way down to the field, that we don't laugh enough.

The Lord is teaching me true joy right now. Not fleeting smiles that come because of circumstances, but deep down, soul-stirring joy that comes from experiencing the Lord every day. I see the Lord revealing himself to me through the children that I teach. There will always be times when I'm frustrated with behavior or upset at them being mean to each other, but when it comes down to it, when I sit back and reflect, it's the moments of laughter that stick with me. It's the moments of laughter that I will always remember.

Today, don't just smile... Laugh. Laugh a deep belly-shaking, eyes-watering laugh, and praise God for the joy he gives.

God bless!

Futbolito

Saturday was fantastic! Pinares hosted an all day soccer event. On the field outside, the high school teams played against parents, teachers, and alumni. Meanwhile, in the gym, the elementary students played futbolito. Miss Karla, the other PE teacher and I, were in charge of running the games inside. Each grade had played for about 45 minutes on the court. Games started at 8:30am and the last high school game got done at 5! It was so much fun to watch and to play! When I wasn't refereeing, I was playing in the games outside. It was a beautiful day and everyone enjoyed it!
4th Grade girls showing some team spirit!

The Juvenile (11th-12th grade) team vs. Alumni and teachers.

Future superstar goalie.

Pre-K and Kinder action.

Second grade stars!

Volleyball Game!

We had our first game of the season tonight against the International School! It was so good to finally play against another school! I think it'll give the girls more motivation and excitement for practice as well. We lost but it was a pretty good match up. Due to time, we had to shorten the games: 12-21, 18-21, 4-11. So, we didn't do so well the last game, and they went on a run on us the first, but overall the girls had fun and learned a lot too!

Good night and God bless!

Breaking Chains

Sunday I had the amazing opportunity to go to a worship service at a homeless shelter across town. We sat down to worship with a mix and match of people... from young people addicted to glue, to adults who lived under bridges. For the service, we sang some songs a cappella, read and received a message from Psalm 68:6, "God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land," and took communion. After the service, we made bologna sandwiches, 2 per person.

I had the opportunity to talk to a few of the people when I was there. One of the girls was crying and laughing at the same time during the service. When I went over to talk to her, she only asked when we were having the meal. I explained that first we were going to worship, then have communion, and after we would eat. At that point she decided not to stick around, picked up her glue bottle from the box at the door and walked out. It saddened my heart to see her go. Another person I talked to was Oscar (top picture, far left). He was sitting eating his sandwich and I noticed that one of his feet was wrapped up and half missing. He told me that in September his foot had been run over by a car. I couldn't help but imagine what I would do in that case... go to a doctor, have surgery, and hopefully 5 months later be able to be off crutches... but what if I had no means for medical care?

My heart reaches out for all of these people. Please join me in praying for them, that their hearts may be opened to the gospel through the ministry being done. If you'd like to see more, you can go to amberinhonduras.blogspot.com. Amber is the one who runs the homeless ministry.

Thank you for your prayers! God bless!

Valentine's Day away from my Valentine

People have asked me if it was hard to have Valentine's Day apart from Jared. And obviously, yes. It would have been great to spend the day with him, go on a date together... instead we sat there, each looking at a computer screen, thankful for technology, yet frustrated at its limitations. But in all reality, yesterday wasn't any harder than every other day... every other day when we show our love for each other without being face to face. I was even blessed by Jared sending a beautiful bouquet of flowers to my office for Valentine's Day! A wonderful surprise that lit up my day!

We appreciate your prayers for us as we make this journey together. There's so many things going on in each others lives that are difficult to understand because of the distance. Please pray that we may continue to learn how to communicate and understand each other through humility and gentleness.

Before you go, I have a second request: if you love someone, give them a great big bear hug... maybe two... or three... and look into their eyes and tell them you love them... because some things you won't realize how much you'll miss until it's not there anymore. And on those days when you miss them the most, you can remember the bear hug and it puts a smile on your face.

This is Love...

What a day! It's a color day today, meaning that students can wear clothes other than their uniforms and teachers can wear jeans. There's going to be Valentine's day parties at the end of the day and students are already high energy!

As I was thinking about today and what it signifies, the first thing that came to my mind was John 3:16, "For God so LOVED the world..." It's true. What greater love is there than giving your son to die so that others may be saved. It's a love that we can only try to attain fully, yet this is the love that God gives to those who believe in Christ. We don't have to DO anything! Even when we fail to love and fail to obey over and over again, God gives us his grace.

The second passage that came to mind was 1Corinthians 13. I've read this so many times, yet when I think about the way that I love, I can't help but realize how incomplete my love is... Here are my reflections in applying each of these characteristics of love to my life... I encourage you to do the same.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (ESV)
Love is patient... when the students don't listen.
Love is kind... when my friend is hurting.
Love does not envy... when I see people recently married.
Love does not boast... when others praise my work abroad, for it is only by the Lord.
Love is not arrogant... when I make a good loaf of bread.
Love is not rude... when someone takes more time than I have to tell me a story.
Love does not insist on its own way... instead of listening completely to another persons ideas.
Love is not irritable... when I haven't had much sleep.
Love is not resentful... when I don't have a car to drive and have to depend on public transportation or getting a ride with friends.
Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing... when I fail to prepare for a lesson.
Love rejoices with the truth... when a student understands what it means to share.
Love bears all things... when wedding planning becomes stressful.
Love believes all things... that despite cultural and socio-economic differences, I can build meaningful relationships with the people here.
Love hopes all things... that God can use me in powerful ways through my weaknesses.
Love endures all things... the loneliness of being miles away from those I love.
Love never ends... even when the school day's over.


I pray that I may love you all with the TRUE love of Christ.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Fresh Baked Bread and Fruit Smoothies

So, I've had some time to bake lately and this week made two great loaves of bread. The first one was a braided cinnamon bread with brown sugar on the top. The second was a whole wheat bread with flax seeds. Both super yummy, if I might say so myself :)







When the weather is warm and the fruit is fresh, who can't help but make a smoothie! We've had some really nice weather here the past few weeks and sometimes a smoothie just hits the spot. My two favorites are: pineapple, banana, coconut, and wheat germ with yogurt and orange juice or the one you see here. This one's made with strawberries, mora berries, blueberries, banana, strawberry yogurt, orange juice, and wheat germ. Absolutely delicious!

If anyone wants some bread or a smoothie, I'll make it for them anytime :)