Independence Day!

My pictures are a little mixed up, but here goes. Beverly's face pretty much says it all, how we felt at the end of the parade. There I am marching with my students. Some kinder and preporatoria students on their float protecting themselves from the hot sun. And with the busses in the background, we are practicing. this parade took up our lives the first month of school. The last two weeks we had half days so everyone could practice in the afternoons. But the kinder, prepas, and first graders didnt march so we didnt practice, which meant we tried to give class with the band practicing outside. Let's just say that I'm glad it's over. We have tomorrow and tuesday off. I'm so glad! We all need a break!

Then there's a picture of a spider taking a nap on my bed! He didn't get much rest once I got home and saw him.

There were actually three days of parades. Thursday the kinder schools marched, Friday the high schools, and Saturday the schools of mixed students, like ours. Theres some more pictures of us practicing, marching through mud, and of the parade crowd in front of the police station Friday. There's one picture of a Linca woman dressed in their typical bright colors and the hallmark of thier culture, the brightly colored checkered head scarf.

The school year is going well. I am looking forward to it. We have a full staff this year, better than last year in that we aren't short any teachers.

Mr. Ken is doing a lot better. Please continue to pray for him and beverly.

I am fighting a cold. please pray for me that it won't turn into bronchitis for the third time this year.

Blessings! Ephesians 6:10-17

September

September has been deemed ¨The Crazy Month¨just like that, straight from the mouth of the Principal herself. It´s Independence month, not just a day, here, so the whole town and country is all about that right now. Every afternoon from 3 till 4 the band practices, and Thur.and friday from 1.30 until 3 the whole school practices, except Preporatoria and First grades. this year we get to be on a float! This is new! So this coming thursday and friday we will mostly be practicing,not in classes, because the town parade is Saturday morning.
Yesterday was the Celebration for Dia del Nino, or Children´s Day, which is actually Sept. 10, but to celebrate on a Monday and then come back the next day is too difficult, so we had it Friday and went home at 12.30. The kids brought food, candy, coke, and played games after having a program where each class put on a skit, or sang a song. It was great this year because the high schoolers come and take over each class, having already planned activities and games, and brought candy-prizes. There was also a pinata for each class. That was crazy, for sure.
Each classroom has to put up a mural front and center, mandated by the government exactly how it has to be. A picture of a certain important male figure, like the equivelant of George Washington, in a certain place, and others like the country´s bird, flower, plant, etc. Each class can write the mandated phrase in whatever style they want, but that´s about the only variation. White and blue is everywhere!
My first grade class of challenges is getting better. the other teachers of first grade that teach the other classes are really great and have really good discipline, so that helps me a lot.

I am really excited for this year. I have already gotten the nod to start a saturday Bible study with the families that come to visit in the Alcoholic Rehab center, and also coming soon will be a woman´s group based on Rick Warren´s ¨Celebrating REcovery¨. The men already have started and it is going really well. Beto is in it and he has really grown spiritually and emotionally. It´s kind of like Promise Keepers, is my closest analogy, but they meet twice a week. So us ladies are going to start one soon for us, too.
God is so good and is showing me His love everyday. The other day on the school buss ride home I got the opportunity to talk some to a fellow teacher. She unexpectedly began to pour out some of her heart to me, her struggles with depression and the financial and family problems she´s having. She began to cry and I felt God using me to comfort her if jsut a little bit. I was able, the next day, to loan her Barbara johnson´s ¨Finding Joy in the Cesspools of Life.¨ I pray God will speak to her through it and that she will be drawn to Him. Please pray for her and for more opportunities like this one with her and others.

May you feel God´s immense love for you today!

The Felix

Here in La Esperanza we´ve had a lot of rain, but if I didn´t know about Felix I would think it´s normal. Supposedly the hurricane is heading our way tonight and tomorrow. We havn´t cancelled school yet but they said today that if it rains all day tomorrow then the busses probably won´t be able to get up the hill on thursday. So far we are all right. We are at a high elevation, bout 5,400 feet or so. Please pray for the rest of Central America.

School is getting better. Getting in to a routine. My students in First grade A are challenging in their behavior but are getting a little better, or I´m just gettting used to it.

Mr. Ken is still very sick with horrible back pain. He and Beverly havn´t slept much in the last 2 weeks. His Hep. A is pretty much gone but he´s got lower back pain they don´t know what to do with. The treatment is unknown, as is the root problem, and they aren´t sure how they would pay for whatever he may need. He can´t take meds for about one month because of the Hep. A. Please pray for them. Beto and I went up 2 times and prayed, read scripture, and laid hands on him. Another day our pastor and Beto went up to pray for about 20 minutes, and after the pastor left, Beto stayed another hour or so and prayed. That night and the next day, yesterday, he did really well. He slept good and didn´t have as much pain, but today Dr. Troy took him back to the hospital in the bigger city about an hour away. Please pray for them and for wisdom in this situation.