Grief and Miracles

Two Thursdays ago (9/16), I found out that one of my students' (*Juan) houses had been broken into and his dad had been shot in the head three times, while the mother and sons (10 and 6 years old) watched. The family rushed him to the hospital but had to weave their way around Independence Day parades; the father and mother prayed the entire time. Through this week, I have heard *Juan tell me of some incredible miracles.

Miracle #1: The father survived the initial gun shot wounds.
Miracle #2: They made it to the hospital safely, and the doctors were able to take care of him right away.
Miracle #3: The head neurologist was on duty that night they needed to transfer the father to a different hospital.
Miracle #4: They were able to successfully remove one of the two bullets from his brain.
Miracle #5: His heart was still beating.

Every morning, we have prayed as a class for Juan and his family. Surprisingly, Juan and his brother have been at school every day since the incident. Until today.
The kindergarten teacher came by my classroom early this morning, letting me know that Juan's little brother was not at school today either. We took a minute to silently pray and then went on with our respective classes. Later, the principal pulls me aside and delivers the news: Juan's father went to be with Jesus earlier this morning.
It was hard to hear. Juan had just told me yesterday that they expected his father to be able to come home on Thursday. What he must be feeling right now, I couldn't even imagine.

My class and another 4th grade class made sympathy cards and prayed for comfort for Juan and his family. But to breach a gaping hole in a child's life, is only a job that God can do. Continue to pray that God uses this tragedy for his glory, bringing others to come to know him and strengthening Juan's family in their faith and trust.

Pray especially:
*for comfort and peace for Juan's family
*for wisdom for dealing with finances/transition to a new home and decision making
*that Juan's extended family will come to know Christ through the father's testimony
*Juan/his brother as they return to school and try to carry on with "normal" lives, even though this dramatic event has altered theirs forever.
*for wisdom for me as I minister and speak with Juan and his family

I shared this verse with my students the other day and I continue to pray it every morning:
John 14:27: "Peace I give you. My peace I leave with you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Some Videos

Ziplining and Sunrise

Sunrise over Ceiba's beach.God is so faithful!
Funny story: The guide was taking a picture instead of telling Sarah to slow down near the platform. She came hurtling towards us and I ducked out of the way just in time, or so I thought. She crash landed and ended up kicking me into the tree; here I am pointing to a bolt that went into my back. Everyone was fine; and we all had a good laugh.
To hike up to the hot springs, we trekked up a wooden step bridge. Beautiful!
Here I am!

Ceiba!

International School had a 5 day weekend in celebration of Honduras' Independence Day (9/15) and I joined 23 other teachers/staff in venturing to Ceiba, located in the north, along the coast (a gateway city to Roatan). It's about a 7 hour drive north of Tegucigalpa, and the ride was worth every minute.

Here are some highlights:
*Driving out at 4am, watching the sun rise over the Honduras countryside.
*Passing through towns celebrating Independence Day. Our bus ended up in the middle of a parade of local school children. They all started shouting, "Gringos!" and pointing at our bus. We waved back and shortly became a feature of the street parade.



*Arriving at Hotel Helens and sprinting down to the beach, ecstatic. We stayed in beautiful cabins tucked into the lush canopy of Ceiba's shoreline jungle.
*Enjoying ceviche at the hotel restaurant, overlooking the ocean.
*Laying in the outdoor hammocks and finally finding time to read.



**Taking a boat out to Cayos Cachinos and snorkeling for the first time ever!
We could see brain coral, colorful fish, conch shells, and even starfish!
*Learning about the Garifuna culture (a different side of Honduras)
*Getting to know the other teachers more : )













**Then taking a safari truck up the mountain and going ziplining for my first time! The views were breathtaking, and the trip across the rainforest canopy was beyond thrilling.

**After ziplining, heading back up the hill and relaxing in the hot springs and cold springs underneath scenic waterfalls. Being served a plate of fresh pineapple and given a mud bath, before sinking again into the warm water.

*The last day, some of us got up early and watched the sunrise from the beach. A perfect finale to our time away.

*Good time had by all!

Dia de Los Niños

Friday (9/10) was Children's Day; so the second half of the day was taken up by an assembly put on by Palabra de Vida Honduras (Word of Life). We were left with a half hour at the end of the day, and when we returned to the classroom, the kids were full of excitement. We played Heads Up Seven Up, and then I pulled out my camera to take some class pictures. As soon the kids saw my camera, they began chanting "Tribulca, tribulca" over and over again. I racked my mind for what this word meant, and, puzzled, asked the kids to show me what they meant. A few boys started piling on top of one another, like a flattened pyramid, and I said "Let's do a half tribulca." Then had the students stand in the traditional photo taking pose of some standing, some kneeling, and some sitting. They really enjoyed it.



These are my students' lima bean and pinto bean plants, growing in our Science corner by the window. One of my students shows off his plant
below.

Birthday Wishes

On the morning of my birthday (9/12), I tore open my stack of birthday cards. Wow! Thank you to everyone for your encouraging birthday wishes and especially for your prayer!

I had a full birthday weekend, with Friday night celebrating with two Canadian teachers whose b-days were earlier that week. Saturday night my housemates organized a birthday dinner at a traditional open-air Honduran restaurant. And Sunday, after church, a bunch of us headed over to an amazing pizza place, called La Albahaca, enjoying special fellowship and Italian food. Afterwards, we headed over to the IST poli (outdoor gym) for an ultimate frisbee tournament. It was an incredibly special birthday weekend!

Raining Jello

So today I get pulled aside by the 4th grade teacher a floor below me.
"One of your students has been throwing jello off the balcony."
Okay...if heads stuck in chairs and pencils jabbed into mouths (long story; thankfully I wasn't in charge at the time and the student healed fine) aren't enough, now I have flying jello.

Finding the culprit, I made him clean up the red, splattered mess and apologize to the maid who cleans that floor. Innocently, he explained that he was just trying to dump the liquid out of his jello cup, but instead his entire snack had slipped out and ended up on the concrete floor below. I questioned what was really going through this kid's head.

After he threw away the now cherry-flavored paper towel wads and returned to Recess, I went into the other 4th grade teachers' room and we just burst out laughing. The humor of the situation was unbearable. To see a jello cup suddenly come raining down from above and her students asking, "What's that?" And then, to think that my student thought it was a good idea to pour the liquid jello off the balcony..What on earth?!

Top this day off with a lightning storm and the electricity going out, and you've got a picture of my third week teaching in Tegucigalpa.

Like I said, when teaching 4th grade in Honduras, every day is an adventure. I'm learning to rely on God's wisdom and praying for His care over my students. Prayers MUCH appreciated :)

Flowers

My housemates and I decided to plant flowers in our front porch area. They are growing beautifully, and their buds greet us as we come home every day. It is somewhat ironic, because I am currently teaching a Plants Unit, and here we are growing plants at the Green House. Love it!

MAIL!!

Last Thursday (9/2), I walked by the main office to sign out for the day, and there on the secretary's desk was a PILE of mail for me! I was beaming from ear to ear all afternoon : )
Thank you so much to the following people whose letters I received (the latest one postmarked 8/23, so not bad timing!):

Sue Hazen
Mr. and Mrs. Mattison
My parents : )

Scott and Nancy Mellum
Joy Anderson
Erika Olson
Anne Diaz
Evan Diaz
Peter and Julie Diaz
Jordan Reese
Allison Doornik
The Sadowskis
and 8 more!

It was so special to receive letters from you!
I'm waiting to open them until my birthday on Sunday.
But every time I see them on my desk, I am so encouraged! Thanks for brightening my week : )

Flag Day (continued)

The boy and girl in the back left holding the flag are my students--so proud!

The ceremonial raising of the flag.

The parade of 4-5th graders

Flag Day kicked off September, a very special month in Honduras! Watch the video to hear the Honduran anthem; the kids started singing when it got to the refrain : )

Flag Day 9/1/10

This is one of my students waving a Honduran flag on Flag Day.
The students paraded up the campus trail following Honduran army members and waving flags to show national pride and patriotism.
What an experience!
*Some students carried Honduras' special World Cup flag.

*More of my students, waiting for the ceremony to start.

*Two of my students had the honor of carrying the Honduran flag which would go on the school flagpole.

Honduran Dancing

This took me awhile to post. This is traditional Honduran dancing performed by some of the Honduran teachers and staff from the school. I'll get to see the 6th graders do the dance on Dia de Catracha(?) in early October; a special Saturday holiday that celebrates everything Honduran. September is the month of Honduras' independence, so there are many holidays scattered throughout. Dia de Nino (children's day), Dia de Maestro (teacher's day), and Independence day weekend (no school the 15th-19th-Going to Ceiba!!). Me encanta Septiembre!