End of the Semester

I can't believe that the end of the semester is here. It seems like we just started school a few weeks ago. This week we have all kinds of fun things planned. On Monday we are having a Christmas Party for the whole elementary. We are going to have games, crafts and snacks for them in the morning. After lunch we are watching Christmas movies and having hot chocolate. It sound be a fun day. On Tuesday we have graduation practice and then just play time. Wednesday is graduation for two of our 12th graders. In Honduras their schedule runs differently than in the states so we have graduations two times a year-May and November. The graduation in May is for the kindergarten and missionary kids.

This past semester has been one of the best I have experienced. So many things have happened both good and bad. I feel like I have built strong relationships with the other single teachers and the kids. I am looking forward to what the next semester holds.

On a very exciting note we are going on VACATION. We are leaving the day after Thanksgiving for an island of the coast of Honduras. I am excited about getting away for a few days.

I will be home from December 18-31. I am excited to get to see everyone and spend Christmas with my family.

Thanks for your prayers and support! I could never be here without my supporters back home!

This is a picture of my boys and I. It is our Christmas picture. The first one is a more serious one and the second one is a more real representation of our class. Enjoy!

Ranch Kids

Here is a picture of all our kids at the ranch. We took it the other day before school. Enjoy!

Stuck in the Mud

Saturday started out like any other day. Three other singles and myself were going to visit a family that used to work at the ranch. We left at around 9:00 not really knowing what was in store for us. We live at the top of a mountain and the only road is a very poor dirt road. Well we are right in the middle of rainy season so the dirt becomes mud. We knew that it would be a challenge getting down but we decided to go anyway. The way down was good with no problems because we were going down. We made it off the mountain road and onto the good paved road. We met the family at the bottom of the hill where they live. Their road seemed to be in worse shape than our road if that is even possible. We had lunch and then went to visit the ministry they work at. The building was very nice by Honduran standards and there were lots of kids. They do Saturday discipleship classes for the children in the community. I really enjoyed being around the children that live in a community. It was a nice day with lots of rain. All the rain made us a little nervous because we knew what we had to go back through. We left their house around 6:00 which is about the time it starts getting very dark here. There are three different roads that we have to go on once we turn off the main paved road. One is paved but the potholes are so big that it makes it impossible to drive normally. Then we go on a gravel road. When I first came this road was horrible. Well about 3 weeks after I got here they fixed the road and it was much better. We referred to it as the “highway”. However with all the rain we have been getting the road is back in almost the same shape it was before they fixed it. Also on the that road there is a river that we must cross and when we have too much rain it gets too high for us to cross. Fortunately for us it was not too high so we made it through that with no problem. We make it to our road that leads to the ranch. Now this road is climbing up a mountain and it is just dirt. This was the road we were most worried about. We start making our way up and there is a bus in front of us. In Honduras, they use school buses as public transportation. That is what was in front of us. They go slow in flat smooth roads so you can just imagine how slow they go on our road when it is not muddy. There were two large spots of mud that we didn’t think we could make much less the bus. The bus gets to the first spot and stops. We go around the bus and make it almost through and get stuck. So we decide to put it in reverse and try again. Well the bus was still in our way so we could not back up to far. We tried for a second time and get almost out and get stuck again. This time the bus has moved so we can go back farther and get a faster start. This was our plan and if that didn’t work then we were going to push. On the third try we were successful! We made it through the mud and didn’t have to push. We now think that we can make it to the ranch with no problem because we thought that was the worst of the mud. We are driving along no problems until we come up on another patch of mud that was not near as bad as the other one. Well we didn’t have enough speed and we get stuck again. So what do we do we back up and try again. This time did not work either. We were afraid to really keep trying to much because the engine was not sounding so good and lets face it the Trooper is not really able to handle things like that. Jason and I get out to push the trooper out of the mud. It works great for a little while and then we just start digging deeper ruts. At this point several Honduran men walked up to help is push. They tell us to back the trooper all the way back down before the mud and get speed and we should make it with no problem. They also tell us that we need weight in the back. Well I was just about to hop in when two of the men jump in front of me. So I am helping with the pushing again. Abby is driving the trooper and she takes off going fast and doesn’t need us to push anymore. The trooper makes it through the mud this time and I now have to walk in the pitch black dark through this muddy spot. I am slipping and sliding and my legs are completely covered in mud. Right about this time another truck comes flying up the hill and I see it and hear Jason scream truck coming. I try to find the ditch without breaking anything on my body. I get back to the trooper and we did make it to the ranch in one piece. It was a very interesting night to say this least. After this experience we had none of the houses were allowed to go to church on Sunday. We had a ranch wide service on Sunday instead. We are only supposed to get more rain which could affect if our Honduran teachers can get here from the city. It will be a very interesting week around here.

Chicken Pox

For the last four weeks at the ranch our kids have had the chicken pox. It started with our pre-k kids, then it spread to the Kindergarten and 1st grade. This week it has made its way to the upper grades. Both of my third graders have it along with the 2 fourth graders and 1 sixth grader. We thought that they already had them but I guess we were wrong. I asked Favio the other day if he had ever had chicken pox. He told me he had not but that he had squares. I was not sure what that was until he drew me a picture on the board of a little boy with squares all over his body. I guess that squares is not the same as chicken pox.

Please pray for our kids that have the chicken pox and the Honduran teachers who have not had them that they will not get them. Thank the Lord that I have already had them :)

For Such a Time as This

I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. Sorry about that. Things seem to be getting busier around here and I find myself spending less time on the computer. Lately we have been covering houses. We go to the houses at around 6:00 and stay until the next morning. It is fun to be with the kids outside of school. School is still going strong. I can't believe that we are half way through the semester. We get out the day before Thanksgiving and do not come back until mid-January. It doesn't seem that I have been here for 2 months. Last Wednesday, Mr. Terry Parks came over from Nicaragua to visit for the afternoon. I had a wonderful time with him. It was a nice piece of home.
I was thinking the other day how God placed me here in his perfect timing. I am thankful that I was able to teach in the states for 3 years before coming here. I love teaching here. I know that God has placed me here for such a time as this. I feel so at peace here. Thank you so much for your support.

Día de la Independencia de Honduras

Monday is Honduras Independence Day! We will be out of school to celebrate and also out on Tuesday for Day of the teacher. Friday we had a program for Independence Day. Each class gave a presentation of a different department. Our department was Francisco Morazan. I had one of my boys dress up like him and tell what all he did. The others told about the department. They did really well except one of them got really nervous and forgot what he was supposed to say. He finally remembered and did really well after that. After all the classes did their presentation we had some typical Honduran food to taste. All of it was wonderful. After the program we went back to school and had a fun day.

Last Saturday a group of us went to a place called Valley of Angels. It is a small little town that mostly has souvenir shops. We left early that morning from the ranch so we would have plenty of time to shop. Once we got there, we parked the car and the shopping began. I found a really pretty painting, some pottery, a basket and some other little things. We had a wonderful day.

When you are a teacher you never know what each day is going to hold. I believe that is true no matter how many children you have in your class. I have four boys all with outgoing personalities. They keep me on my toes but they also keep me laughing. We have so much fun together. I wanted to share some of the things that they have said.
The other day they were writing in their journals. I told them they could write about whatever they wanted. Favio announced to the class that he was going to write about Transformers. Nate said he was going to write about God. I told them both would be good. They got to writing and once they finished they wanted to read them to me. Favio went first. We were all expecting to hear about transformers, but that is not what we heard. I guess he changed his mind and wrote about God. Nate said to him that wasn't about transformers that was about God. Favio said I know I changed it because you are supposed to put God first in everything. What a wise young child.
Nate loves to sing. All day long that is all I hear. He sings whatever is in his head and most of the time it is not a real song. One day in particular I just couldn't take anymore. I asked him to please stop. He said is can't. I am practicing to be a Hit 80s Musician. To which I replied ok. I know that there are plenty more, but those two stick out in my head.

I know that I have many faithful praying supporters. I have some specific things that I would like for you to pray for.

-Continued strength for me to just be here
-The four boys that I teach everyday
-Salvation of our children at the ranch
-The government of this country

Thank you! You all are awesome!

Class Pets and an Adventure

This week my boys decided that we needed a class pet. We went through all kinds of animals from a dog to a snake trying to decide what would be the best for our class. Well Thursday we had the outside door open and a butterfly flew in. They got all excited because they thought this could be our class pet. So they shut all the doors so it could not get out then tried to catch it. They were discussing what they should feed it and one of the boys said we should get it some grass. Well they decided that maybe they do not eat grass and one of them suggested we get it a flower. After all the feeding debate they next had to decide where to keep it. They found an empty chip bag and put it in there. After much arguing it was decided to just let the butterfly go and not have it as our pet. Friday we tried a new pet. This time it did not fly into our room, but we had to go outside to get it. We have a little stream that runs just down the hill from our school. Our kids like to play down there and on this particular day they could not stay away from the water. Well come to find out there were tadpoles in the water. They went and got some buckets and cups to catch them. They ended up catching 3 or 4 of them. They put them in empty baby food jars with some water and mud in them. Once they caught them they were deciding what they should eat. One of the boys said that they just eat the mud in the water, so before he left for the day he asked me if I could come to the school on Saturday and give the tadpoles some more dirt to eat. We still have them in our classroom so if they stay alive we will keep it to watch it grow into a frog. They named one of them Freddy which will probably be the name for all of them.

On Saturday, two other teachers and myself went to the school to get some work done. We had been working for a while and were ready for a break. We have this hill at the school that our kids like to play on. They have been repelling down using a rope tied to a piece of concrete. It looks really fun, but we never do it because there are always tons of kids on it. Also this week they got these tubs and began sliding down the hill. Again it looks like a lot of fun but we never did it because there were kids around. During our break at school on Saturday we went sliding down the hill. We had a fun time and now know why our kids can't wait to get out there. After that we went on a little adventure. Behind our school are millions of coffee plants. We walked up the hill to see what all was up there. When we got to the top we saw coffee plants and banana trees growing together. It was really neat looking. After all of this we went back and finished our work. It was a fun day.

I love it here!!!

I love it here. This seems to be what I tell everyone when they ask me how I like Honduras. I am not even sure that describes how I really feel about this country. The work that we are doing with this ministry is amazing. The kids that we have here are so precious, but not only that they are children of God. Every Friday morning I take my boys to high school chapel. I am always amazed at the talents and abilities God has given to these kids. I have to just stop and thank God for putting me here and giving me the talents and abilities he has blessed me with.

This week at school was relatively the same as the others. I feel like I am adjusting to teaching 2 grades at the same time. It is still not easy, but I am figuring it out. I often remind myself that on Little House on the Prairie they taught all the grades together all the time. It is a comforting thought and gives me the push I need to teach my 2 grades. I think the highlight of the week was when we were painting their boxes made out of popsicle sticks I let them paint one hand. Now this is not something I would do in the states but I figured why not there are only 4 of you. They did good and did not touch anything on the way to the sink.

As I said in my previous post, our duplex is complete. They are still working on the outside, but the inside is good. On Wednesday this week the boys poured our concrete for a sidewalk. We decided it would be fun to put our hand prints in the sidewalk. So after giving the concrete a little time to settle we did it. This picture is my roommates and I putting in our hand prints.

Friday night we all went to eat at this restaurant called La Cumbre. It was about an hour and a half drive from the ranch but worth every minute. It is a very fancy restaurant that overlooks the city. It was absolutely beautiful up there. We all got dressed up which was a fun change from everyday life around here. We met up with some of the people who work at the mission house and had a wonderful meal. It was a good time of fellowship with others that we rarely get to see. I have some more pictures but they are on another camera. I will post them another time. I do have one of two of my roommates and myself. Our other roommate did not go with us.

I could never say enough thank you's for all the support I have recieved. I do from the bottom of my heart appreciate all that I have recieved. Please continue to send me some more butterflies! I love them! Also leave me comments!

Second Week of School

It is hard to believe that I have already completed two weeks of school! The second week was even better than the first. I feel like I am getting adjusted to teaching 2 grades and 4 boys. I am starting to figure out their personalities and what they really like and what they really don't like. Every week in our Bible class I have a verse for them to learn by the end of the week. Well one of my boys learned it the first day and said it everyday the rest of the week. He asked me if he could say it anywhere or just at school. I told him the more places he said the better it would be. So he replied with, "So I can even say it on the soccer field?" Of course I said yes so he was happy. Well Saturday I was walking close to his house and he ran out shouting Miss Kelly I still remember the verse. He was so proud of himself so I let him say it again to me and off he went.

Saturday the other half of the duplex I live in was completed, so the other girls moved in. Now all 6 single female teachers are living in one house. Everyone was really excited. I also decided to rearrange my room and put things on the walls. It is starting to feel more like my home now because I put pictures all over the walls. Sunday we went to church and ate at the mall. We did some grocery shopping then headed back to the ranch to get ready for school on Monday.

Things are going really well here for me. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that this is right where I need to be this year. Please continue to pray for school and my boys. Thanks for your prayers so far. I was telling a friend the other day that there are hundreds of butterflies everywhere here and how much I loved them. She told me that they were all the prayers that were being sent my way. That was the most comforting thought and everytime I see them it reminds me of how many people are praying for me. Thanks again!

First Week of School

We started school this week. I am teaching 2nd and 3rd grade and I have all boys. They are so much fun and there is never a dull moment with them. This week has gone really good so far. On Wednesdays we only go to school in the morning. This Wednesday I went to the city to do a little shopping. This week we had a medical brigade team here for a tour of the ranch. One of the things that they do is play soccer with the kids right before lunch. It is a fun time for everyone. On Thursday mornings we have chapel for the elementary kids. This week we talked about Abraham and how God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. The kids really enjoyed the story and singing songs. It is fun to have all the kids together for a little while. Everything is going really well. Please continue to pray for stronger relationships with the other singles on the ranch and for my kids at school.

Teacher Inservices

Well I have officially been here about a week and a half. So far it is all I expected and then some. This past week we had teacher inservices. We had meetings in the mornings and had time to work in our classrooms in the afternoons. We start classes with the children on Monday. Our classes will last until right before Thanksgiving. We will have about a 6 week break for Christmas.
Last night all the single teachers went to the city to eat dinner. The restaurant of choice: Chili's. The food was good and tasted just like in the states. It was like a little piece of home. Here in the city they have alot of the same restaurants that we have in the states.
Please pray for me this week as I get adjusted to teaching 2 grades at the same time. Also I will have 4 boys in my class. I am looking forward to the year to come. Thank you for your continued support.

I made it!

Well I made it to Honduras on Tuesday, July 22, 2008. It was a long day with lots of flights, but I made it. We have not started school yet so I basically have been getting my bedroom ready and meeting new people. The ranch is very nice and all around us are mountains. It is such a change to look out the window and see mountains from where ever you are. The weather is much cooler. During the day the temperature is any where from 70 to 80. Thursday it was so cold I actually had to break out a jacket. It is such a change from the heat of Louisiana. We start orientation on Monday so I will be busy after that. School starts the following Monday. I will be teaching 2nd and 3rd grades at the same time. That should be very interesting. I will have 4 children total. I am excited to get started with school. I think it will make time go by faster. These last few days have seemed long because I have to find something to do. Don't get me wrong I am thankful for some time to get settled in, but I like to have stuff to do. I have been hanging out with the other singles on the ranch. It has been a lot of fun getting know everyone. Please pray for those relationships to strengthen in the next couple of weeks as we begin school. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me. I could not be here without you. Continue to pray for me as we start school and I get adjusted to living in Honduras. I finally got my internet working today so hopefully I will be able to post more.

Hi everyone! I still have a couple of months until I leave. I am very excited. Please pray for me as I prepare to go and continue to raise my money.