Last week of school!

I can't believe it, but it's true! In just a couple more weeks I will be coming home. I'm really excited, even though leaving El Salvador for a while does make me a little sad. During our weekly family Skype sessions, Katelyn always asks me "How many more sleeps, Samuel?". After which I grab my phone and look it up for her. The poor little kid about can't wait. :)

Only 15 more sleeps, Katelyn! :) I'm not sure whose more ready, my family or I, but either way we'll be glad to see each other.

However, despite my anticipation, there are some things I'm gonna miss for a while. Namely, the cheap, abundant food here (no offense, Mom!) with all the goodies such as rice, beans, tortillas, avocados, fresh tropical fruit, glass bottle drinks, hot chocolate (the El Salvador kind), etc., etc. 

I'm also gonna miss the people here. Even though, I've had difficulties, I've come to love each one of the deaf children here, almost like my family. It will feel weird going home and not having to sign or talk Spanish at all!

And of course, with the time to leave drawing near, it's getting close to "crunch time". I plenty of things I need to get done yet before I'm ready to leave:

• Finish up school, tests, etc.
• Practice words for the competition
• Practice for the end-of-year drama with the children
• Go shopping for things I want to take home
• And a bunch of other small things I want to get done yet...

School this year has gone well. We will practice their words a lot this week in preparation for the last spelling competition this year. I'm hopeful that I taught my students a good bunch of things this year. We'll see at the start of next year, whether any of their learning stayed in their heads!

Jairo, Eduardo, and Joel work on their math work. I keep
 telling them to avoid using their fingers for addition
and subtraction, but it's like talking to a post. :)

A big thing that happens at the end of each year, is the drama, or program, that the students perform for their parents and local community. We're doing the story of Elijah this year when he holds a competition on Mount Carmel. We've been practicing hard these last weeks, and the children are slowly learning their parts. Next week, we won't have school, but the children will still come to practice for a few hours each day.

Mauricio, Carlos, and Eduardo act out a scene as the rest of the
children watch how it's done.

Another big change that's coming is the Ramos family moving to the States. They have been my rest stop here in El Salvador for many a weekend! I will be sad to have them leave, but I bless them in going and doing God's work somewhere else.

And that's about it for this week's snapshot! A bit shorter than usual, but I have other work that's calling my name! :) Thanks so much for all your support and prayers. It means so much! God bless you all! Here are some things you can pray for:

• Staff as we wrap up these last days of school
• Students that they could pay attention and not slack off
• The administrators of CICS as they figure out the different staff positions
• Patience and humbleness for "yours truly" as I try to give it my best

Blow them bubbles, Silvia!

Eduardo smirks as Joel tries to avoid picking the "old maid" out of his hand.

Miguel and Joel try to convince everyone that they can
mow the lawn, too.

A beautiful view from a Suchitoto motel where Matthias, Elmer, and I stayed
for the weekend. We were celebrating Elmer's 22nd birthday.

Meet a student: Ana

Name:      Ana Deysi Ramírez Rosales

Age:         17 years old

Arrival:    First started coming to CICS in 2007

Teacher:  Mary Eva Pacheco

Ana is part of a family of six deaf children. She is a sister to Verónica, the cook, and Teresa whom I wrote about earlier. If you would like to know more about Ana's home life, you can click here to got to that post.

For the rest of this post, I will let someone else do the talking. Her teacher, Mary, has been in school with Ana for many years and knows much more about her than I do, so I asked her to write a piece which she gladly did. She wrote it in Spanish which I translated below. If you want to see the original text, whether you know Spanish or not, you can click here. Maybe you can even critique my translation skills! Confession time: I did use a bit of Google Translate, but nobody's perfect, right! :) Here you go...

I remember the first time that I met Ana. She seemed like a very pretty girl, with intelligence and a lot of energy. She always had a beautiful smile, which made me want to try to get acquainted and be her friend. But to my surprise, she rejected me immediately and always tried to do different things to openly show that she didn't like me--things like disrespecting me, hitting me, or pushing me. It wasn't easy, but with the support and advice of Nata and Becky, I was finally able to get close to her and she accepted me. 

Over the years, I have discovered that Ana has a very strong character and a heart that wants to do what is right. However, she fights against her human nature that wants to lead her astray, and which often does. She has a very brilliant mind and is very intelligent, to the point where academics are very easy for her. I would say she pretty much learns by herself--she doesn't need much explanation in order to learn something new. Year after year, she wins first place in the spelling competition, although some years her little sister Teresa has won, which has not been easy for Ana to accept.
In these last few years, Ana has struggled with submitting to authority, influencing and making groups between the rest of the deaf children, and leaving her house under false pretenses in order to go to places that wouldn't be allowed. 

She confesses to fighting a lot against the Tempter in doing what is right. She has expressed her desire to be faithful to God, even though she knows it isn't easy. 

Let's pray for Ana, that she could remain firm in her decision to be faithful to God. Pray also that God could provide a place to work for her. That is another big decision she needs to make next year, since she won't be coming back to school. 

Through faith, I see Ana completely decided to serve Christ, being a useful instrument for the glory of God, teaching other deaf children what she has learned. I think she would be a good teacher! 

I am happy to have had the privilege of teaching her these years, and I leave the rest up to the Lord. --Mary Eva Pacheco

Like Mary said, please pray for Ana. She has many struggles, but desires what is right. Pray that she transform into a shining example of what Christ can do. Pray that she wouldn't lose what she was taught when she stops coming back to school next year. Pray for Ana...

Ana, along with Teresa, "busy" helping Verónica make
 chocobananas (chocolate covered bananas on a stick).

Fighting for something, not sure what. Left to right: Beatriz, Tiffany, Ana

In school, supposed to be paying attention!
Left to right: Teresa, Paola, Ana

Sooooo tired! Hammocks are always so inviting
right after lunch. I can testify to that!

Ana tries to whistle, making for a hilarious expression,
not unlike Elmer's "fat person" impersonation. :)

Believe it or not, more people than this can fit on the swing.
I believe we've had up to five on there at one time. ;)
Left to right: Teresa, Beatriz, Ana

One of the all-time favorite afternoon games: trapo. You see if you can
knock the mop handle down without getting caught, which frees everyone.
Left to right: Mauricio, Ana, Eduardo, Teresa, Beatriz

Checking math problems with Carlos'
state-of-the-art calculator.

Practicing for this year's drama, with Ana playing the part of a distraught
mother whose son Mauricio is about to "resurrect".

How many people can fit on a bike?
Left to right: Ana, Teresa, Beatriz, Paola

Best sisters! Left to right: Ana, Verónica, Teresa

What is Samuel doing?

Image Credit: http://thechristianleaderscoach.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/4-goals-of-a-church-planter04021011.jpg

Purposes and goals are what motivate people. Not having at least somewhat of a vision can be disastrous--like a ship at sea with no rudder, if you permit me to use that oft-used metaphor.

I've been thinking about this often in the last while... why am I doing what I'm doing? Why am I a teacher for the deaf in a foreign country with a different culture? Why am I not at home working and earning money like it's just not possible to do in what I do? It's totally possible to do something good for the wrong reasons, which I have been guilty of numerous times.

Of course, in a perfect world, everyone would know exactly what they're good at and what they'll be doing with their life, and why. But this isn't a perfect world, now is it?

These paragraphs are an attempt to both clarify my own vision and to let y'all into a more personal area of my life.

There are many reasons to be a missionary. And by the word "missionary", I mean anyone working to bring people to the Kingdom, whether at home or abroad, just to make that clear. These reasons can be good or bad:

• to help people
• to make myself feel like I'm "doing" something with my life
• to impress others
• to mingle with other cultures

However, what is the ultimate reason? Why do we do missions? I believe it is because it's what we're commanded to do by our commander-in-chief, Jesus Christ, who commands us in Matthew 28:19: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...". Therefore, why should I ultimately be a missionary?

• Because Jesus commands it!

If I am then under Jesus' command, what should my goal be? To bring glory to God, by showing others how to have a relationship with Christ.

How do I apply this to my life, then?

If I am here at CICS under God's calling, then it follows that my goal will be to bring the people around me (mostly the deaf, but others as well) to Christ. I will be more concerned about that than anything else I can think of.

But what if I have problems? What if I can't get along with people? What if I have difficulty adjusting to the culture? What if I can't give something up?

Then I have to remind myself of my ultimate goal--saving souls. If Jesus could die on the cross for people that hated him and for me, a sinner, surely I can endure some hardship, don't you think!

You're probably wondering by now what brought this up. I know it must sound like I'm having a terrible time. Don't worry, this year is going well and I'm definitely not complaining.

That said, I have some struggles as well. Bunny trail: isn't it funny, you seem to have those wherever you go?! However, as long we live on a fallen earth, nothing is going to be all peachy, bed-of-roses, et cetera, et cetera... Problems are real, and they aren't fun! It just helps sometimes to put those problems back in their place with a little bit of perspective.

So please pray for me as I continue to work here in El Salvador. Pray especially that I could have humbleness and patience.

Humbleness:

• for when I need to give up my own way.
• for accepting correction
• for being willing to do things outside of my comfort zone

Patience:

• for when I need listen quietly for God's still, small voice
• for the times when it seems like God isn't doing anything

Thank you so much for all of you who have been praying, sending mail, and supporting me in various other ways! I appreciate each and everyone of you. You are making a difference, whether you can feel it or not! Just take my word for it...