Let me back up about three weeks.
Nata (the director here at CICS) and his family had been asked to go to Mexico to help out at a deaf school there for about a week. They agreed, which meant we need a temporary replacement for the three weeks while they were gone (two weeks traveling, one week in Mexico).
Eventually, Enrique Vasquez's family agreed to come for that time. Paty's brother Enrique is married to Lidia's sister Laura. They also have a young son Eric. The couple met each other while working at Strong Tower Children's Home, so they were at least somewhat familiar with this area even though they now live in Costa Rica.
While the three weeks were different and I missed Nata's family, I enjoyed getting to know them and working for them. They did an excellent job holding this place together (believe me when I say it's not easy!)
We also had several other out-of-the-ordinary things happen since I wrote last:
Beatriz's grandpa passed away, which made for a tough week for all of us, but especially for her. She went home midway through the week to be with her family for the viewing and funeral. Her Catholic family (especially her Dad) are only just tolerant of her different views and dress, and only if it won't cause them embarrassment when they're with friends and relatives. Since they had family coming from the states, they didn't want her to dress like a "grandma". Her dad tore her veil off her head, pulled her hair, and beat her with his belt, after seeing how she had planned to dress for the funeral. And this was while he was not even drunk!
But you would never know any of this just by observing Beatriz. She almost always has a smile on her face. She is an exciting person to be around due to her vibrant personality. She never sits around and complains even though (I think) she sure has a right to if anyone does! She is such a great example of trusting God and believing in His faithfulness. Here I am, with parents that love me and desire the best for me, good friends and mentors, a church and youth group filled with people who care about me, and more earthly possessions that I'll ever need. And I have the audacity to think I have it tough?! I've never had to stand for what I believe beyond giving devotions at church or Bible study. How much am I willing to sacrifice for Christ's cause?...
The second installment of the thrice-yearly spelling competition took place. Teresa won the competition of Matthias' class. I don't know how many times in a row she's won, but it's quite a few! From Melody's class, Paola took first prize with Beatriz just a couple tenths of a point behind. And from my class, well... Technically Joel won, but we were very disappointed in the score. He had less than an 80%! So we decided to give no prizes for them this time in hopes that it will motivate them to not just try to win, but also give it their all.
We had a week of vacation! Which meant some of us got to go home, relax, cross off items from the "todo list", or hang out with visitors like I did. Stay tuned for a post about what we all did when Jason Peachey, Randall & Andrea Yoder, and Duane & Mary Beiler (and family) came to visit. Kinda ironic but during vacation I got less sleep than I normally do. But I had more fun so that more than balanced it out! :)
Welp, that's about it for updates so I guess I'll leave you with some prayer requests:
- Beatriz. Pray for her especially, but also for her family. God's love is offered equally to all and they are souls that He died for, just like He did for me. Pray that God would touch their lives.
- Silvia. Still hasn't returned from her suspension. Pray for wisdom for those who are responsible for her. Pray that Satan would lose his power over her.
- Me. I desire patience. God has been giving me tests in patience and I haven't always passed. Also pray that I would be open to learning from the wisdom of others even when it seems strange or steps on my toes.
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| Teresa has been balancing things on her head since she was four years old. Eduardo... not so much. |
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| One of my kids was being grumpy so I told them all to look grumpy, then as happy as they can. This was the result. :) |
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| Eduardo and Mauricio enjoying their snacks during break. |
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| Mauricio and Carlos having some fun with Román right before lunch. |
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| Surely the dog must want a ride, too! |
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| Mmmm... freshly baked donuts! And what is Joel doing? |
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| Tired after a long day's work... |
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| Ditto... |
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| If I remember right, Beatriz scored on this one... |
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| It's always the right time for a good back rub! |
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| "Church" on the trampoline. |
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| Jairo turned 8! So, as is the custom here, we throw the person up in the air. I wish we would do that back home. |
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