Ready or not

Time is flying along and time to leave for El Salvador is coming ready or not!

So am I ready? Hmmm, well sometimes it depends on the day you ask. These last days I've been getting anxious to see all the deaf children in El Salvador. Had you asked me a week ago, how I felt, I probably would have told you that I'm ready to leave straightaway.

Congratulations Andrea & Matthias!

But, this last week, I was at Matthias Beachy and Andrea Hershberger's wedding where I got to meet a lot of old CICS friends again. It was tremendous fun seeing everyone and exchanging memories, but as I was saying goodbye it really hit me hard that I will be going back to El Salvador and I will have none of these people going back with me. It was hard to say goodbye! I had to lean really hard on God and remind myself that He is one friend who will always be with me wherever I go.

It probably will be a bit of a challenge at the beginning of the year until everyone gets settled in, but I'm confident that ultimately this year will be a great year and I don't want to give the impression that CICS will never be the same again. I'm looking forward to meeting the new staff and getting to know them as I have done with my coworkers from previous years. We will be like a family and if we work together under God's protection and guidance, it will be a fantastic year--perhaps even better than before! Please pray for all of us as we prepare for school and converge on the tiny country of El Salvador to start a brand new school year.

And in the interest of keeping y'all up to speed, I thought I'd share with you the names of the students I will be teaching this year. I'll try to keep you posted as I get informed of other news as well.

Teresa (15 years old)

Teresa will be the oldest student in school this year. She is hardworking and almost always cheerful. She likes to tease and give everyone a hard time. If you like, you can read more about Teresa in a previous blog post of mine.


An animal that reminds me of Teresa: 
A playful monkey. Teresa loves to tease and make people laugh. At the same time, she is very intelligent and usually does her best at whatever she is trying to accomplish.

Eduardo (14 years old)

Eduardo will be the only guy even close to his age this year. It might be a bit difficult for him without any other guys to hang out with. But I'm sure he will make the best of it and maybe even socialize more with the girls if he can let go of some of his pride.

An animal that reminds me of Eduardo:
A koala after a good meal. Eduardo is friendly with almost everyone and very intelligent, but does everything at his own pace.

Beatriz (13 years old)

Beatriz has a hard home life, but you could never tell by the huge smile she wears almost constantly. She is good friends with Teresa--the two of them are constantly together. Beatriz is also becoming a good cook due to helping with the cooking in the afternoons.

An animal that reminds me of Beatriz:
A sassy parrot. Beatriz loves to tease and badger others and in turn is very fun to tease and socialize with. She almost always has a smile on her face. Very easy to get excited, but can and will hold her own on almost anything.

Paola (12 years old)

Paola is the youngest of these four students, but knows more academically than some of the others. She came to school when she was young and therefore knows quite a lot by now. She can go far in school if she does her very best.

An animal that reminds me of Paola:
A young pony. Paola wants to do what is right. She does very well in school and enjoys watching and laughing at the antics of others. Usually pretty calm but can get riled up pretty easily.