Siblings time

I got my first visitors of the year last week, and boy were they great! The eight days that my siblings were here flew by! I'll try my best to describe some our adventures, even though it won't do justice...

On Monday, Elmer, Carlos, Miguel, and I went and brought them from the airport. The four of us hadn't eaten supper yet so we stopped in at Pollo Campero on the way home from the airport. Little Miguel was very bashful at first, even hiding behind me and peeking out just enough to be able to see. However, as is usually the case, he couldn't stay away very long, and it was only a matter of time before him and Gideon were having a high time in the back of the van!

Something funny is happening here--not sure what.

The first two full days they were here didn't afford much time for relaxation, due to dentist, yes DENTIST visits. Since dental work here is about ten times cheaper than the states ($12 per tooth for cavities, for example!) and due to some "incentives", we decided to use up our two first afternoons at the dentist office. It took some time, but we were glad it could get done while they were here.

Poor Aaron...

One of the main things we wanted to get done (besides the dental work, of course) was install a new trampoline! All the kids, especially the smaller ones, could hardly wait till my siblings came for that reason. Miguel, in particular, would remind me almost every day: "April 20 trampoline!". And just to make that sink in a little: Miguel has a hard time remembering anything. The fact that he remembered the day and the month and what would happen that particular day meant it was something truly spectacular and once-in-a-lifetime to him!

Anyway, so Aaron and Gideon worked very hard for a couple days in 90 degree weather, no less, digging a hole in which to set the trampoline, and then installing it. And they always had eager onlookers giving them encouragement and even helping sometimes. :) We still enjoy the trampoline immensely now that we've had it for a several days. It's a great place to spend excess energy (not that I have excess energy, but some others do). Thank you so much to all of you who helped with purchasing it. May God bless you!

Gideon and Aaron hard at work!

Everyone wanted to help at least a little bit!

Joel and Jairo are happy to help Gideon
bolt the frame together.

Apparently shades help you work faster. Just ask Miguel...

And speaking of new things... I received lots and lots of goodies that were sent by various friends. Thanks to all of you for your thoughtfulness. My snack drawer is now refilled to say the least! (Plus another few boxes under my bed) :)

For the weekend, Aaron, Lydia, Gideon, and I went to the guest house for Friday night where went out to eat, played games, and had some very hilarious conversations. I realized just how much I'm missing at home during that weekend. Aaron and Gideon would talk and debate about the weirdest topics while Lydia and I could hardly do more than just laugh and say "oh, wow". Sometimes I wondered if Aaron just puts words together randomly in a sentence and hopes it makes sense. :) Whatever the case, we had a very good time.

Laughing at Aaron's craziness I'm pretty sure...

The culprit.

We traveled on Saturday from the guest house to Costa del Sol, a beach about an hour and a half away, where we again talked, swam, rode the waves, took pictures, etc. But before we knew it, the weekend was already over and we had to go home.

The remaining days before Tuesday morning were spent basically enjoying everything to the maximum--playing with the kids, jumping on the trampoline, mango hunting, sight-seeing, playing games, talking, etc.

Then there was the inevitable--taking them to the airport again. Not my favorite part... But I am thankful for the short time I did have with them. God has given me a great family and I am thankful to have people in my life that I miss a lot.

On the way back from mango picking. We weren't very
successful, but we had fun!

Two of Lydia's new found friends, Teresa and Beatriz. And Antony is
doing not sure what in the background.

Which one is cuter? (sorry Aaron)

Gideon oblivious to the fighting going on behind him.

Ana came to school just so she could meet Lydia. They are only 5 days apart in
age. Ana knew Lydia was her age, but she was never able to meet her until now.

Bro pic.

How does Antony manage to be in all these pictures?

Pupusas--it's what's for dinner. After the dentist visit.

On the way to the tienda to buy some snacks with the
paparazzi in tow.

My poor kids could hardly pay attention in class. I wonder why...

Aaron must have said something. 

Photographer in training. Don't drop that Miguel!

A friendly game of Old Maid with memory cards.

Tailgate ice cream party.

Lydia and Silvia. 

A Nicaraguan travel experience

The title of this post might be a bit boring, but I spent enough time already thinking of a better one, so that's it!

The adventures I am talking about are our experiences traveling to Waslala, Nicaragua for a Central American teacher's conference/get-together. Namely:

• BAD ROADS
• Beautiful scenery
• Border issues
• Police officers that liked to chat
• Interesting topics at the conference

You might notice I put BAD ROADS in all caps. Must've hit caps-lock by mistake. Whoops my bad! 

Actually, the roads were actually nice for most of the way (excluding a stretch of holy highway in Honduras) until we got to the last 25-30 kilometers around Waslala where the pavement stopped. Admittedly, the ride would have been smoother if the driver (me) would have driven slower, but where's the fun in that! And since I was with two other vans, I wanted to keep up with the lead vehicle which happened to have a pretty crazy driver also (Alvino). Each time we went over a major bump you could hear the luggage bounce up and down in the back, and inevitably Lidia would giggle about that for some reason. It was really funny to hear the sequence "brake...bump...jounce, jounce...haha" (repeat several times to get the full effect)

Be that as it may, the road we took led us through some amazing scenery: the huge, verdant rice fields and blue mountains of Nicaragua; the rugged, rocky terrain of Honduras; and the winding, tree-lined roads of outer El Salvador. It made the 17+ hours it took to reach our destination seem less monotonous.

Beautiful Nicaraguan rice fields. Seriously breathtaking!

We stopped to take a picture along a particularly pretty mountain range.
Left to right: Paty, Lidia, Maria Eva, Melody, Verónica, Samuel, Elmer

Occasionally (twice to be exact), the monotony was also broken up by police officers in Nicaragua that really wanted donations. Foreigners in Central American countries make for easy targets, so sometimes you get pulled over for the tiniest of infractions in the hopes of getting a hunk of cash from someone who doesn't know better. Fortunately for us, though, we had Alvino who was very familiar with the culture and knew exactly how these things worked. Of the total of $350 they wanted in fines, they were only able to extract $20. After that, I made sure to be more careful to pass only on dotted lines or when there were no policemen around.

And just when we thought we might finally have a trouble-free trip to our destination, we got hung up at the Nicaraguan border. Due to a law that had just been enacted, we were only allowed to take one of our vans into Nicaragua (we had three). So after much haggling, it seemed we might have to go home again, or go by bus and leave our vans--neither of which seemed like a very attractive option. However thanks to God answering prayers and, again, the expertise of Alvino, we were able to talk to the big cheese of the border agency and convince her to let us pass just this once.

Just enjoying lunch time while waiting for our border issues to get resolved.
Left to right: Verónica, Lidia, Paty, Elmer, Samuel, Maria Eva, Melody

Boy, were we ever glad to finally go under this sign after all the issues!

We finally arrived, safe and sound thanks to God's protection and answered prayers, at the clinic in Waslala, Nicaragua where the conference was held on Tuesday evening. Tired and hungry, we quickly ate food that some kind souls had saved for us and sought a place to lay down. The girls and boys each had a house to stay in, but due to a lack of mattresses, Elmer and I and three others got to sleep in a motel the first night. One of the best nights of sleep I ever had!

Wednesday and Thursday were packed full of sessions where we learned about classroom discipline, teaching mathematics and drawing, financial topics, etc., which Mary, Melody, and I took turns translating into sign language so Elmer and Verónica could also follow along. Honestly some of the topics didn't really apply to deaf classrooms, but we still learned some very good things. One of the ideas I got was to maybe have some kind of garden for my children. There's nothing like nature to capture the imagination of a child. Plus it affords tons of teaching opportunities. We also got to meet many other teachers from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

The clinic close to Waslala, where the conference was held.

On Friday, the ones that stayed around after the conference was over, went on a nature excursion with Pablo Yoder (the one that wrote The Work of Thy Fingers). We hiked for a while through the woods, saw some monkeys, birds, and other wildlife, ending up at a sizable waterfall. At the beginning of the hike Pablo had made a pact with two other men that they would do whatever he did, so when we came to the falls, Pablo scrambled up the rocks and stood directly beneath the torrent of water! Of course the two men followed suit, not wanting to go back on their word. Some other people including ourselves tried it as well. The cold water was like a masseuse pounding on my back due to the 20+ foot drop.

Part of our picturesque hike...

The water felt sooo good after a good, long hike!

Left to right: Samuel, Elmer, Melody, Verónica

At the end of our hike we were greeted with an even greater spectacle--a live sloth! Sure it was ugly, but it was still amazing to see one in its natural habitat. Pablo showed it around by lifting it by the hair on its back, careful to avoid the dangerous, flailing claws. The sloth might seem to be a stupid creature, but let it sink one of those razor sharp claws into your flesh, and next thing you know you will need to go to the hospital to get the claw removed even if you manage to kill it.

A real, live sloth straight from the woods!

Pablo explained that the sloth is a very slow creature and it takes its time to do everything, including using the bathroom. It does its business only once every weeks! The sloth we saw had a ring of green around its neck, which was said to be algae. Apparently they are so slow at getting around that the algae grows on their bodies!

On Friday night, we traveled further into the town of Waslala to buy fabric from Pablo Yoder's store. Afterwards, we played some volleyball until dark and ate supper nearby. By eight or nine that evening we were ready to get some sleep, knowing that we needed to get up at three o' clock the next morning to head out.

But get up we did! We started that early in order to get home around three or four that afternoon, but God had other plans. Due to radiator trouble on one of the vans, and some slow going, we were FINALLY able to see our lane at 9:30 that night for a total of 18 1/2 hours on the road! The other two vans got home even later (midnight) because of the radiator finally giving out and having to tow the problematic van all the way home from about the border of El Salvador. However, in spite of some hiccups, we were all very thankful to God for giving us safe travels, and for all the new things we had learned.

For me, it was an experience that I probably won't readily do again soon, but it was still something very worthwhile!

Us being...us. Left to right: Lidia, Melody, Paty,
Elmer, Maria Eva, Verónica

We even got a tour of the clinic!

Pablo Yoder leading a discussion on having gardens as
a part of school.

Paty, singing fervently with her eyes closed, while Mary
and Verónica have some fun. Everyone else was sleeping.

From student to teacher

Announcement: After a lot of work, the CICS website is once again up to date. It includes profiles of all the staff and students that you can read to find out more about each one, and also a photo gallery. We hope to be updating it fairly frequently with news, information about new students, new photos, and other things of interest. Check it out here.

Now that I think about it, I've already been away from home two months! It sure doesn't seem that long... And half that time has gone by without me writing anything. Time to get to it!

I finished school in Guatemala, said goodbye to my teacher and the family I boarded with, and hopped on a shuttle that would eventually take me to the bus station. During the trip, I thought about meeting the deaf again, and I about couldn't wait! The deaf here at CICS hold a very big piece of my heart, and I'm not sure I realized how much I actually missed them.

Mary, my teacher in Guatemala Spanish school, and I. 

Upon arriving at CICS towards the evening, I gave Elmer a huge bear hug and said hi to Melody, Paty, and Zulma. After unpacking, I helped consume a delicious meal of chicken, rice, and salad. Quite a welcome and I didn't even have to help make it! (I did wash the dishes though)

It was a lot of fun to use ASL again! Unfortunately, my focus on Spanish in Guatemala didn't help with retaining sign language. I quickly discovered that I had forgotten quite a few signs, which was very embarrassing. I had even forgotten some of the name signs of the children! However everything quickly came back with a little practice.

I spent the next few days getting my classroom ready for my students. Cleaning every nook and cranny (not my favorite part, I'll readily admit), getting my desks and chairs set up, putting charts and posters on the wall that my family helped make. It was all very exciting! My classroom wasn't quite ready by Wednesday, when school started, but it didn't matter. What mattered was I would get to see all students again!

Class decoration before and after.

And now we're about a month into school already! Admittedly, the level of enthusiasm has worn off a  little bit, cause that's just how things go once things get into the grind. School is never easy and takes a physical, mental, and spiritual toll on a person. Also, my class isn't as easy as it was last year. I have the same students as last year, plus one extra student, Miguel. Now you may wonder what is so hard about one more boy...

Miguel, in spite of his cuteness and friendliness, can be a bit of trouble in the classroom. He has a very hard time paying attention in class. As in "one plus one is... oh, look teacher, it's a bird! In the tree! Out there! LOOOK!!!"

"And duuuuude, there's a nest, too?!! Amazing!!

"Ok, Miguel, remember you need to pay attention."

"Oh, yes, sorry teacher. I remember, I know. I need to let those things go and pay atten-- Whoooooaaaa! That bird just totally flew over to the other tree!! Jairo, check it out!" And then, Miguel and Jairo aren't paying attention. Of course, Miguel doesn't sign those words exactly and I'm over-dramatizing, but you get the point. :) Miguel also has problems with respecting authority and obeying promptly, as do my other little boys.

To say the least, this year has been harder and more work than last year. There are times (and not just in the classroom) when I wonder why I'm doing what I'm doing. I wonder if it's really worth it. Does what I'm doing really matter? Do the deaf even know why they're in school? Do they realize how fortunate they are to have that opportunity?

Then I realize for the hundredth time that I need to let it go. I need to give it all to the Father who is in control of everything. He is the one that can see the intents of every heart and will reward those who do His will.

But isn't easy letting go, you know. Especially for me. I like to fix things, make them better. However once I do--once I pray for help and acknowledge that I can't do it on my own, that's when things get better. And honestly, I don't know when I'll learn... I can be feeling good and thinking that the day will go well, when something happens and all goes awry. But when I am having a crappy day, all it takes is prayer and a plea for help, and God never lets me down. I have been amazed at how often a bad day turns into a good one, just because of prayer. Amazing!!

So do I like school? In spite of everything? YES. Miguel has been struggling with counting, but now is finally starting to get it, and that's just so exciting! To see the look on his face when he finally remembers that six comes after five is just amazing. Jairo has been doing much better in that area as well. Just today, after many different ways of explaining to Joel that adding and subtracting are different, I made a number line with sidewalk chalk and had him jump forwards or backwards depending on the addition or subtraction problem. Just to see him finally "get" it and tell me "Aaaah, now I know!" was very invigorating. Eduardo's satisfaction in shaving off a bit of time in his addition speed drills gave me a new desire to keep teaching the best I know how and not give up. And so on...

Please pray for all of us staff: Matthias, Mary, Melody, Verónica, Elmer, Paty and Lidia, and myself. Pray that we could have patience, humbleness, and wisdom in abundance. Also pray for the director and the committee in charge of CICS.

Here are some other things you can pray for:

• Beatriz - her family situation is anything but good. Her father is getting worse it seems. He is continually drinking, and doing unspeakable things to his family. Please pray that God would protect Beatriz, and her mom and siblings from harm. Pray also that her father would come to know Christ, and that his life would be changed with the power of Jesus's blood! Pray that Beatriz could remain faithful and look to God for strength and help.
• Silvia - with a new dorm mom (Verónica), Silvia needs to test and see what the new boundaries are. Pray that Silvia would learn to respect authority and be able to let down the walls that have been built up over the years to defend her heart from further wounds from those she trusted. Pray that she could come to know Jesus as her Savior.
• Carlos - he wants to do what is right. Every Wednesday at prayer time he asks for prayer that he could grow closer to God. He just finds it so hard to change. Pray that God would work in his heart, and that he could truly change.
• Also pray for the deaf that don't come to school anymore. Along with Ana and Kevin, who can't come this year because of their age, there are others as well that sometimes come to visit. Pray that they would come to know Christ and give their lives fully over to him.

Because Antony (a new student) likes selfies, and he is
just so cute!

Román (another new student) enjoying a game of catch.

Miguel, Eduardo, and Jairo playing Rats during a small break in class.

A nice drawing Kenneth (son of Nata y Becky) put on my whiteboard.

And the race is on! Teresa and Beatriz see who is the fastest on the bicycle.

Silvia wants a selfie, too!

Antony and Jairo get to know each other through a game of grab-the-ball.

Miguel concentrates for the perfect shot while Carlos watches.

Teaching new students is always challenging, but also
very funny sometimes!

Miguel proudly showing off his sticker that he earned
by studying well in an extra evening practice session.

Eduardo chews pensively on his straw as he carefully
colors a page of his animal book.

Pupusa night! Melody and Verónica show off their handiwork.

Everyone gathers around to see the new little girl, Gabriella. She hasn't
come to school yet, but plans to attend on Monday.

Gabriella enjoys a game of spinning jacks with Mary.

Another shot of Gabriella. We are very excited about
having a little girl again! The last six new students
have been boys. Not that those are bad--just, you know
something different is good once in a while.