mi mesa

My favorite part of my classroom this year is my table.  I'm not sure where the idea originated from, but one day last summer I decided I had to make some sort of white-board table.  I knew this was a necessity since I would be teaching mainly math this year...and math requires a lot of writing.  I covered my table with white paper, then I covered that with a clear vinyl table cloth, and...voilà!  It's like a real white board...it uses the same markers and everything!

One of my favorite ways to use the table is to slip worksheets under the plastic so that the kids can complete them and erase when they're finished.  Then I can use them again.  The little boys think it is so fun to complete a worksheet and pull it out from under the plastic before they erase.  Then all their answers are still on the table!

I am encouraged to see that we're three months into the school year and the kids and I are still excited about the table.  Here are two of the ways we've used it so far (the only ones of which I have photo evidence):

Saúl attempts to write the names of his family members.

Larimar writes a word problem.

las mujeres corremos

This morning Stefanie, Casey, Kristyn, and I did a 5K in Carolina.  Normally, I don't like to do morning races because they start out hot, and they just get hotter and hotter as you run.  But this race seemed too fun to pass up.  It was the McDonald's 5K for women only.  The race took place in most of the Latin American capital cities today, and the proceeds go to Ronald McDonald house.  This race seemed too good to pass up just because it started at 7:30am.  Plus, we got a great pink shirt!  To top it off, I shaved 40 seconds off my best time, and we made it home in time for church!  

These are all the cities that participated in the race today.

 

de mal humor

This week I’ve been grumpy…irritated, frustrated, sick, impatient, lonely, tired…

Only one student came to school on Monday, coquís woke me up almost every night this week, I’m not even close to ready for the 5K I’m doing tomorrow…the list goes on, but I’ll spare you the details.

I think I’m becoming a pessimist (I really don’t think I’ve always been this way).  I hope I’ll snap out of it soon.  Any ideas?

I did end the week on two high notes: watching a few episodes of I Love Lucy with Stefanie and Casey on Friday night and going to a delicious new crepe café (where my favorite bakery used to be) this morning.  Maybe things are looking up?

dos angeles

For those of you who don’t know this about me, I am the type of person that likes to be in control of situations, especially those concerning my life and my future.  I prefer to depend on myself rather than on others.  Perhaps this is why God has called me into missions—to break me of this tendency! 

At each major transition in my life (graduation from high school and from college), I have always known what the next step would be.  Now as I come to another potential turning point—the end of my three-year commitment to teach at ESD—I’m not so sure what the next step will be.  Knowing this, God brought two people into my life this past week who have touched my heart concerning this matter. 

Last weekend, I went to revival services at the church that one of our teachers attends.  Honestly, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to go—especially not to all four services—but God knew I was supposed to be there.  He gave me the nudges I needed to get there each day.  The visiting pastor spoke about Abraham’s life journey and how he was able to develop a faith strong enough to sacrifice his son, Isaac.  The main points of the messages were:

·         -What we hold on to, God can take away

·         -We need to make faith-based decisions instead of common-sense decisions

·         -We should not delay in acting when we know what God is telling us to do

·         -The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will

Through each service, I could feel the Holy Spirit speaking right into my heart and helping me to consider His will for my future.  Going into the revival services, I thought I knew exactly what I was going to do at the end of this school year, and now I’m not so sure.

Then later on in the week, we had a visit from a missionary involved in prison ministry in New Jersey.  I believe God also used her to speak to my heart.  She has a gift of encouragement, and I found myself opening up to her in a way that I rarely do with anyone.  She helped me to talk through some of the questions that had been stirred up in my mind over the weekend, and even though I have not made any decisions yet, now I feel like it might be possible to do so!

So this weekend, I thank God for the angels He brought into my life.