lágrimas

I was never much of a crier before I came to Puerto Rico, but that sure has changed over the past three years.  Maybe it’s the heat or the hormones in the chicken, or maybe I’m just at a new stage in my life. 

My most recent tears started two weeks ago when the grandmother of three of our students was admitted to the hospital with multiple brain tumors.  The tears continued when she passed away and we broke the news to her grandchildren.  Then, there were more at her wake and funeral.  They persist some nights when I lay in bed thinking about what will happen to these precious children now that their primary care-taker (that is an understatement to how important she was to their lives) is gone. 

It seems that all the conversations and prayers around here lately are about departures.  In addition to Abuela’s passing, four of the five staff members are moving on from this place within the next month.  All five of us are facing uncertainties in our futures.  So I find myself crying at the thought of leaving these lovely ladies, these precious children, my wonderful church…and then I cry some more.  

Last year I cried mostly because I was unwell, exhausted, and lonely.  I was quick to list all the things I would never miss about this place.  This year I have been healthy, and I have finally found the sense of community that I was missing before.  Recently, I’ve actually caught myself listing the things that I will miss about this place.  The list is a bit longer than I had once thought it would be.  So there are a few more tears than I anticipated. 

Mostly, I am able to keep my tears between myself and God.  But lately that is becoming more difficult and I find myself shedding them even around other people.  It’s amazing how time changes things.

el día nacional de oración

Thursday was the National Day of Prayer.  Betsy took the older kids on a prayer retreat in the rain forest, and Judy, Stefanie, and I had the four little boys back at school.  To celebrate the day, we set alarms throughout the morning to pray every half-hour.  We hoped that this would show the boys that prayer can happen at any time of day (not just before lunch and during devotion time).

I don’t think any of us foresaw the excitement that the boys would have throughout the morning.  After chapel, we all met together in my classroom to write or draw prayer requests.  Then we folded them up and put them in a pail.  I let the boys watch as I set alarms on my phone, and then we started school as usual and went our separate ways.   

Every time I showed the kids my sounding alarm, they jumped up, grabbed the pail and went to our preassigned prayer spot (the stairs outside the classrooms).  Whichever boys I had at the time ran to gather the rest.  Each boy and one teacher took turns drawing a request and praying. 

 By the end of the day, it was obvious that the boys had enjoyed the activity.  Our greatest hope was that they had learned a little more about prayer too.  However, I don’t think any of us envisioned Saúl’s continued enthusiasm on Friday morning. 

When Betsy started to go over the day’s schedule, he insisted that they follow Thursday’s plan.  He actually wanted to get it out of the garbage and photocopy it so that he could use it again.  Naturally, Betsy was excited that he wanted so badly to pray, so she suggested that they pray together.  But he said, “No!  We have to pray with Elizabeth outside on the steps!”

Later when he and Gaby came to my class for math, they told me their suggestion for the events of the morning.  I was also pleased at their desire to pray.  So each time they came to my classroom throughout the day, we set an alarm and went outside to pray.

I have really enjoyed the boys’ enthusiasm for prayer this year.  Each afternoon in devotion time, I have seen much growth in their prayers.  There is something about talking with God that brings out some of the best language and maturity in them.  Please pray with me that this passion continues throughout the summer when they are away from school.     

¡pancakes!

Last week, I read the book Pancakes, Pancakes! to my two youngest Social Studies classes because we are beginning to learn about natural resources.  The book describes where pancake ingredients come from (flour from wheat, eggs from chickens, etc.).  Naturally when we finished, we had no choice but to make pancakes for ourselves!  (We were supposed to make them on Wednesday, but we had a trip to the children’s museum—which was AWESOME!—see Facebook for pictures.)  Saúl knew this plan, and had therefore been asking me about pancakes all week.  I showed him the Friday square in my plan book, where it said make pancakes, a few times throughout the week.  So when Friday finally came, he was ready!

The timing was great.  God knows what He is doing.  Friday morning, a few of our students received some bad news.  After an emotional homeroom time, everyone needed a distraction.  Pancakes are a wonderful distraction. 

Here is a photographic journey through our morning…

 

Saúl wrote out the recipe.  He cut so carefully around the words (Gaby was sure he was going to cut some off).  Then he decided it looked like a gun, so he cut some more.  Then he thought it looked like a foot.  He was satisfied with that.

 Kioney set the table. 

 I forgot to take pictures the first time, so the kids reenacted it for me.

 We tried to make a BIG pancake like they do in the book, but it didn't really work.  

It was fun to try, and tasty to eat!

 We invited everyone to share our feast.  

The kids explained where all the pancake ingredients came from.

If Gaby ate it, you know it must have been yummy!

las cuatro estaciones

For those who follow my 5K endeavors:

I decided not to do another race this weekend.  I haven’t been feeling well this week, so I’m giving my body a break.  It seems that my record will stop at three in a row.

For those who follow my classroom endeavors:

I finally took my camera out again, so you can have a look at what I’ve been doing recently.  It seems that Social Studies class with Saúl and Gaby is the most picture-worthy. 

We’re learning about weather and the four seasons.  First, we compared the weather in Puerto Rico and New Jersey for a week to learn about climate in different places.  We were able to webcam with my dad a couple times so that the boys could see New Jersey weather for themselves.  They really enjoyed meeting my dad and seeing the house that I grew up in as well.  (Thanks D!)

Then we learned about the four seasons.  At first, I wondered if I should even teach this topic because we really only experience two seasons here: hurricane season and a coolish-dryish-but-then-rainy season.  I quickly recalled the countless times that I’ve come across the terms winter, spring, summer, and fall in various texts I’ve used with my students.  I concluded that this is essential background knowledge that the kids will need—even though it is out of their range of experiences. 

There are few better ways to expand kids’ experiences than through books.  So we read some picture stories as well as our textbook, and discussed and acted out the weather during each of the four seasons.  We concluded this unit (with a little help from Pinterest) by making a mobile.  

carreras

Today I finished my third 5k in as many weeks, and I got my best time!  I might try for four in a row next Sunday—depending on how motivated I feel by mid-week.  I’m trying to take advantage of all the cheap race opportunities here before I go.  The races here are great because they are plentiful, everyone gets a medal, and not everyone is a serious runner, so I usually don’t have to worry about coming in last place. 

I really hate running while I’m actually doing it, but I love the excitement before a race and the feeling of accomplishment after I cross the finish line.  Where will I find this kind of healthy and cheap high in New Jersey?