It has been a JOY

This past week has not always been easy, but it has been a joy. I would like to thank Dordt College for the use of their nice yellow bags. My kids love having reading books available at their desks and love their new white boards and markers inside their yellow bags. With a little creativity with shower curtian hooks and yellow bags my classroom is able to run more smoothly.

It is amazing how different each day of the week can be in a classroom. Monday and Tuesday this week were a little rough. The kids were more chatty and rowdy, but soon they calmed down throughout the week. One of the teachers from a previous year sent one of her friends to our school to visit my students and brought them some coockies. My kids were so excited to hear from one of their old teachers.

This weekend the teachers and I went out to eat at a local pulperia where the food is cheap and delicous. After the supper one of the teachers brough clue  back with her to Honduras. The first game was a flopped because Jenn guessed everything correctly on like the 3rd round. The 2nd game was a flop because the confidential envolope  did not have a person in it, but two rooms and a weapon. So, hopefully another day will be another good clue day. It is one of my favorite games so I am determined to play it again!

Saturday, I did a lot of school work and we headed off to Santa Rosa for the day. We went out to eat and I got a HUGE salad. You have no idea how much I miss my salads sometimes. I also tried this soup called Mondongo Soup (cows intestines or stomach  lining). It wouldnt be my first soup to eat but at least I can say that I tried it.  We did a little bit of grocery shopping and then headed back to Gracias.

Alone in the house, Kendall and I, were up to no good. We started brainstorming ideas of things we could do to our roommates. So, we drew a nice picture of a cockroach and taped it to their food cupboard. They have been having problems with cockroaches in tehre so we thought it would be perfect. When Jen and Jaime arrived home we we sat at the kitchen table playing the piano to the song La Cucaracha. The results were priceless. We also taped pens down to the desks (with clear tape) and other things so that when you go and grab them the person is unable to pick it up. Upon arriving home we put an open umbrella hanging from the door so when they opened the door they were hit with it (dumb I know, but what ever woorks to get a little laugh).

Today, I am headed off to the house church with Kristi and Shannon. We have been studying Romans and I am excited to learn more about what God has to say in Romans. I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend! And I'll write again sooN!

A New Year for New Beginnings

Well, to be honest going back to school was not high on my priority list. I came into my time back fairly negative. Yes, I was excited to see my students and have routine again, but I was not not expecting my students to have changed so much. By the grace of God my students seemed to have made a complete 180. Not only in my first grade class but also in my 8th grade class. All the students have matured so much and have been trying so hard. Maybe it was me that had changed as well. Christmas gave me more of an open mind to think of new ideas and implement them into my classroom. The new year has made me a new person.

Over Christmas I went and observed in a first and eight grade classrom at Sioux Center Christian (thank you Mrs. Wierenga and Mrs. Broers). I enjoyed talking to them and getting new ideas on how to teach my students. I am not going to be the most perfect teacher, but as long as I am trying and continue to re-evaluate each situation I am doing all I can to the best of my ability that God has given me.

In my classroom, I run a "card" system which means green is good, yellow warning, orange not good and red go to the office. Well, if all my students stay on green all day I would bring them a treat the next day. Of course, this week they stayed on green ALL day and they got a treat from me. They were so excited (I never thought this day would come)! However, the next day because they were so excited they were not the best listeners. Well, I guess I live and I learn. What works and what doesnt work. I love my kids dearly, and I love Honduras. I know that this is where God wants me and he is working through me. I hope I can continue to be a blessing on my students and I thank God for the blessings they have been on me.

Thank you for all the love and support everyone back home has blessed me with! Have a blessed weekend and I will write again soon. Also, sorry I dont have any pictures to update on my blog...I guess this was more so a blog of reflection, thankfulness, and growing. Happy New Year!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, its off to travel we go...

Well, I am back in the wonderful country of Honduras! The the sun is shining and the birds are singing. It's hard for me to imagine that I was just an Iowa a week ago where it was chilly and snow is in the forecast. I'm back, back to my place  I call home. I am so thankful to be back here where I feel the Lord has called me to do his work. It is not going to be easy getting back into the swing of things and going back to school. I hope and pray that I will have courage and wisdom is this upcoming year.


(Dec. 17) Well, I was blessed to get to go home for Christmas this year and spend a few weeks with my family. I enjoyed seeing my new little niece (Emma) and my other nieces and nephew. It is amazing how fast they grow. I enjoyed going to my Jill and Jena's basketball games and love watching them play. I also had a good time with my family and friends for Christmas and New Years, we celebrated together. Thanks again family for helping me come how for christmas!

A few days before I left to go home for Christmas, the school informed us that we would have an extended Christmas break until the 9th. Already having my flight paid for the 2nd coming back to Honduras, some of the other teachers and myself decided that we would take advantage of our break and do a little traveling. So, on Jan 2, I flew into San Pedro Sula and spent the night in a hotel with some of the other teachers. Early the next morning we headed off to the bus station to catch a bus to Porto Cortes where we would get on a bus to Guatamala. The bus dropped us off on the side of the road and where we got bombarded by many people wanting to exchange money. It was a bit over- 

The Guatamala boarder

whelming but we continued to walk. We walked passed a place that look like boarder control where they asked for one passport and then shooed us on to walk some more. On the other side of the boarder we caught a bus through Guatamala (2hour ride) where we saw the beautiful country side of Guatamala. We arrived at our port city where we ate a declicious meal and got ready to go on our boat ride which was called a ferry...but it was more like a small fishermens boat. The waves were fairly large and the rain was coming down so the captian gave us tarps to protect ourselves from the wind and the rain. This boat would then take us to Belize.

Boarder of Belize

On our boat to Belize

When we arrived to Belieze we asked for directions to get to Hopkins Bay. We got on the bus that we thought would take us to the beach. However, the bus took us to a fork in the road where we would have to wait for someone to pick us up. We were dropped off on the side of the road with a sign that says 5.6 miles to Hopkins bay. We thought and prayed about what we should do standing under the street light. A few miniutes later a police truck stops and asks if everything is okay. They told us to get in the back of the truck where they took us to Hopkins bay. We were so thankful for the ride.The people in Hopkins were SO friendly and kind. It was also comforting to know that everyone spoke English so we had no problem communicating with anyone. I instantly fell in love with the 
place.  We then looked for a nice place to stay and found this hotel right on the beach where our windows looked out into the waters. We loved our place! We ate a quick supper and headed off to bed because we were exhausted! The next day we spent most of the day enjoying the sun and the beach. We also rented bikes to go around the village and see more than we could of feet. I love Belize!

Our little Hotel where we pushed the beds together to fit 5

Our  view out of our hotel

Our new friend Jones

The next day we headed off to the city of Plecencia. This city is more touristy and also had many beautiful beaches. We stayed in a nice little cottage on the beach where we could sit in our hammock and watch the waves come in. We relaxed for most of the day, walked around the city and enjoyed eachother company. It was beautiful! I think one of my favorite parts were eathing supper at the Shak and watching about 5 dolphins jump out of the water. God is good. 


Our cottage in Plecencia

 The next mid morning (friday) we headed back to Honduras. We got on a ferry (more so a ferry than a boat but still small) and traveled 4 hours back to Honduras. I my stomach did feel a bit sick for a little part of the ride because the waves were large and rolling. But, we made it back safely to Honduras where we were bombarded by people wanting to exchange money with us. We headed from Porto Cortes to San Pedro Sula where we caught a bus back to Santa Rosa (only an hour from home). However, there were no more buses leaving for Gracias that night so we spent the night with a missionary family in Santa Rosa. We finally made it home early yesterday morning. Honduras welcomed us home with a fridge full of mold where Kendall and I tackled the mold with bleach, masks made from coffee filters, and bags protecting our hands. You got to be creative I guess! What a trip, four countries in about 24 hours (U.S., Honduras, Guatamala, Belize).



Well, hi ho, hi ho, its off to school  (and reality) I go.....(tomorrow)
I was so thankful to see all of you back in the states for Christmas and I am back in Honduras safe and sound. Thank you for all your support!

Dance, Dance, Dance

My assistant does a wonderful job at decorating my class.

So, its been another eventful week and weekend in Gracias. The only thing on our minds is dance, dance, dance. We dance everyday and Like Jena always says....we bounce, bounce,bounce. (Thank goodness I did not have to teach them your dance moves.) The Christmas program will be here on Tuesday night and my kids will have to be ready to preform. I cannot believe the importance they put on the dance. I have been teaching an average of 3 classes a day for the past two weeks. As much fun as it has been to learn the dance I am ready for the grand finale and Christmas vacation. Anyways, here is a recap of my week:

My classroom door.

My desk, living up to the Christmas spirit.

Every now and then we celebrate a birthday. Last week it was Raquel’s (one of the teachers) birthdays. One night we went to our neighbor’s for pizza and karaoke and dancing, which was a lot of fun. Friday after school the 11^th graders (her class) planned a surprise party at one of their houses. There was lots of pizza, snacks, a cake all the way from Guatemala, a piñata and even fireworks! It was quite the celebration!

And this past weekend the Circus came to town! So a few of us went to it Saturday night, and it was quite the experience! It was the Blue Smurf Circus and you better believe they had people dressed up in Smurf costumes. The circus had dancers, tight rope walkers, rope dancers, and even lions and jaguars! It had been awhile since I had been to a circus, so I was like a little kid, a full bundle of excitement! We also went to a house church for church and gave out Christmas presents to the kids. It was exciting to see the happiness on their face. For sunday dinner our bus driver took us up the mountain to a piece of his land and cooked carne asada for us (meat, refried beans, salsa, cheese). It was delicious and the view was breath taking.

Nevertheless, the Christmas program WAS WONDERFUL! The power stayed on for the whole program, and all the parents seemed to really enjoy the program. All of the students looked beautiful and all of the dances were great! There was a lot of work put into the program, and all the glory was for God.

My students: Antuane and Edy

Ashley, Diana, Rene, Erick, Marcelo, Keydi

Continue to pray for safe travels as all the teachers are traveling home for Christmas. I cannot wait to see you all!!!




MERRY CHRIST-more!

Wow, time flies.

I cannot believe that it is December already. It seems like yesterday that I arrived in Honduras. However, I am still enjoying my time here greatly.

I'll be home for Christmas...(Dec 17 here I come!)

This week has been fairly uneventful. My kids have been busy working on their new spelling list this week and they always love it when they get to spell with playdough. So, I took a few pictures to show off their nice work they did. In addition, the 1st graders are getting better and better everday. I was so excited to have one of the girls read to me and to see her smile on her face was a wonderful feeling. Yes, reading is a slow process, but they are coming right along. I am still trying to figure out how to help the good readers excell and the struggling readers learn how to read. It is a process when all your kids are at totally different levels.

This weekend was a nice low-key weekend. I got to stay in Gracias all weekend and get some school things out of the way. It was so nice to relax and get back on my feet again. On Friday night Kendall and I went over to Kristi and Shannon's to babysit there kids so they can go on a nice date. It was nice to hang out in a home and spend time with Tyler and Emma. On Saturday I brought my laundry to the laundry mat and got alot of school work done. In the evening, us roommates, went out to eat at a nearby pulperia. One of our students (9th grader) were there and she wanted to paint our nails. I would have to say I have never had my nails looking this good ever in my life! she really has an act for painting nails.

Today we went to a house church with Kristi and Shannon. I helped with sunday school with the younger kids. It was fun to get to work with them. There are about 10 kids that show up every week so it is great to see the excitement on their faces. After the house church we headed to a small town called La Campa. La Campa is knonw for its pottery. We got to learn a little bit about the pottery and the people who make it. I could not believe that process that these people go through to make the pottery. THey have the clay sit for 15 days and then it takes them at least 2 days to form the pot, and then they ahve to put it in the fire. It is a lot of work for  hardly any pay. They have such a talent and gift for making pots.