Only TWO more Months-bitter sweet

I cannot believe that I only have two months left of school. I have so much to do, so much to teach my kids, and so much to see. So, I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, excited and sad all at the same time. I am sad thinking about leaving my students, excited to get home to start "really" planning for our wedding and seeing my family and friends.

This past week of school went well. It was hard to get back into the swing of things after a long vacation, but it was great to see the kids again. Every week I have my students write their spelling words twice and then on the back of the paper they need to write me a sentence/story and draw a picture. So, Jossue wrote this sentence:

The men dat is faver of Miss Kily is Luis an Marcelo an Ana.

The picture of me teaching with my three favorite students

At recess I went up to Jossue and said, "What does this say?" He read it to me just as I thought he had wrote it (The favorite men of Miss Kiley is Luis, and Marcelo, and Ana) . I said "Jossue you are my favorite too, so is Melvin, Jossiel etc, you ALL are my favorites." Why didnt you write everyone in the class. He kept his answer short and sweet "No Time." I guess I did not give him enough time to finish his work. The poor kid doesnt realize that I love all my students the same. Hopefully I am not doing something wrong :D

Also, I had chapel this week where I had to give the sermon. So, I had my kids help me where we talked about  people we hope did not go to our school like Pokey Pink or Bossy Blue, or Tan Tattle, Or Yelling Yellow, or Greedy Green, Or Rudy Red. The first Graders helped me with each person and held up the faces. I then tried to tie it all into how we need to be like Tommy and Tillie Trier because they were nice (only these kind of kids go to Abundant Life), and how we need to live with the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. I think the kids enjoyed being apart of chapel and they just love acting things out.

Also, Kristi (the missionary here), her mom, came out to visit. She is a retired teacher of many years and had sat in my classroom after the first couple months of school. She then asked if she could come sit in my class again. Boy was I nervous! She came in to give me advice, encouragement, and help. In the end it was okay that she was there, she taught my math class and helped the students that needed help during reading. It is nice having some guidance and help when being a first year teacher.

Yesterday, I finally caved in and got my hair cut. It has been a while since I've got it done, I believe since August. So it was due time. It cost me about $2.50. Not to bad for a nice trim. A lot of times on Sunday the teachers like to get together and do praise and worship and have a Bible Study (Kristi and Shannon were out of town). So this morning we all got together while Raquel played the guitar to sing and praise the wonderful God we serve. I love being able to sing songs in English and discussing the Bible with fellow believers.

This coming Friday my volleyball team will head to Santa Rosa to play a Bilingual school there and next week I will be gone from Tuesday-Sunday to Tegus for SAG (student anual gathering) so i need to get a lot of lessons ready for a substitute so please pray that I will keep it all in perspective and get everythign ready in time for the teacher who will teach my class.

Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. Love Kiley

Thank you God for safety.

Well, I never thought I would say, I am thankful to be back in Honduras.

Easter break was QUITE an amazing adventure, and we are back safely in Gracias!  We made it to Nicaragua, Costa Rica AND El Salvador even...God's world is SO beautiful and I am so excited to share my adventures with you through words and pictures, enjoy!
Saturday morning Kendall, Amy, Tabitha and I headed out for an adventure we had been waiting a good time for.  We headed to Tegus first, making our way by night to the border of Nicaragua.  We had planned to stay in Nicaragua for a day or two in the beginning, but there were issues with our visas, and we would have been illegally there in the next two days if we stayed there.  We thought our school figured everything out with our visas, but it turns out that because Nicaragua is in the same region as Honduras, there were problems.  We decided to just stay the night and then head to Costa Rica right away, and enjoy Nicaragua on our way back.  We got through the border on our "taxis" which were men on bikes with wooden carts in front for us to sit in.  We then got on a bus and headed to the town of Leon, staying at a hostel called Sonati, and rested up to head out the next morning to Costa Rica.

We woke up at 5am to catch our buses to Playa Tamarindo where we were going to stay in Costa Rica.  Because it was Semana Santa, all of the buses were EXTRA crowded.  These buses are normally packed, but we are talking about 200 people on a 50 person bus.  It was not fun!    We had a few more issues with the border for Costa Rica, because they needed proof we were coming back into Honduras, and they wouldn't allow us to show them our plane tickets.  All of the buses we had been taking and planned to take didn't provide tickets, so we had no other option but to buy their only expensive bus back..kind of like a tourist trap for us.  It was only $25, but we didn't need to spend that amount of money when other buses cost barely a fraction of that price, but we had no other choice--so we bought that bus ticket for our journey back to Nicaragua, for two days later.  After we figured the border problems out, we soon we made it to Tamarindo, which was as much of a surfer town as you can it-it was awesome!  There were tons of tourists everywhere, and the beach and the music just made it really feel like vacation.  We found a surf hostel, La Oveja Negra, and got a room.  We walked around the town for a bit, finding some dinner and then we played ping-pong at our hostel and just relaxed. 

The next morning we all woke up early and went for a nice run on the beach.  We found breakfast at a place down the rode, and then we enjoyed the beach all day together.  We made a mermaid in the sand, swam in the waves in the ocean, and enjoyed the sunshine.  Soon we realized we had enjoyed too much sunshine, and were all fried, oops!  We went back to the hostel and napped for a bit and then we headed back to the beach to play some sand volleyball before sunset.  We met two guys from michagan, Pat and Ben, who also played with us.  After the sunset we cleaned up and headed out for a yummy dinner we were all excited about, sushi!  It was every bit of delicious. 


The next morning we took the 9am bus to head back to Nicaragua. We got off at a stop to wait for our expensive bus back to Nicaragua, which happened to be a gas station.  We waited there for about an hour or so,as our expensive bus pulled up--air conditioning and comfortable seats and all. Just what I needed after a long day of travel.  God is good.

We finally made it to the ferry to take us to the volcanic islands in Nicaragua of Ometepe.  The volcanic islands are on a huge fresh water lake--which seemed like the ocean.  The ferry before had just left and we were sitting and waiting for ours to arrive when I noticed a man ahead on the sidewalk take off his shirt and climb down the rocks into the water.  I instantly scanned the water for what he was doing when I noticed a man in the water trying to stay afloat.  Men on the other ferry had also just thrown the safety raft into the water and one of them began to swim towards the drowning man as well.  The waves were big and the man continued to come up and go under water.  The men were close by this time, but my prayers were still going strong.  Thankfully they made it to the man and pulled him safely into shore.  We later found out that the man had put his stuff on the last ferry to go to the islands for someone, but he didn't want to go to the island himself--the ferry left before he got off--so he decided to jump and swim to shore a bit after it left.  Thank the Lord those men were able to save him!

We got to the islands and found our hotel--The American Hotel & Cafe, which was run by an elderly American couple.  We walked around the small town a bit and found some pizza, and then rested up for the night.  The next morning we had breakfast and then decided to rent scooters to ride to a small beach at a National Park about 20 minutes away.  It was so beautiful to be riding through the islands on scooters, dodging stray dogs and even more cows.  We were almost to the beach, and turned down a road with a lot of loose sand, and Tabitha and Amy fell on a turn in front of us.  Luckily it was very sandy and they just got a couple of scrapes.  The small beach was very beautiful and we swam in the fresh water lake.  After awhile we walked through the park a bit to get to a lagoon, where we wanted to swim across to a small island.  We started to swim, but soon realized the current was way too strong and we would not be able to safely make it to the island.  So we enjoyed the scenery and water for a bit more before walking back to our mopeds and heading back into town. We enjoyed lunch quickly and then took the ferry back, and found Louis, the taxi driver we had met the night before and hired to drive us the three and half hours back to the city of Leon, where we originally planned to stay in Nicaragua.  We had some price issues with Louis in the beginning because we realized there were two Leons, and he wasn't planning to take us to the right one.  All throughout this trip we were VERY thankful for Tabitha's Spanish that we ended up needed very often.  She worked it out with him and we continued on our way to Leon. 

We checked back into Sonati, found a restaurant with delicious chicken wraps, and looked at souvenirs in the park.  The next morning we made breakfast at our hostel and then walked around the town a bit.  All of the museums and shops we wanted to look at were closed because of Semana Santa unfortunately.  We ate lunch at another hostel down the road, and then went back to our hostel to plan our way back to Honduras, since we decided we would be able to make it to El Salvador as well.  After planning for a bit, we got ready to head to the activity I enjoyed the most: volcano sledding!  Tabitha had done it last year, so she decided to hang back at the hostel.  Kendall, Amy and I headed out with our tour guide Nony to Cerro Negro, about a half hour away.  Nony was such a cool fella, originally from Israel, but working in Nicaragua for many years as a volunteer.  Him and our hostel Sonati work with young children and teaches them the importance of the environment and how to keep it clean.  We hiked the hour up the volcano learning so much more about volcanoes, while seeing the craters, and gases being released and feeling the heat from below.  It was like being on another planet!  We went up diagonally, reaching the top in one hour.  The view was incredible!  We had to wait quite awhile on the top for the group in front of us to finish, so we just sat and talked and enjoyed the view.  Soon it was our turn, and Nony went down a bit before us to take some pictures of our rides down!  The ride was AWESOME--you had to lean back to go faster and then keep yourself balanced by using your appropriate foot on the ground when needed.  I was having such a blast I couldn't stop smiling, and I got volcanic ash everywhere in my mouth and everywhere else--I probably still have some in my hair right now!  Volcano sledding was so beautiful and thrilling at the same time, I wanted to do it again instantly! 

After our sledding we showered and found a small rooftop restaurant for dinner and then we went to bed.  The next morning we headed out at 4:30am to El Salvador.  We got on our first bus to the boarder of Honduras and then our next bus to the boarder of El Salvader where we arrived at Perquin, before dark.  The rides to Perquin were so beautiful though, and the air was much cooler and fresher feeling.  We found a beautiful hotel for the night, and it soon began to pour down rain.  Just what we needed after a long day of travel!  I sure do miss it raining often and also thunderstorms!  In El Salvador they only use American money, and we each had only taken out $20, not knowing there would be no where to exchange Lempiras at all.  We each split dinner to save money, and luckily our hotel had a free breakfast, so our $20 was just enough!  That night we enjoyed HOT showers and played cards together before bed.  We enjoyed our breakfast in the morning and then began making our way back home to Gracias to be able to make it back by Saturday night, to have Sunday to relax, plan for school, and enjoy Easter!  Buses were few and far from in between, so we ended up walking 5km on a dirt road towards the border of Honduras, and the mountains and hills and towns were SO beautiful.  We got to a hotel on the road, Hotel Arizona, where we hired the owner to drive us to the border, which was 10km or more, that we would have never been able to walk the whole way.  The ride was beautiful in the back of his truck, and we soon made it to the no man's land--the dead area between Honduras and El Salvador that belongs to neither of them.  We walked through this area which was just so interesting, and 1km later we made it to the Honduras border area.  From there we went to two more small cities and made it back to Gracias by 5pm!  WOW!

God has blessed me with such an incredible life here and it has been so awesome to see more of His creation here in Central America.  I am happy to be back to be back in Gracias, and although I am not fully prepared to teach tomorrow yet, I am fully ready to see all the kids at school again, I sure do miss them!

Thanks again for all your prayers while we were travelling. We could definitally feel God's presence with us where ever we went. Thanks again for all your continued prayers aas well. Love and miss you all.

Hello, World

Once again I went over my week quota for writing on my blog. But, I will update you on my life now. This past week has flown by.  Last weekend the school brought us all to the capital, Tegus. We need to renew our visas. So, on Monday we sat in the immigration office for 6 hours straight. Talk about a long day sitting and waiting. But, it was nice to have the day off of school. We also were able to go see the Hunger Games in the theatre and we got to got shopping at Walmart (my 2nd home).

This past week at school has been going really well. I cannot believe that tomorrow is already Friday. I am hoping to celebrate Easter with my kids. I got them all pencils and I am going to use suckers to make it into a cross. The highschool kids are also putting on the Science fair. So, my students will be able to check out all the experiments. I feel like I had some funny stories to tell you about my kids, but for some reason I dont remember them. I guess two of my kids proposed to me by getting on their knee with a ruler held above their head. Also, for some reason, maybe it is the culture, my kids love to give me kisses. I have one student, Candido, at any opportunity, whether my hand is by him, he will kiss it or if I am talking to him, cheek, I always get a little kiss. My kids are crazy!


Anyways, this coming week is Samana Santa or Holy Week, and we have the whole week off of school. Tabitha, Amy, Kendall and I are planning on traveling to Nicaragua and then Costa Rica. We are hoping to leave bright and early Saturday morning. I am looking forward to seeing a whole new world and a new country.

I officially am coming home. I have my ticket bought to come on Tuesday the 26th of June. I cannot  believe how fast my life in Honduras has gone. But I am excited to get back home and wedding plan a bit more.

Anyways, not too much else has been going on, but I hope you all are doing well. Pray for safety as we travel long distances.

Thank you God for this Life.

I cannot believe how fast the weeks are flying by. Another Saturday over and another day to worship and praise God today. This past week at school went well my kids are learning so much more, communicating so much better, and most of them are beginning to read. Every night, I try to send a book home with each of the kids that way they can practice reading with their mom, dad, brother, sister, grandma, or grandpa. They love being able to take the books home. At times I want to be hard on myself because these kids are not reading like the kids in the states, but I always remind myself, it is okay this is their second language, you would be the same way.

I have some of the same issues in 8th Grade. I feel like I am not being the best teacher  I can because the kids are not doing well in their Language class. But once again, most of my kids in 8th grade have known English just as long as my first graders. Many of the students have been speaking English for about 3 years, so I need to be patient. I hope  I can teach them as much as they need to know, but it is always a process.

This weekend, we made a little trip to Santa Rosa to go wedding dress shopping. It was a lot of fun to hang out with Kristi, Kendall, and Amy. Santa Rosa had two small bridal stores where the person that owned the store made all the dresses. They were all very unique and not exactly what  Iwas looking for. Nonetheless I had a great time. I guess I might need to wait till I am in the states to go dress shopping, which will be nice to go with my sisters and mom.

Anywho, not much else is going on here, I am enjoying my Sunday relaxing and hanging out with my roomamates. I hope all is going well. I hear the weather has been really nice in Iowa, so I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you God that all is going well. Continue to pray for my students and the school year. Oh, an update on Tania, she is not able to go to our school anymore because the preson that was setting up her enrollment waited too long to get her in. So, the school denied her. We can always hope and pray for a mircle will happen for her, by the grace of God.

I am getting MARRIED!

Well, first of all I apologize for not writing sooner. This past week has been a busy week at school getting grades ready for today. Now, it is Friday and I can finally breathe again.

Well, I will work my way backwards in time. Starting with this week, I had one of my kids (one of the brightest or at least knows the most English) be my partner for spelling. We would write the spelling words on eachothers hands and close our eyes to try to guess the word. Some how, who knows how, I kept getting the answer right. He then said to me, "Youre so smart miss." Oh to be smart to a first grader it was so cute. I felt brilliant! Anyways, it has been a struggle getting back into the swing of things after 10 days with Sean, but I managed and am looking forward to another week (after I plan at least). I hope I can keep my energy high and encouraging for my students (something to pray about).

Okay, now to my adventures to Roatan. On the 23 of February, Sean, Holly and Hannah (Kendall's two friends) flew into Honduras. Nerves and all they made it. Kendall and I were thrilled to finally have some visitors. We then headed off to Roatan to enjoy the beach, weather, and eachothers company. The first night we stayed in La Ceiba at a friends house and then bright and early the next mornging we headed on a boat to Roatan. Upon arriving we capture a taxi that takes us to our hotel to check it. The first day we spend on the beach and going ziplining over the beautiful moutains and trees. We have a relaxing night and Sean and I plan to go for a walk in the morning together. Unually when I woke up I was not in the mood to walk. I was hungry. Sean finally convinced me we would go for a little walk and then hit up a restuarant. (Hind-sight Kendall and her friends new exactly what was going on).

We walk on the beach for a little while enjoying eachother company and stomach growling. We get to a nice little dock overlooking the water. There Sean says to me; "Kiley I wrote you a little letter that I would love to read to you, is that okay." I was eager and excited to hear this letter because Sean doesn't usually read letters out loud to me. So he begins reading and I am just enjoying everything he is saying. Not till about the 2nd to the last second I actually realize what he is doing and I was shocked! Sean, is asking me to MARRY HIM!? I couldnt believe it! I responded with a yes still shocked. So, now I am engaged! I cannot believe that this day has finally come. You can dream of things like this, but don't know what it will be like until it happens.

Then Kendall, Hannah, and Holly join us for the celebration and act out the moment of our lives again. Sean and I then head to breakfast as we enjoy eachothers company talking about the big news. All day we celebrated our excitement, we were blessed to get to go swimming with dolphins in celabration. I cannot believe how God has made dophins such a magnificant animal. I loved having them push and pull me and I loved feeling their skin. God's creativity is beyond my imagination.

So, the following morning we headed back to Gracias. When we arrived we checked Sean into his hotel so he could finally relax. His nerves had left him and the "hard part" of the trip was over now itwas time to enjoy. On Monday, Sean came to school with me where he was a HUGE help. He helped answer questioned for the kids, graded and recorded papers, and gave me a lot of encouragement. IT was hard to go back into this week where I had to get back into my routine of answering all 28 questions at one time.

On Wednesday night (last week), we played soccer with the Minerva teachers. I just love being active and playing soccer (even if I am not very good :D). That evening we celebrated Kristi's birhtday. Her husband, Shannon, threw her a surprise birthday party at the Chinise restuarnt in Gracias. We had a great time hanging out with all the teachers.

Well, I guess this is the extent of my life in Honduras. I hope all is going well back home. Once again I am sorry that it took me so long to write on my blog, but I hope this blog is well worth it.

Thanks again for all the prayers and encouragement!


One last thing, if there is anyone who is willing to support a young girl here in Gracias to go to Abundant Life Christian School please let me know. Her name is Tania. She is in 6th grade. She comes from a home up in the mountains about a 20 minute drive from Gracias. She walks to Gracias to go to Young Peoples gatherings every Saturday. Her mom is very abusive to her both emotionally and physically (in Honduras there isnt a whole lot that gets done about abuse). Anyways, there is a family (one of my first graders parents) in Gracias who is willing to house her in the city so she doesnt need to walk by foot everywhere. I know there is a family back in the states that is paying for half of her education, but she needs the other half paid for as well as her lunches at school. If you know of anyone that would like to support or help out please let me know. Keep Tania in your prayers.