Food, Fun, and Funnies

September 21, 2012

Dear Papa,

Last night we had dinner at Pastor Renes house. What a testimony to his church that after one meeting with him and his family I can’t wait to go to their church and get more involved! And we didn’t even spend the evening talking about Nuevo Pacto (their church), but rather just sharing stories and jokes. It was a great evening. I haven’t laughed like that in awhile! Thank you Jesus for winning Pastor Rene’s heart with the use of His now wife, Sonya. I want to get to know her more and hear more of her testimony of her life with You.

Thank you Daddy,

your little girl

A Daddy's Girl

September 19, 2012

Dear Papa,

How did it get to be September 19 already?! I was trying so hard to journal everyday, but as You can see I’ve missed a few… A sweet new friend, Jenn, and I have started meeting at the palapa outside each morning so hopefully that will help a bit.

On Monday, September 17 I had this unmissable ache for my daddy. I miss sitting in his lap (yes, I still do this. As long as I still fit, it will still happen) and processing life together. As I processed alone, I came to a familiar and firm conclusion on the matter: a father plays a vital role in his little girl’s life and there is no room to fall short on that duty. I feel extremely passionate about the role a father plays in his kids’ life. One reason I feel so strongly about the father’s role is because I believe it is as close to our Heavenly Father that we can get this side of Heaven. This seems obvious, but then why does the role of a dad on the earthly side often go underplayed?

I think of those without a father- maybe by the father’s poor choices, laziness, fear, unforeseen death, and a myriad of other reasons- it breaks my heart and makes me a bit angry in fact.  There is no room for messing this role up in a girl’s life. To pretend that I fully get the reasons why a dad is absent in all or parts of his little girls’ life would be wrong and naïve of me. I desire to know and understand this relationship more, Jesus. I want to help dad’s fulfill this role and know its significance. And I want to provide comfort and understanding to those girls who experience deep hurt due to this void in their lives.  I have much to learn here….

Thank you God for being the perfect Father.

-your little one

Portrero Chico- Did you say "climb on"?

September 1, 2012

Dear Papa,

I still have to remind myself that I am in Mexico. Today I went rock climbing with David, Cheque, Hope, and Angie at Portrero Chico. World sought after climbing a mere hour and a half away from the Back2Back campus! It was fabulous. And on our way home Angie, a non-believer, suggested we stop at this coffee shop nearby. She “likes to go there because they use the money from the shop to help the community.” I love, Jesus, when people who don’t “know” You recognize that there is something different about a place and it is because of You.

We had some great drinks and it was with huge excitement to meet and TALK with American missionaries after a full day of Spanish speaking.  Which by the way is a huge trust builder when you are climbing with newly made friends and Spanish climbing commands. 

Thank you Jesus for Your majesty, for new friends, and for coffee shops desiring to bring you glory.

Love,

peanut

(update on Angie- she has gone to church now several times and loves it! She is an amazing girl- spunky, vibrant, smart, beautiful, fun-loving, sporty, energetic- keep praying for her) :)

Faith for Thought

August 30, 2012

FAITH: complete trust.

True faith is much deeper than mere intellectual agreement with certain facts—it affects the desires of one’s heart.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.

FAITH: A Jesus directed heart call, a Jesus directed heart shift. Complete trust in Jesus creates the desires of our hearts. Follow Jesus.

Meet My Class!

I wrote this blog as though I was writing it to my students for them to one day read. Writing this way simply helped me express my thoughts better. I'll tell you more about them as the year goes along. Enjoy!

Meet Sara!

Sara, one of the things I love about you is your eagerness to learn and participate in class. You are such a great helper. I might be learning more Spanish from you than you are English from me. Hopefully that changes soon. Thank you for all of your help in class. I also love that you really care about your work. You are diligent to cut everything right on the line and do all of your work with excellence. You are creative and very forward thinking. I also love that you love to sing and can remember all of the words. You have a beautiful voice. I love being your teacher!

Meet Josue Caleb!

Josue, one of the things I love about you is how much you love to learn from books. Giving you space to go to the library, I find you love adventure. I know this because you find books on Monster Trucks, sharks, and anything larger than life! You always come show me what you are learning and say words in English that I have no idea how you learned on your own, like “monster truck”. I also love playing with you after class. While we are playing, you show me just how much English you really know and how much you are really learning in school. I love to sing all the songs from class while we run together. You are very smart. I love being your teacher!

Meet Zua!

Zua, you were really hesitant about school your first week.  Now, you come to class, put your stuff away, and get right to work.  I appreciate how well you listen and your desire to be a good student.  That really helps me out and the class learns from your good behavior.  Thank you!  You are still feeling everything out and getting comfortable with yourself and school.  It takes awhile after summer break to get back into the swing of things, but I can see the leader in you.  You are beautiful inside and out and I can't wait to watch you develop into the leader I see in you!  I also love to read stories with you and watch you act out what you think is happening. It makes me smile because you momentarily forget everything and everyone around you and your creative mind and endless energy pour out.  I love it! I love being your teacher!

 Meet Abraham!

Abraham, you are a lover! And I love that about you! Your smile brightens a room and your little hugs (that you give out freely and abundantly) make anything better.  Another thing I love about you is how curious you are.  You want to touch, push, pull, tug, and try everything. You love to climb, do puzzles, build things, play, and explore; and you are very good at all of these things!  You love your big brother and your little sister and I love that about you, too! Overall, I love watching you take on the world; it shows me that nothing will ever stop you or keep you from what you are pursuing.  What a great quality to posses!  I love being your teacher!

Meet Camila!

Camila, you are very funny. I laugh out loud several times a day because of things you say. One of my favorites is when you say "ay yi yi" while shaking your little head. I think you know you are funny, which makes me laugh even harder. When you are learning something new you close your eyes and whisper it to yourself. It is so cute to watch you literally store all that information away. You try so hard at everything you do. (Even when you get stuck in the bathroom because the door is so heavy, you never ask for help or complain). You are determined! And yet have the sweetest, joyous spirit about you. I wish I could see and live life exactly how you see and experience it. One of the other things I love about you is you love experiments! On our first class experiment, before I even set everything out, you sat straight up in your chair and said, "experimento?!?" We will do many more this year! I love being your teacher!