Practicum Begins

Tomorrow morning we are leaving to head for Panajachel. We are spending a week there, the first days being a Spiritual Retreat, and the last few days are times for classes, and hanging out with each other, preparing ourselves for the craziness of Practicum in El Salvador. In El Salvador, my team, Los Ochos, will be staying in a town called Juequapa. It will be the first time this village hosts missionaries, so we are super excited, but also nervous. Our actions and the impressions we leave will shape their mindset on future groups. Since we, the students, are in charge of ALL the planning, it has been a lot of work getting everything arranged, but so far so good. We will be staying in a small hut back in the jungle, sleeping in hammocks out on the porch, and eating beans 3 times a day! : ) haha. They have us building a wall for them at their local school, and installing new toilets in the bathroom. Also we are running a four day kid's day camp which i am really looking forward to. Today marks the last time i will have access to a computer for the next few weeks until we return from El Salvador, so I'm sorry, I'll be behind in posts for a while, but I will try and give a full update when I return. Please keep us in your prayers as we begin this new adventure!

Teaching English

During weekend ministries in Patzun, Janelle and I had the opportunity to teach two English classes at the school Alpha y Omega on Fridays and Monday. These kids were so much fun, and had an honest desire to learn. I loved this experience. In this class, over the 3 weeks we talk simple phrases, greetings, jobs, time, foods, etc. For the last class we did a scavenger hunt in English with the kids, which they loved. Not only did they have to find the objects, they had to decipher what each word meant. Then at the end of the class, they surprised us with cards they had made for each of us. It was so hard to leave, I really enjoyed my time teaching.
Our first class had 5 students, ages 15-18. Evelyn, Karen, Gladis, Hosea-Luis & Mary (not in photo).

Our second class had 6 students, ages 14-16. Claudia, Ingrid, Ruth, Rosa, Kevin, & Domingo.

When the World Seems to Stop

Today I felt the world stop. It is Tuesday March 4th, the day that would mark our final day in Patzun. This morning held many treasures, yet in that many challenges as well. It was our second day running a kid’s program at the school, and both days turned out to be huge successes. The children here have a way of grabbing your heart right from the first moment… and for three particular little boys, they did just that on day one. Alex, Edgar and Louis have been such a gift from God on this trip. If our time here were meant for nothing more then to just be here to play with them, each of us would’ve been fully content. But in the midst of this precious gift, came the challenge of saying good-bye. As our time at the Church this morning came closer and closer to its end, our group began to somber, knowing it would soon be time to part with these three friends. We gathered around to say goodbye, and Alex, the oldest, burst into tears. I watched helplessly as he went around to each of us, clutching onto our shirts and occasionally taking the time to brush the tears away from his eyes with the back of his hand.
As we walked away, all I could focus on was the sight of my feet, walking down the dirt road for the last time, the bright purple nail polish on my toes, and the sound of my flip flops as they smacked against the dirt. Everything else was silent. I no longer could hear the sound of cars honking their horns, or the business of people walking, yelling, and whistling. For one little boy the world had stopped, and somehow, mine had as well. I disagree with Elenor Roosevelt when she said "Many people walk in and out of your life, but only true friends leave footprints on your heart". Some people have a way of leaving their mark instantaneously without you even realizing. I will never forget this time in Patzun, the people, and especially those three little boys. As I leave on the bus in a few hours, I will take my final glance at Patzun, but forever I will carry it’s footprint on my heart.

Simply no words... (written March 1st)

Today I witnessed the most hilarious situation. I will try and recount it as accurately as I possibly can, but I fear nothing I could write would ever do justice the odd amusement our group found today in Patzun. We were sitting out in the field at the school, playing guitar and learning to sing some songs in Spanish. The three boys, Alex, Edgar and Louis live in the house on the school property, which was in plain view of where we were sitting. All of a sudden, a few of the girls sitting in front of me, facing the house, burst out laughing. We all turned in the direction they were looking and to my utmost surprise saw Alex bolt from his house, stark naked, across the field and behind the church. Out of the door comes his mom, broom in firm grip, marching after him. Soon, Edgar and Louis followed, running after Alex with big sticks in their hands. They continued to chase, attempting to whack him whenever they came close enough, around the back of the field. Soon we were all rolling on the ground, clutching our stomachs from the pain of continuous laughter. I don’t believe that I will ever again in my life witness a sword fight quite as amusing as this one today. Even now, I can hardly make out the words being typed through the tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks… words cannot even describe.