Sick

These are the moments that make you realize your worth... Earlier this week, one of my students approached me with a huge wrapped gift and said, "I give you this gift because you are my best friend for teacher, and I like how you teach." It was a big clay mushroom with a ladybug on it. Moments like that make all the complaints I get every day pale in comparison.

I haven't had a nosebleed in a month, ever since I started taking medication. I went back to the doctor this week with the results of a blood test he had sent me to get. My hemoglobin is borderline, which would explain, at least in part, why I'm always tired. My white blood cell count is a bit high, indicating an allergic reaction to something in the air, which could explain why I get sick so easily when I'm in Honduras, besides the fact that there are so many more contaminants in the water and food here. AND, my platelets are a bit low. I'm taking different vitamins and medications and getting another blood test in two months. Please pray for my health and energy - I really need it to teach.

The quarter is coming to an end. Next week, there are three days of exams, two days of mini olympics, and then we have a week off before the fourth quarter starts.

The weather has been switching back and forth from scorching hot to cold, and many students have been out sick. Seven of my 24 fifth graders were out at some point this week. Today was their first exam, and four students missed it. Please pray for everyone's health. It's funny to see some students coming to school wearing a doctor's mask to prevent the spread of sickness.

I am the LORD, who heals you. -Exodus 15:26

Science Fair

Thank you to all who have been praying for me. I was feeling really down for a while, but I've felt much more positive since a Skype conversation with my parents on Sunday that helped put everything into right perspective.

There is a Canadian woman here who is giving watercolor classes to each grade during school hours. Sixth grade had their classes this week, and I got to paint alongside them. It was so relaxing and fun and greatly decreased the amount of planning I had to do. I just added a couple of pictures of the class to my online photo album.

The elementary science fair was today (pictures in my album). It was the responsibility of the English teachers to lead the students through the scientific method to create their own experiments - a very long process, but with good results. One group decided to do an experiment to see what would happen if one of them ate a healthy diet for a week. They used an interview with me as part of their background research to decide the guidelines for healthy eating. The results were that the student was able to run a lap around his house faster, he felt healthier, and his Spanish teacher was no longer sending notes home about his concentration in class because it had improved. Yay :-) Today was a very stressful day, with complaints from students and parents and the responsibility of grading every group within a short time period, but it ended with an early dismissal, so I'm happy.

Another frustration of the week is that on Wednesday, we had no running water in the morning. Having no running water was commonplace in my first Honduran house a year and a half ago, but then we were prepared with a reservoir with which we could fill buckets to flush the toilets and wash our hands. This house isn't supposed to run out of water because it has a well, so we have no back-up plan. Thankfully the problem was resolved within a couple of hours. Events like these make me remember how nice modern conveniences are, so I wrote on my Facebook status that I was thankful for running water, electricity, and hot showers. I don't know if what happened next was God's sense of humor, but I certainly didn't find it funny. The next day, we had a nine-hour power outage, and that night, after the power was back on, my hot shower quickly turned into a cold one, then into a trickle, and while I was still trying to rinse my hair, the water ran out. There was still a little water running out of the sink, so I was able to get the rest of the conditioner out of my hair by pouring that over my head. The problem was fixed today.

Check out my photo album, and thank you for your prayers.

I feel I've been waiting so long for God to fulfill His promises to me, and this verse encouraged me today:

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. ~2 Corinthians 1:20

Keep Praying

I've been hearing back from my Chilean friends that I emailed. They're all very positive about the situation, and it's encouraging to hear how they're using the opportunity to intercede for their nation and find ways to help those who were more severely affected by the earthquake. Please keep praying for Haiti, Chile, Silvia, and Profe Gladys, because they are all far from recovered.
Today I had the privilege of being approached by a student who wanted to talk about problems with bullies, about Jesus, and about the fact that her father is not a Christian. I was honored that she would approach me and happy to be able to encourage her and pray with her. It gave me renewed purpose.
I don't have much else to share except the pictures I added to the end of my online photo album, which you can see by clicking on the picture to the right. Be sure to read the captions.
Pray without ceasing. -1 Thessalonians 5:17