tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39384104201557302742024-03-18T20:59:48.866-07:00A Little Closer to the SunshineUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-43558539585716078672013-07-11T14:54:00.000-07:002013-07-11T14:54:34.169-07:00We're Married + A New BlogJust a quick note to let you know...we're moving! In more ways than one. <div>
First of all, Bennett and I are married! Secondly, we're moving to a new blog - <a href="http://tallandshorter.blogspot.com/">http://tallandshorter.blogspot.com</a> And thirdly, we're moving to Seoul, South Korea...in just 9 days! Come check out our new blog to follow our adventures there. :)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-35946279763828963242012-09-06T20:02:00.004-07:002012-09-06T20:02:50.483-07:00For Freedom - Thoughts on el Dia del PeatonLast Sunday was one of those Bolivian holidays that just makes me smile. There is a holiday for just about everything and everyone here...Oh sure, there are the big ones - Christmas, Easter, New Years, Mother's Day - but the Bolivian calendar is also marked with holidays like "Student's Day" (a federal holiday that we actually get off of school!), "Children's Day" (where parents give their children gifts - like a second birthday if you ask me!), Carnaval (celebrated with city-wide water balloon and water gun fights + families wandering the streets wearing ponchos over their wild costumes = Fun!), days for specific professions, and some creepier holidays like "The Day of Skulls" (Yikes! We don't get that one off of school.). The Bolivian government has also been known to plan spur of the moment federal holidays to appease its working class (e.g. Last year in response to the doctors and transportation sector protests, the government declared a national holiday and mandated that schools close for the day...THAT was a day of celebration! Teacher's love days off as much as our students do. Maybe more!).<br />
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Anyway, like I said, last Sunday was one of those Bolivian holidays that make me smile - Day of the Pedestrian. I love this holiday! On Pedestrian's Day, transportation stops completely between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., and instead of taxis and minis, the streets are filled with children playing soccer, bicyclists (more than I've EVER seen in La Paz!), dog-walkers, and believe it or not, horses! It's a day when you are far more likely to get hit by a speeding scooter than a trufi. The only cars I saw on the road were remote controlled. :) (Ok, and one taxi that was just breaking ALL the rules!). It is such a fun day, and although there is noisy celebration and crowds of people fill the busy streets, the city feels tranquil without cars racing here and there. There is a sense of...Ah..rest. It's as though the whole city has paused to breathe for the day.<br />
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As I walked through my neighborhood on my way to meet Kelli for lunch, I was enjoying watching a group of kids playing in the street, when it suddenly struck me - I was walking on the sidewalk! On this one day, I had the freedom to prance through the city streets if I felt like it, but there I was. Habit drove me to stick to the paths I knew. I had practically forgotten that today was a day to take to the streets - literally! I decisively made my way to the center of the <em>calle</em> to take fully advantage of <em>el Dia del Peaton. </em><br />
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And then it struck me. Galatians 5:1 - "It is for freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29164B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup> then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." <br />
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The slavery that is referred to here isn't the burden of sin. It is true that we have been set free from the power of sin and from the condemnation that sin brings. But the freedom here is a freedom from the law and from human-imposed dos and don'ts. This is the freedom of knowing Christ has done it all. I have never been able to do anything to earn merit or to deserve something from God. And in Christ, I don't have to <em>strive</em> to be accepted by God. Because I already am. <br />
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At one point, the law was a burden. It informs us of our sin and reminds us of just how imperfect we are in the presence of a God whose standard is perfection. Christ's saving work on the cross has set us free from guilt, from needing to be "good enough", and from the impossible task of trying to earn favor with God. <br />
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In Christ, we have the freedom to <strong>choose</strong> to do what pleases the Lord as a response of love, not because of the law. It is a far more beautiful obedience. To "find out what pleases the Lord." To walk in his ways because we see that they are good, that we are free, and that he is worthy. To choose the life he offers because we desire to know HIM, not because we are afraid of punishment or because we have something to earn or to prove. After all, perfect love drives out fear. We don't have to worry about the debt we would have owed, because someone has paid it all for us. We don't have to worry that someday soon, the judge is going to crack down on us and say, "Hey you! Pay up!" The anticipation of judgment isn't there anymore. Instead, we have the <em><strong>hope</strong></em> that we'll get to go home. We'll get to see the One we love. The One who loves us. The One who we have longed to be with for our whole lives, before we even knew we did. <br />
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In this life, we have the <strong>freedom</strong> to choose to serve him in love. <br />
And this is the kind of not-just-have-to-but-GET-to obedience that brings joy. <br />
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Has there ever been someone in your life that you actually liked to obey? <br />
When we love someone, when we want to make them happy, when we desire to have a close relationship with that person, obedience is natural, joyful, and unifying. It draws us closer to the one we obey. There is tenderness and humility in obedience. And there is closeness when we obey out of love, not just "have-to" duty. Obedience because of "have-to" may make us do what we "should," but there is little joy in it. We're just living out our duty then. Obedience because of love is because I can. It goes above and beyond the letter of the law to reach the very spirit of it. <br />
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Do we walk in the freedom of "Can Obey"? Do we celebrate our ability to walk in <em>those</em> streets? Or do we just keep working and striving and doing the things we have done for so long out of habit? Just doing the right thing because we "should"? Not because we love the One who told us what is important to him. Not because we trust that he knows the best ways to live. But because its the "right" thing to do.<br />
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We have the freedom to walk in his streets. Why are we sticking to the sidewalks? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-87433743029192651712012-08-26T08:05:00.002-07:002012-08-26T08:08:16.478-07:00The Product Of<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My very cool roommate, Lindsay, used this quote as a prompt for her English classes: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes, and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books.” ― C.S. Lewis </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">She had her kids write what they are a product of. I asked Bennett what he was a product of, and it inspired me to write my own. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I am a product of crashing ocean waves, seashell sprinkled beaches, sunset runs, fields of colorful flowers, noisy family get-togethers, the sounds of laughter and friendship, and quiet conversations of restoration and grace. Also, of some books. ;) (I don't think I can claim endless these days)." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What would you say you are a product of?</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-26975144858940397892012-08-21T07:56:00.000-07:002012-08-21T07:56:07.463-07:00We're Back! <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We're baaack! To school that is. :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">First off, a thank you to all of you teachers who encouraged me that the first year is just plain tough. You were right. Even though my workload hasn't decreased (in some ways, I have more responsibilities this year) and my resources have increased only slightly, I am a faster planning, more prepared teacher all around. I am thankful we are only first-year teachers one go around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"So, how's school?" you ask. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"It's great," I say. And I mean it. "I mean, can you believe we're <em>already</em> 3 weeks in?" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">School has been great this year. In addition to feeling like my stress levels have gone down, I feel excited about what I'm teaching, I love spending time with my amazing middle schoolers, and I see God at work all around Highlands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Some of my favorite back to school moments are as follows...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1) Subject: Science</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Grade: 7th (who I keep accidently calling 6th...oops! Old habits and all.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Topic: Lab Safety</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Activity: Lab Safety Public Service Announcements</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Situation: My students have been assigned to create a simple PSA to illustrate one of our "lab" (ok, science classroom) safety rules. The groups are demonstrating crazy mishaps in the lab - hair on fire, electrocution, playing with breakable/dangerous materials...Guillermo is sitting with a beaker of water on his desk, waiting to present his PSA with Nicolas, when SUDDENLY, he takes a huge swig out of his beaker. Did I mention, "Don't eat or drink in the lab" is one of the rules? As Natalia put it, "Don't drink the chemicals!" Did I mention Guillermo sits front and center? The class dies laughing when I exclaim, "Guillermo! What are you doing?" My faithful students chime in, "He's drinking chemicals!" And we all laugh some more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2) Subject: Algebra</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Grade: 8th </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Topic: Distributive Property</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Activity: Illustration to make the whole class jealous (not really...)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Situation: I am reviewing the Distributive Property of Multiplication with my students. "You see," I say. "Anything in parentheses is a group." I draw a set of chalk parentheses on my concrete floor (the perks of Bolivia!) around Andreia and Matias' desk. This produces some, "Oooh"ing from a few boys. "Would you like to be in a group, too?" I ask. They assure me that they don't. "So," I continue. "Whatever we give or do to one part of the group, we have to do to the whole group. It wouldn't be fair otherwise." I pull out a box of chocolate. "What if I just gave a chocolate bar to Andreia?" I ask, holding up the bar and placing it on her desk. Matias SNATCHES the chocolate bar. "Matias is going to be jealous, right?" I take the chocolate bar and put it back on Andreia's desk. "Yes, you're a group, but only Andreia gets this." Matias snatches the chocolate bar again. I put it back, and him his own. "To be fair, we have to give the whole group the same thing." Matias snatches both chocolate bars. "Welcome to the real-world, Miss!" Luis Mateo pipes up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And then I hear from around the room..."Do we all get chocolate?" "Not today," I say. "Just this group." "But Miiiisss...we're ALLL a group..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3) Subject: Science</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Grade: 6th-7th</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Topic: Background Building for Upcoming Lab - Surface Tension</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Activity: The Paper Clip Drop</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Situation: I challenge my students to guess how many paper clips will fit into a full glass of water before it overflows. The guesses range from about 2-70. We talk about suface tension and cohesion, and I add some water to the cup so it is just starting to brim over the lip. I challenge my students to guess again. "2!" "5?" "10!" "None!" The guesses are in. One by one, I place paperclips into the cup, with the class counting along. At first, a few students are hanging back. Eh...what's so cool about this anyway? But as the numbers rise, "25...50...75..." every student is gathered around counting along. "I knew she was going to trick us!" Marianno declares. "I knew it! Like when she added more water to that cup...I knew she was going to trick us!" :) Final count: 158 paper clips! My kids were stunned, amazed, shocked. I love teaching science. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Today, I'm home sick from school - Blah...I'm pretty sure it was something I ate. I'd rather be healthy and there, but God knows what we need, and I've been praising him this morning for little sick blessings. Today is a half day, and it works out well that I'm not missing all of my classes. Plus, it gives me a little time to write updates and rest. God is good. I will praise him when I am sick and when I am well. Oh, how he loves us so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Prayer Requests of the Week:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1) Health around the world - While I'm fighting food poisoning in South America, Bennett is fighting a cold in South Korea. Please pray that God will provide energy and health to both us and the other teachers at our schools.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2) Bennett is going on the Senior Retreat with his kiddos this weekend. Pray that he will have wisdom, discernment, and the Lord's words to speak into his students' lives. Pray that they will see the Lord alive in him and be drawn to the beauty of our God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3) Pray for Highlands to be able to receive approval from government officials as they seek to make some changes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">4) Pray for our students to see the Lord. That they will know him and choose to follow hard after him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What's new with you? :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Love from La Paz,<br />Joy</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-16274970109872845612012-07-29T12:23:00.002-07:002012-07-29T12:23:48.012-07:00New Year, New Resolution<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Greetings from La Paz!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Summer has flown by quickly, and the start of a new school year is just around the corner! Although my time in the States was short, it was packed with the fun of seeing family and friends, relaxing, road-tripping with Bennett, and getting engaged! :) I honestly didn't feel ready for the summer to end when I packed my suitcase and headed to the airport last Friday evening...After all, summer is relaxing, and goodbyes are hard. Nevertheless, it was time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Summer Recap: <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygW2V9TNWgRYvmtLX1gttfTPqCVyKDur_CdlDkwIS7FuRwhijiTgSJm-3-gG4AYAV79QFFg2kUSRmtA3D423FTgcGOtoZSgVrhJKybgdBOvzBiJyLA8nG0MT-RjChLpKGzgAjtgntWH4/s1600/Summer+Map.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygW2V9TNWgRYvmtLX1gttfTPqCVyKDur_CdlDkwIS7FuRwhijiTgSJm-3-gG4AYAV79QFFg2kUSRmtA3D423FTgcGOtoZSgVrhJKybgdBOvzBiJyLA8nG0MT-RjChLpKGzgAjtgntWH4/s320/Summer+Map.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This map pretty much sums it up…Bennett flew into Fort
Lauderdale where we spent the week enjoying the summer sunshine, kayaking on
Biscayne Bay, celebrating Grandma Teddy’s birthday, and eating Chinese with
friends (And yes, the boys dominated in Pictionary). From there, we headed
north through Tallahassee, North Carolina, and Ohio, all on our way to the
lovely Lake Michigan. We had the privilege of visiting with several incredible
friends on the journey and celebrating at Tom and Becca’s wedding. Finally in
Michigan, we were ready for a few days off of the road. Time to relax. Our week
in Michigan was filled with many games, sand and shore Frisbee, family, stargazing,
and a sunset proposal. I am excited to marry the man of my dreams. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The next stop on our adventure was Yorkville, Illinois. We
spent several days at the Parkhurst farm, playing more games, watching movies, exploring
Starved Rock, and enjoying being together. And then, it was home-again-home-again for me. I stopped to see Sidney, the Swartzes, and Madison (+ Emily!) along the drive home, and entertained myself with audio books, phone calls, and a little car dancing during the 24 or so hours of road time. I also had some spontaneous and exciting mini visits with Arisha, Celeste, Andrei, and Grammy, and Alex and Caleb. </span></span></div>
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I got home with 5 days to spare and procrastinated packing as I visited/celebrated with family and friends, checked out some wedding reception venues with the parents, and did some wedding dress hunting. </div>
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Before long, it was Friday, and I packed my suitcases, headed to the airport, said a few tearful goodbyes, and tried to sleep on the overnight flight to La Paz. </div>
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Back in Bolivia:</div>
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All was quiet when my taxi pulled up in front of 198 Sebastian Figaroa early Saturday morning. I spent the morning reading 1 Timothy, praying, and missing my family and Ben. Although the goodbyes are difficult, I have been reminded of God's call to La Paz and refreshed by that knowledge. I have been thanking God for the opportunities he gives us to give back to him - as Elisabeth Elliot has said, God gives us material for sacrifice. I have recently been reading about Paul's suffering for the gospel and his encouragement to Timothy to "join in his suffering." While I recognize that my "suffering" is small compared to many, I also acknowledge that there are often costs in following God. And yet, they are all, always worth it. What else could I chase after in this life that would be better? There is nothing else that can satisfy. There are many wonderful things in this world that God has given us to enjoy, but none of them can be the goal, the ultimate aim of my life. If they are, they will soon crumble away. Even good things that are made "ultimate things" leave us empty in the end. </div>
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I like this definition of sacrifice - <span style="color: black;">"<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">the</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">surrender</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">destruction</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">of</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">something</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">prized</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">desirable</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">for</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">the</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">sake</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">of</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">something</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">considered</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">as</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">having</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">a</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">higher</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">more</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">pressing</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">claim." Whatever it is that I prize, it is <em>always</em> better to offer it to Him. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">I am thankful for God's call and for another chance to grow as a teacher here in Bolivia. My week has been filled with joy as I was welcomed back into my church community here and spent several days getting ready for the new teachers to arrive. It has been fun getting to know our new staff and showing them around La Paz. Last night, we had a game night with old and new staff, and it was great to catch up with friends who we haven't seen all summer. As it turned out, we talked for so long, we only ended up playing 3 rounds of Catchphrase! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">So that's that. Tomorrow starts "real" school work. We have a week of teacher prep days and then...the kids are back!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">Please pray for...</span></span></div>
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1) Our new teachers - Laura, Kelly, Sara, and Samantha - We will all be busy getting started with a new school year, and they are all making the adjustment to life in La Paz. </div>
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2) Health and energy for all of our teachers starting a new year</div>
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3) Passion for our students to know the gospel + wisdom and intentionality in building relationships and sharing the love of Christ with them</div>
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4) Whole-hearted service and commitment - That my heart will be fully here and that my investment in my students will be joyful and willing</div>
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5) That our students will learn to make following the Lord the goal of their lives. That they will recognize that he is worthy and that they will develop his perspectives. <br />
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6) My roommate, Lindsay, who is having some medical tests done before coming back to La Paz.<br />
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7) Wisdom and discernment as Bennett and I make plans for the future together. Where shall we go?<br />
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And last but not least...my resolution. This year, I resolve to write at least 2 blog updates per month. I know I've been terrible at staying up to date with this blog. :-p I thank you all for your faithful prayers, in spite of my unfaithful updates. <br />
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With love from La Paz,<br />
Joy</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-31145159151132267112012-06-20T13:45:00.001-07:002012-06-20T13:45:10.322-07:00Home Sweet Home<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After reading a friend's blog today, I was inspired to create a list to celebrate a few of the many things I love about being home for the summer...Here goes nothing!</span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Florida sunshine and the colors of South Florida</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Humidity - Yes, really! Even if I do sometimes feel like I'm running through a cloud...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Beach breezes and summer sunsets</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Going to church with my family</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Spending time with my very cool, very talented brothers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Catching up with friends - In person, on the phone, over lunch, through Skype - You name it. I love it!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sleepovers with friends </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Being greeted by my happy dog, Betsy, when I walk through the front door</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Being greeted by my sneaky little brother (who is usually trying to scare me when I walk through the front door)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Home-cooked meals</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Silly American foods - Oh, how I love Wheat Thins. And turkey sandwiches.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Playing ping pong with the family</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Crafting </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Evening runs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rediscovering things I love that stay home while I'm away - I feel like I have a new wardrobe every time I come home!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cleaning house and organizing rediscovered treasures</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wearing shorts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Target and the Dollar Tree - Need I say more? :)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Spending extra time with the Lord in the mornings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Spending extra Skype time with Ben now that we're in the same country</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Getting ready to spend time with Ben in person! (2 more days!) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Unstructured, unhurried time</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thunderstorms</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Conversations with my mom and dad</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Driving around town - windows rolled down, music turned up</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Visiting with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The feeling of being home</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Happy Wednesday! What are you celebrating today? </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-83090326416484193332012-06-06T18:52:00.000-07:002012-06-06T18:52:14.933-07:00Year One Done - Reflections<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sitting
here, listening to the hum of jet engines and the crackle of plastic wrappers,
it is hard for me to believe I’m on my way home after finishing my first year
of teaching in La Paz.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A year
ago, I was somewhere in between – I had graduated from Florida State, and my
mind was filled with a million and one questions as I prepared for the move to
Bolivia. I was getting ready for a trip to Atlanta for Alex and Caleb’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wedding, and I had already booked a flight to
Memphis for my Pre-Field Orientation (PFO). I was confident of God’s call to
Bolivia; I was afraid of the unknowns. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What
will it be like? Will I be able to do it? What classes am I even teaching?!</i>
Was I excited? Maybe excitement had its place among the myriad emotions I was
experiencing. But excitement did not find itself center stage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today,
I am on my way home, and in some ways, it feels as though nothing has changed.
Yet, this year has brought many joys and many challenges, and in many ways,
nothing is the same. God’s faithfulness, though, and my absolute assurance of
his call to Bolivia remain the same. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So what
is different?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Well,
for starters, I will never be a first year teacher again. And I survived!
Middle school is an exciting, emotional, and energetic place to be, and I love
everything about it. Sure, there are attitudes. Yes, middle schoolers do some
silly and occasionally annoying things (Remember, their frontal cortexes aren’t
fully developed yet…). But the wonderful outweighs the weird, and I can’t
imagine my life without 50 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My days are filled with laughter,
and teaching brings out the actress in me. Somehow, all stage fright flees when
I’m singing “The Food Chain Song” to my 6<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> grade class, though that
doesn’t stop my heart from racing when I stand to speak in front of any size
group of adults. Which brings me to a lesson learned: kids feed off of your
energy. Kids will be enthusiastic about what you are enthusiastic about. This
year, there were many days when my classes came in…dragging. Energy was low.
Maybe they were tired; maybe they were bored. It was on those days that I found
a little theatric flare really made a big difference. You may know the
traditional PEMDAS rules to help you remember the standard Order of Operations,
but I doubt you have met the royal Order. On days when my class was “dead,”
King Parentheses, Queen Exponents, Prince Multiplication, Princess Division,
and the lowly servants Addition and Subtraction brought new life to the
classroom. On the flip side of Lesson #1, I learned that if my class came in
fired up and bouncing off of the walls, that was a day to set a mellow tone.
Too much unharnessed energy in a middle school classroom can make for a stressful
and unproductive class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being a first year teacher is
certainly challenging, and I am thankful I will never have to do it again. Many
times this year, I asked myself, “What am I even doing? Are my kids learning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anything</i>?” Nevertheless, the many lessons
learned leave me hopeful that each year I’ll learn new things that will make me
a better teacher for the years to come. For starters, I can now look at what a
school year looks like from start to finish, and I’ve already developed systems
that work well for me which I can, and will, improve on in the future. Oh ya,
and I actually know what I’m teaching! Those things may seem small, but they’re
a step up from where I was at the start of the 2011-2012 school year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some of the most encouraging
statements this year in light of my lingering “Are they learning?” question
came directly from my students. I had several students tell me how for the
first time in their lives (short though they may be) they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">liked</i> math and science and that they understood the subjects. One
student even told me I should work at his old school and that he would write my
recommendation letter. These compliments meant the world to me. When I was in middle
school, math and science were at the bottom of my favorites totem pole, and
because I didn’t enjoy them, I didn’t work as hard in those classes. How would
I have described science? “Boooring…” Now I have to ask myself, “What was I
thinking?!” Today I think science and math are fascinating, fun, and so
applicable to everyday life I often wonder, “How did I think this was so
pointless?” So one of the biggest rewards for me is the knowledge that, though
my students may never be rocket scientists, they at least are developing an
appreciation for the excitement of science and the puzzle, mystery, and fun of
math! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What else is different? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I could have predicted that I would
survive my first year as a teacher, and I could have predicted I would learn
some big lessons. But item #2 on my list of things that are different came as a
complete surprise, and a completely wonderful one at that! God has a funny
sense of timing, and his plans often look very different from our own. This was
one of those cases. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prior to leaving for Bolivia, I
committed the year to the Lord. “God this is your year. I want my life to be
focused on you.” As a part of that, I determined that I wouldn’t date anyone
this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Realistically, I didn’t think
that would be much of an issue. I wasn’t dating anyone when I finished college
and had never dated anyone before that time. So, that was that. I headed to PFO
with no expectations, and although I knew there would be some men there who
loved the Lord and were following his call for their lives, I knew that I was
free to just get to know those guys as friends (in addition to the girls).
While I was there, I met a man named Bennett Parkhurst who liked to play games,
had a good sense of humor, was athletic, and tried to convince me to stay up
past my self-proclaimed “bedtime” to keep hanging out with the group. We spent
a lot of time together in our group of newbies playing everything from ping
pong to Bananagrams, and Ben and I had many occasions to talk and laugh
together over the course of the two weeks. We swapped testimonies and shared
some things about our families and how we learned about NICS. We also laughed
over shared jokes and ridiculous riddles, and when our group went to see <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super 8 </i>on one of the last nights of
orientation, we sat next to each other and kept a running commentary going
throughout the whole film. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we left PFO, I wondered who I
would stay in touch with. “Maybe I’ll keep up with some of the girls in Lima,”
I thought. “They’re just across the border after all…sort of…” Little did I
guess that Ben and I would continue talking every day. First it was Facebook
messages, sprinkled with a blend of silly games, the day to day happenings, and
serious conversations about theology and where God has brought us from. Then,
when Facebook wasn’t sufficient, it was emails. Then, early in August, after
Ben had moved to Korea and I had moved to Bolivia, Ben asked me to Skype one
Saturday. Up to that point, I had been under the assumption that we were just
friends, nada más. That request was one of the first times I started to think
maybe there was something more to this (although there were a few times leading
up to that point where Ben had made comments that left me wondering). I had
already been praying for Ben as a friend, but around that time, I started
praying about whether I should be talking to a guy who was just a friend so
regularly. My journal is also filled with prayers about my simultaneously growing
feelings for Ben as more than a friend. As I prayed, Ben and I continued
getting to know each other, emailing and Skyping our way through our first
month teaching abroad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then, at the end of August, Ben
brought up the conversation of “us.” Broken by slow internet connection, our
conversation is a memory we both look back on and laugh about. In that
conversation, we established that we were both interested in getting to know
each other more intentionally, even though dating didn’t change much about the
day-to-day interactions in our relationship. After that conversation, I prayed
and wrestled with my own questions, “God is this wrong? I didn’t plan to date
anyone this year. Is this out of line with your plan for this year? Am I going
back on my word to you?” I prayed and wrestled and sought godly counsel, and
ultimately, after it all, I found myself coming to a place of peace with God.
There was no “No.” He had continually opened the doors wide before us and had
left me with a sense of assurance that this was from him. And so I walked
forward, trusting that God would close the door or make it clear to us if this
was not from him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Through my relationship with Ben, I
started to learn about God and myself in new ways. I started learning to trust
God as he led Ben, and when certain questions would come up, I would pray that
God would lead Ben’s heart. God is faithful. I have seen evidence of God
answering prayers in our relationship even before Day 1, and on days when I
wondered, “Is this right?” God used reminders of those answered prayers to lead
me forward in peace. I have learned many lessons through what God is teaching
Ben, and seeing his commitment to following our Father in obedience has spurred
me on at many points throughout this year. Ben has encouraged me and challenged
me to grow, and it has been an exciting journey of prayer, trust, patience, and,
of course, fun. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It brings me to a place of
humble praise and joy every time I consider God’s ironic sense of time and
place, his faithfulness, his guidance, and the way he refines us through the
oddest of circumstances. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, where I am today, flying home
with the excitement of knowing, “I get to see Ben!” is a far different place
than I ever imagined I would be a year ago – and it is far better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">More differences, you say? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just another of the many ways God
has shown his continued faithfulness and provision this year is in the area of
friendships. God has blessed me with a wonderful community of women from high
school and college who have filled my life with love, joy, and encouragement
for many years, and one of the hardest aspects of moving to Bolivia for me was
knowing the time I would miss out on with those girls. I first thank God for
these women, and I thank you, amigas, for being faithful, supportive friends
during this year when I am so far away. I miss you all! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">God has also blessed me with some
incredible new friends this year. My roommate, Jess, my
co-middle-school-teachers Bekah and Becky (who both have the middle name Joy!
Weird, right?), my beautiful friend, Becca, my soon-to-be roommate, Lindsay,
along with Maegan, Ali, Julie, and Amanda...I can’t imagine my life without
these women. I thank God for continuing to provide the community I need. I
thank God for the opportunity to walk with these women, learning from them and
leaning on them in the midst of a lot of “new.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, there are more differences,
not the least of which is my attitude about living abroad. Where there was
fear, where there were questions, there is now “normalcy.” No, life is not
always “normal” as I would define it (Bus driver uses passenger flashlights in
place of headlights=normal?) but there is now a normalcy to what sometimes
still feels far from the norm(No school because of strikes = “normal” in
Bolivia). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although I don’t have time to
address the many more differences this year has brought, I can say that some
things do remain the same. I am again amazed at God’s gracious provision,
protection, and daily faithfulness in my life. I can think of many days this
year when I did not have the strength (mentally, physically, whatever) to get
through on my own. But, I’ll say it again, he is faithful. Again and again. He
is so incredibly, shockingly, wonderfully faithful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This year has been filled with
growth, with laughter, with frustration, with joy, with new. And I can only
thank God for it all. I am ready and excited for summer break in the States
(Florida heat, here I come! I can’t wait to put on some shorts!), and I thank
God for the very way he gives us rest just when we need it (because I do). I am
excited to see my family. I am excited to go to my church. I am excited to
catch up with old friends. I am excited to see my incredible boyfriend. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I am excited to see
what this in-between season holds. And I am excited for rest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, there you have it. A few pages
and a few hours later, I am still listening to the hum of the jet engines, a
few hundred miles closer to home, and reminded again of the faithful God I
serve. He who promised is faithful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-42713480023470484392012-04-29T05:03:00.004-07:002012-04-29T05:03:47.407-07:00Bolivian Snow Days and the Latest News<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Dear friends and family,</span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tomorrow is the last day of April and with it comes the start of the LAST MONTH of school and an unexpected day off. You may have heard that here in La Paz we often get what some people term the "Bolivian Snow Day." No, it's not weather related; Bolvian Snow Days have everything to do with the political climate of the nation. We have missed several days of school this year due to blockades in and outside of the city which stop up transportation and generally slow down the function of the capitol. However, tomorrow is not one of those days...On Friday, the government of Bolivia issued a "Supreme Decree," naming tomorrow an official national holiday. Tuesday was already a holiday, so our 2 day weekend suddenly became a 4 day weekend with a few words from the president. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In other news, the past two months have been some of my busiest in La Paz. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here's the brief overview...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br />March started with planning for the Talent Show and packing up our house to move. <br />
It was so much fun to see our kids singing, dancing, and doing gymnastics. One of my favorite aspects of the talent show is that we got a glimpse into the things our students pour themselves into for fun. It gave me a taste of what they love to do outside of school. And they are talented!<br />
<br />
The morning after the show, Jess and I finished packing up our little <em>casita</em> and with the help of a few good friends, we moved across town to our new apartment. We love it! It is so comfortable here, and we feel very blessed to have beautiful views of the mountains, our own internet, and some fun neighbors. <br />
<br />
4 days later, we jetted off to Quito, Ecuador for a conference. We had a great time visiting with our friends Teri and Keith, and on our down time, we got to visit the center of the world - the Equator! <br />
<br />
When we got back from Ecuador, we jumped into the last week of the 3rd quarter. It was a week packed with grading and wrapping things up and trying to plan ahead for the 4th quarter, not to mention Spring Break! <br />
<br />
After the 3rd quarter ended, we were a week and a few parent-teacher conferences away from Spring Break. Woohoo! We finished out the week and Lindsay, Julie, Jess, and I jumped on another plane bound for Buenos Aires! It was such a relaxing week after a busy and occasionally stressful/frustrating month of school. Buenos Aires is beautiful, and the slightly warmer weather and American comforts (Hello, McDonalds! Yes, we did have to buy ourselves some fries...) were just what we needed. <br />
<br />
Then we were back to Bolivia and back into another busy few weeks. Highschool headed out of town for their annual missions trip while the rest of the school continued as normal with some additional preparations for the upcoming Bolivia Day! When all of our teachers were back in town, we practiced our traditional Bolivian dances like madmen and women so that we could perform in style last Saturday. It was such a wonderful day! Each grade learns a different traditional dance and then performs for the parents (and each other) on Bolivia Day. It was fun to again see our students talent and learn a little bit more about the history and culture of the nation. <br />
<br />
And that's that for now!<br />
<br />
Thank you for your love and support and for your faithful prayers from the homefront. I am looking forward to seeing many of you this summer! Please pray that we will finish the year with energy and that God will work powerfully in the hearts of our students in this last month of school. We have seen many students in elementary school and a few high school students profess faith in Christ this year, and there are many other students who are asking some tough questions. Please also pray for our new staff who have already been hired as they prepare for the move to La Paz, and pray that God will call people to fill the remaining positions that have not yet been filled. We are still in need of a high school Math/Physics teacher, a high school Social Studies teacher, and a special ed teacher. Know anyone who's interested? :) <br />
<br />
Love you all!<br />
Joy </span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-14852176306882562062012-01-11T13:38:00.001-08:002012-01-29T05:02:42.487-08:00There and Back Again Part 2It is a rainy Sunday morning back in La Paz. I am sitting in my bed, listening to the sound of raindrops splattering gently on our roof and on the concrete walkway outside my window.<br /><br />I have been back in La Paz for 18 days, just under 3 weeks - 2 of those weeks back in the classroom. But before I get to that...Let's jump back to December...<br /><br />After our Thanksgiving adventure, there were only a few weeks until Christmas break!<br /><br />We spent a lot of time in my classes doing Christmas math activities including calculating discounts and percents for Christmas shopping, graphing pictures of snowmen on the coordinate plane, and finding the modern day total cost of the gifts in the 12 days of Christmas.<br /><br />Highlands had its annual Christmas program, and on the last day of school we had a middle school Christmas party.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>Elf</em> + Playing Soccer + Karaoke + Spur of the Moment Dance Party + Food = Priceless</div><br /><div align="center">(Middle School was definitely the cool place to be that Friday!)</div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="left">After the party, we all headed home and finished packing things up for our flight to the U.S. the next day! I was so excited to go home. </div><br /><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">It was wonderful to walk off of the plane into 70 degree Florida Christmas weather, to feel the beach breeze, to see a beautiful sunset, and to hug Mom and Dad for the first time in 5 months! </div><br /><br /><div align="left">All of the boys were home for break, and it was fun to see them and to exchange stories over dinner. And that was just the beginning.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><br /><div align="left">My break was full of time spent with fabulous family and friends, a visit from Ben and a trip to Illinois , lunch at LaSpada's, a few good books, and more. It was incredibly refreshing, and after a busy first semester, it was a nice break from managing 45 middle schoolers. </div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">Seeing Ben was definitely a major highlight of the vacation - it was so much fun to spend time together in person after not seeing each other for so many months. We met each others families, played some tennis, watched some quality movies, made pancakes, ate Moose Tracks, saw "A Christmas Story" (the musical), toured around Chicago, ate deep dish pizza!, played lots of games, and rang in the New Year with midnight hockey. :) I couldn't have asked for a better break.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">As January 10 approached, for a few days, I kept saying to myself, "I'm not ready to go back!" But by that Monday, as Caleb and Jeff headed back to school, I realized...I was ready to pack and fly back to La Paz. Back in July, I was filled with fear before I left. In January, I was filled with readiness and excitement. I picked up some last minute things at Target, packed my suitcases while watching "How I Met Your Mother," and spent my last day visiting with some great friends. And then...I was off. </div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">We flew into La Paz at dawn and were greeted by the beautiful sight of fresh morning sunlight illuminating snow-capped mountains which were peeking through a blanket of low-hanging clouds. We landed, got our luggage, and Jess and I found a taxi to drive us home to Obrajes, Calle 16. As we descended into the city from the airport, I was surprised to realize La Paz felt like "home". I was once again awed by the orange and green mountains surrounding the city, and my heart was filled with the sense that I knew this place. It no longer held the fear of the unknown for me. </div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">We opened the heavy green door into our courtyard, and were greeted by a <em>very</em> friendly, <em>very</em> excited Diana (our landlord's beautiful, blue-eyed husky). We lugged heavy suitcases down the steps to our casita and opened the door...ah...perfection...</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">Haha ok, so not really perfection. We did discover soon after arriving that...1) our internet router had blown out and 2) our washing machine was on the fritz again, but hey, it could have been worse! We were pleasantly surprised to see that our friendly ant colony was nowhere to be seen...for about 5 minutes. They were SO excited to have us home, they rushed all over the counters to greet us. There's no place like home. :)</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">And that's that.</div><br /><div align="left">Well, not quite. We're back to school these days. 2 weeks into the 3rd quarter, and things have been busy and great. I love seeing my students again, and it has been so much fun to spend time with Jess and the rest of our AWESOME friends on staff again. My parents gave me a projector for Christmas, which has been my fun new teaching toy this quarter. Carnaval is approaching in February (we'll have a 4 day weekend!), and all of us have to watch out for rogue water balloon throwers these days. In the spirit of the holiday, the city makes mischief - one of the primary methods is lobbing water balloons at unsuspecting pedestrians. </div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">On the flip side, after a busy 2 weeks in the classroom, I am tired. Getting the ball rolling again takes a lot of time, and I haven't been sleeping as well or as long as I need to. Please pray for energy and for efficiency as I plan and prepare my lessons. Please pray that I will depend on God for my strength as we continue our busy lives here in the city. I have been praying about what it looks like to make planning for my classes an act of worship, although I am not sure what that really means, and I am considering the best ways to invest my time this quarter. I would really like to spend more time practicing Spanish, get involved with a small group at church, and continue developing friendships with my fellow teachers and with people I have met at church. Please pray that I will have wisdom to know where to invest time and balance in my daily life. </div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">Additionally, our middle school girls' discipleship group has begun meeting regularly on Thursdays! It has been so much fun spending a little extra and more informal time with our girls, and I am excited to see what God does through our time together. Bekah and I are leading the group, and so far, we have just been getting to know each other better. Please pray for us as we prepare for the discipleship group that God would teach us how to lead well and show us what we should do with the girls. We are considering spending time in Psalm 1 this week, and we will be working through some "how to study your Bible" ideas throughout the quarter. I am also continually praying that our students who don't know Christ would see his reality, that they would become aware of their sin and their need for a savior, and that all of our students would recognize that he is WORTHY. Because he is. It is amazing to see how God has already worked in the hearts of some of our students. We know that God's word does not return empty, and I pray that God will make our students' hearts like the good soil that bears much fruit. I pray that they would not just be saved, but that they would become faithful servants of our Lord and king, that they would be dependent on him alone, and that they would see themselves and the world through his eyes, not their own. And that is something I too need to keep always before me "Let us fix our eyes on what is unseen..." </div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">And that's that! Really this time. </div><br /><div align="left">Thank you so much for your continued prayers. I am so blessed to have such a supportive group of family and friends at home and, although I am not as consistent in my updates as I wish to be, it means the world to me to have you all share in my adventures. </div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">As I close, it is still drizzling outside my window, and I am looking forward to a restful Sunday in the Southern Hemisphere. I can say with confidence, the Lord has led me here, and he has blessed me beyond measure. Though I am weak, he is strong. What a privilege it is to walk with the Lord!</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"><em>"Blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him..."</em></div><br /><div align="center"><em>Psalm 32:1-2</em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-25008964162628524552012-01-11T13:00:00.000-08:002012-01-11T13:37:24.863-08:00There and Back Again Part 1: Thanksgiving Break<span style="color:#330033;">Over the past few months, life has been very full. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">This post is to retell the story of my first<em> true adventure</em> in Bolivia - an adventure which did not go exactly as planned. Over Thanksgiving break, (my first Thanksgiving away from home) a few of us teachers decided to take a trip to the Salar de Uyuni, which is an enormous salt desert in Southwestern Bolivia. (Wikipedia can tell you more: </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni"><span style="color:#330033;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni</span></a><span style="color:#330033;">) We had quite the adventure. Maybe more than we had originally bargained for...</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">So here is the long version of the story (adapted from an email written after the trip)...which is actually still shorter than it could be. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Before I jump into some stories, here are some general pros and cons of the trip:</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Cons (I'll do them first to get them out of the way): </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">-I got sick on the first full day of our trip. :( Our 12-hour bus trip to Uyuni turned into a 16 hour trip because of some blockades. By the end I was getting cabin fever. That itself wouldn't have been so bad, but I couldn't get comfortable to sleep. I ended up sitting on the floor resting my head on the chair at about 3 in the morning which brought me a few minutes of sleep in the long long night. Anyway, that morning my throat was sore which I attributed to a long, sleepy bus ride without much water. By mid-afternoon, I had chills, which I initially brushed off as the "sun going down." But, by dinner, I knew I was probably feverish. I wasn't hungry and I couldn't warm up, so I went to bed really early. After that I had a terrible sore throat, congestion, and headaches, and was just generally tired, which put a damper on the trip for me personally. However, I still enjoyed myself. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">-One downside to the tour we took was the amount of driving between each sight" we saw. We spent the majority of each day driving through the middle of nowhere Bolivia (which is beautiful, incredibly diverse, and somewhat alien so we definitely had some good scenery to keep us occupied in addition to getting-to-know-you convos and reading.). The downside was that it took us a very long time to get to each place and we only spent 15-30 minutes at each one. I guess purely "sight-seeing" vacations aren't my favorite way to spend a break (especially considering the long to-and-back bus rides). </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Pros: -We saw some AMAZING things! The Salar is really neat. It's just this huge, sprawling desert of salt that seems to go on forever (although it obviously does have an end!). But, one of my favorite thing was the Isla del Pescado which is an island made of coral, covered with huge cacti that pops up right in the middle of the Salar. The theory is that there was once a huge salt lake that dried up leaving the Salar behind? When you climb the coral and look out over the Salar, it looks like you are on an island in the middle of a huge ocean made of ice, covered with sparkling snow. Another really cool sight was the geysers. I've never seen anything like them before! We also saw flamingos in all of the "lagunas" we stopped at along the drive. I would never have thought you would find flamingos in the middle of the desert, but there are hundreds of them everywhere! Along the drive itself, I loved how the landscape changed from absolutely barren desert with mountains in the distance (no life at all - it kind of made me think of "Holes") to beautiful sapphire blue, absolutely still lakes dotted with pink flamingos to green shrubby mountains with little streams running through algae-covered rocks with the occasional llama thrown in. Honestly, that's just the tip of the iceberg! We also stayed in a hotel made out of salt bricks... God's creation is incredible.</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">-We had several fun moments during the trip including a few impromptu stops in the desert. For example during one of our breakdowns...First of all, we go over a bump and hear this "Bang!" and see a black piece of metal hanging in front of the window. Our driver coincidentally decides that this would be a good time to "get out and take some pictures" (anytime we had car trouble we were told we should "get out and take some pictures"). So we did. Rob had brought along a chicken suit for the Salar, which reappeared during our photo session in the desert. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">-It was fun getting to know our Bolivian driver a little bit. At first he seemed a little annoyed by our group, but he warmed up by the end of the trip. I found out he does two 3-day tours every week (and has been for 14 years!) split up by one day in between. He doesn't get any days off. :( I did get to know a little bit about his family though, and I asked him what people believe about God in Uyuni. He told me generally but also added he didn't really know because he doesn't get to talk about it much with people. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">-Meeting people from around the world who were traveling through Bolivia (A lot of Israelis and Europeans, some Japanese in the groups we met) </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">"Adventures" along the way:</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">-At one of our lunch stops, there were several other tour groups eating, taking pictures, and enjoying the Bolivian countryside. In the middle of our meal, we suddenly witnessed one of the other tour drivers violently throwing his passengers' bags from the roof of their Toyota. After he had thrown the bags down, he shouted a few things at them, reasoned with one passenger, and then sped off, swerving slightly back and forth. It turns out he was "slightly" drunk and when the group asked him about it, he blew up on them. The stranded group decided to split up (one person in several different groups) fror the day, and so we acquired a Japanese tourist named Yuji. Conveniently Yuji spoke good English, and Rob happened to speak Japanese, so we had fun getting to know our extra passenger. Before the group had packed everything up, the drunk driver raced back through the picnic area at break-neck speed, terrifying all of us around, to shout a few last words and get rid of some of their things. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">-Tour Toyota Breakdowns: On the final day of our tour we almost lost a wheel! We sat on the side of the road for about an hour while our driver fixed the part that had broken. Later that day, we popped a tire. (A relatively quick fix along the way!) We all agreed, if you have to be stranded with a flat tire, the Bolivian countryside is a beautiful place to kill some time. :)</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">*BUT ABOVE ALL ELSE...Our BIGGEST Bolivian travel adventure was the bus ride home. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">We had hoped the blockades would be done before last night, but we found out that they were in fact still taking place AND spreading. We settled in our minds that we would again be sitting for a 16 hour bus ride. But that was just the beginning...</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Chapter #1: Getting to the bus. After arriving back at our tour agency, the women there told us the bus would leave at 8 bound for La Paz. We cleaned up (as in changed out of our dust covered clothes, put on deodorant, and rearranged our bags), and then we set off for dinner at a pizza place down the street. (On the way, I stopped to pick up what I think is the equivalent of Nyquil from the local pharmacy). Dinner was delicious. We relaxed, took our time, and headed back to the tour agency a few minutes after 7. During this walk, the wind was blowing dust everywhere, when suddenly...we met our tour director and her sister in the street racing toward us frantically telling us that the bus was, in fact leaving at 7, and was currently waiting for us! We grabbed our bags and speed-walked 4 blocks through the mini dust storm to the bus station. There we were told we each owed 20 more Bs because of the blockades and the extra gas required. We dug through bags, paid the moola, and took our tickets to find our seats on the bus...which was nearly full. Our seats were spread out throughout the bus, and we got on as quickly as possible surrounded by irritated Bolivians and backpackers who were ready to hit the road. I felt bad for the man sitting next to me, because as I hustled into my seat, I was wheezing (asthma), coughing (asthma + cold), and generally looking like I was infected with the plague. (I should mention, he had the outside seat and had to stand up to let me in and other times when I needed the bathroom during the trip). After the mad rush, we got settled in and hit the road. I took some medicine, listened to a few Podcasts and closed my eyes to get some sleep. (The seats on bus #2 were significantly more comfortable than bus #1, and I was actually able to fall asleep pretty quickly).</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Chapter #2:What You Never Want to Hear Your Bus Driver Say</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">About an hour or so into the trip, I woke up as one of the bus drivers opened the door to the cabin and asked us passengers, "Alguien conoce el Salar muy bien?" (Meaning he was hoping a passenger knew their way through the great salt desert better than the drivers...) After a few minutes, he questioned, "Nadie conoce el Salar muy bien?" And headed back to the driver's seat. I laughed as I looked out the bus window and realized we were taking a very different route than the one we had come on. We were driving STRAIGHT THROUGH the Salar to avoid the moving blockades. Unfortunately, our driver did not know the way. We drove in some direction for a while, found a truck that seemed to know where it was going, followed it for a while, stopped following it, turned around in front of someone's house, and were generally lost in the desert for about 3 hours. I prayed that God would direct our driver and help him to find whatever road he was looking for, and at some point when I was asleep, he must have because...</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Chapter #3: Bumpy Buses and How to Push a Bus Uphill</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">The next thing I knew, we were bouncing along a narrow, dirt and rock-covered road. It felt like the bus was a giant jackhammer based on the bounciness. Suddenly, we stopped. The bus had died...or was stuck...or...something. After about 10 minutes, the drivers asked everyone to get off the bus to help push (This was about midnight). We piled off the bus, everyone who could fit behind the bus struggled to push it uphill (I did not fit behind the bus). Next thing we knew, the bus was ROLLING back toward all of the people who had just pushed it! Thankfully, everyone got out of the way and the driver stopped the bus. I later found out that the bus battery has a problem that only allows it to start if the bus is rolling backwards. This became a pattern in the trip. The bus rolled back down the road, started the engine, and sped up the hill. We walked to meet it at the top. On the road again.</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Chapter #4: Bumpy Bus Bathrooms</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">At this point, I decided I should go to the bathroom before I went back to sleep again. Now, no bus bathroom is particularly desirable. However, a bathroom on a bus, bumping at 40 mph along a dark road is...almost dangerous! I started my journey to the bathroom by running into two people who had stretched their legs across the bus aisle. They did not wake up and I stepped over them as delicately as I could while being thrown side to side by the rocking bus. I ran into Jess who was sitting next to the bathroom in the back of the bus. I spent the next several minutes yanking on the bathroom door, which is a VERY tight fit. It finally banged open, and I stepped in as gracefully as possible. I grabbed onto what I thought was a hold bar, only to fall against the door as the window opened. But that wasn't all...When I tried to open the bathroom door to get out...I was stuck. The door would not open. I body slammed it, turned the lock backwards and forward, pushed on it, hit it. But it wouldn't budge. The whole time, I was still being tossed backwards and forwards by the rocking of the bus. I decided to knock on the door, and as I knocked the door suddenly flew open and I fell out. I didn't see anyone awake so I didn't know if anyone had opened it (turns out Jess was my savior...she said this was a common part of her evening, as was being awakened by the door slamming into her as people tried to open it or didn't close it completely). On the way back to my seat, I stepped over the people who were blocking the aisle, and moved quietly to my seat, until the bus lurched backwards throwing me three feet forward where I grabbed onto what was conveniently my aisle, and climbed back into my seat. Back to sleep...for now...</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Chapter #5: What You Never Want to Hear Your Bus Driver Say Part 2</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Bump bump bump. I don't know how any of us were even pretending to sleep, but we continued bumping up the middle of nowhere backroads until...BAM! We hit something and stopped. Several minutes later, one of the drivers walked into the bus cabin asking..."Does anyone have a flashlight we can use?" I was still waking up and heard him say..."no electricity" somewhere in his request. Julie, a few other passengers, and I handed over our flashlights, and I laughed/prayed as I realized...our drivers were using our travel flashlights as headlights for the bus! Oh dear. Safety until daylight.</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Interlude: Off-roadingI don't know when this was, somewhere between or after the lost/bumpy roads stage, but at one point I looked out of the bus window and realized...we were not driving on a road. We were not driving in the desert. We were driving through someone's field in their backyard! </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Chapter #5: Another delay</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">6 a.m. rolled around surprisingly quickly, as we were once again hustled off the bus just as the sun was coming up (pretty sight!) to push the bus. It took a while, but we eventually were back on the road. Tired, cold, humored? (some of us) by the adventure, and back on the road. AND supposedly we were only about 4 hours from La Paz! (false)</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Chapter #6: 4 hours...</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">This part of the trip was the longest to me. I just kept hoping to see something that looked like La Paz in the distance or...something...We crept along the road...sooo sooo slowly. After 4 hours...and more...we were getting closer. I could tell. But that's when...The bus died for good. The drivers tried to restart it by rolling down the hill into the traffic that was coming up. Didn't work. They messed with the engine. Tried again. Didn't work. Several passengers who were tired of the long wait decided to walk the rest of the way to La Paz (about 10 km) and so, about half of the passengers bailed at that point. The drivers eventually told us they were calling another bus. At this point, we decided to hitchhike back to La Paz. We piled off the bus and immediately were picked up by a mini-bus who took us and 2 other tourists to the highest part of the city (At the same time, we saw most of the remaining passengers climb onto another mini-bus that was passing by). We got to El Alto, but we still had a long way to go. Another mini-bus offered to take us to the central bus station. We gratefully accepted the offer, climbed onto the second mini-bus and made our way to the station. From there, Jess and I caught a cab and FINALLY arrived back in our lovely house, thankful to be home and off of all moving vehicles. I don't know if I've ever been so happy to take a shower and sleep in my own bed before. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">In spite of the unexpected delays and "challenges" of the trip, I am thankful we were able to go on the trip. It is fun to look back on pictures, laugh about the crazy experiences, and thank God that we survived our journey through the desert and the mountains (even with some technical difficulties). Things don't always go as we plan. :) </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-49530266693101931272011-11-06T16:04:00.000-08:002011-11-06T17:24:09.239-08:00The Latest in La PazAs promised, a new blog update is FINALLY here! Here is a random collection of some of the many adventures I am having in Bolivia.<br /><br /><strong>Ant Invasions:</strong><br />In past blog posts, I believe I have mentioned our pet spiders (Iggy, Fred, Aunt Jemima, Louise, Ted...We have several.). However, I have <em>not</em> mentioned that in addition to our spider friends, we also have adopted a colony of ants into the family. More accurately, they have invaded our home! Jess and I often see ants crawling along our walls, and occasionally we find them crawling out of our computers. However, for a while, it was one or two or ten here and there. UNTIL...one morning I walked into the kitchen to throw away a napkin and discovered an inch and a half thick, black line of ants crawling into our trashcan! Yuck! The song "The Ants Go Marching One By One" popped into my head at this point, except the verse I was singing went more like, "The ants go marching 12 by 12, Hurrah! Hurrah!" Since then, we have invested in some killer ant spray and we are hoping to get an exterminator out to the house in the near future. As much as we love our pets...We're ready to see a few fewer!<br /><br /><strong>A Bolivian Birthday (or "How I got Frosting on my Face")</strong><br />My first birthday abroad! October 1st happened to be the day of our Spring Festival here at Highlands. I wasn't sure what to expect from the day, but I did not expect my birthday to be a major focus of the festivities. We got to school early on Saturday morning, and spent the first hour finishing last minute set-up before we started our soccer, dodgeball, and ultimate frisbee tournaments! Our lady teachers soccer team lost a game to our 8th grade boys, but we won our next game against the middle school girls! After all of the tournaments, we had several carnival style games and a yummy lunch. There was a dunk tank, bounce house (slightly unconventional...), wet jail, sports toss, fish pond, bake sale, and face painting (my station!). Sometime in the midst of the festivities, Nicole (one of my awesome 8th graders!) came to get me, "Miss! Come here!" She dragged me away from what I was doing, and I thought, "Oh great, here comes the Wet Jail!" BUT instead, I was greeted by the 8th grade class holding a chocolate cake and singing "Happy Birthday" to me! It was so special. After they sang, I blew out a candle and they told me to "take a bite!" of my cake. I was somewhat suspicious, but...I leaned in to take a bite and...SUDDENLY had a face full of chocolate frosting! Yum. :) I was happy to share the mess by giving my students <em>besos</em> on the cheeks. They then rushed me off to be sprayed down in the Wet Jail, "so I could clean up." On the way, I got several stares and double-takes from parents and students alike! My students are wonderful. They made me feel so loved and appreciated on my birthday, and I am so thankful I was able to celebrate with them. In the evening, we went out for pizza with several of the teachers from the school, which was a great end to my first Bolivian Birthday.<br /><br /><strong>Mural Madness</strong><br />Another thing I have not mentioned in previous blogs is that I am one of 3 advisors for the Highlands Student Council. We recently painted a BEAUTIFUL mural on the main wall of the high school building. It is so colorful and fun! I'll try to post some pictures...<br /><br /><strong>Waiting in Line (or "How I got my Visa")</strong><br />So, you know how the DMV is known for its long waits and inefficiencies? Well, the DMV has nothing on the Bolivian immigration office! First of all, the immigration office is essentially a single large room with about 8 different lines to stand in, all for different parts of the process. There is seemingly no set order to which of these lines you may have to stand in at any given time. Here is the general process:<br />#1: Wait in line #4 for 30 minutes to sign one paper.<br />#2: Wait in a different line to pay for signing the paper in line #4.<br />#3: Wait in line #4 for ANOTHER 30 minutes to write your name in an "official" spiral bound notebook.<br />#4: Wait in line #3 for 30 minutes to give a folder of paperwork to the woman behind the counter.<br />#5: Wait in line #2 to sign a different paper...<br />Also, the word "line" is relative. Not always, but sometimes, the "line" is in actuality a group of people standing in front of a certain window. Whoever is able to reach the window first will be the "first" in line.<br /><br />BUT in spite of the long lines, I now have an official Visa! God is good. Apparently, it is getting more and more difficult for Americans to get Visas to stay in Bolivia, but ours went through without a problem. Please pray for the remaining 3 staff members who are still waiting for their Visas to be processed. We are praying that the government officials will have favor on our staff members and pass their paperwork along smoothly and quickly.<br /><br /><strong>Middle School Mania (or "Ice Cream, Detention, and Classes")</strong><br />Middle School is wonderful. We have our share of downs (e.g. Detention), but we have many "ups" (e.g. Ice Cream party to celebrate our 6th and 7th grade classes awesome behavior for the month of October). My classes have been studying many different things recently. 6th and 7th grade are busy adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions these days in math. 6th grade has been studying light, and I have covered my windows to turn my classroom into a "cave" suitable for studyng light. We made "Pinhole Cameras" out of old Pringles cans last week, which was a fun way to see how light travels. The kids got such a kick out of making the cameras AND the fact that we had a "Pringles Party" to gather enough cans for the whole class to make their own cameras. In 7th grade, we have been learning about the weather - tracking hurricanes, watching tornadoes on YouTube, and studying different types of clouds. We are almost done with both of these units, which is bittersweet because they really are fun subjects to teach! But, we're moving on to equally fun topics! Next on the agenda...Outer Space and Forces, Motion, and Simple Machines. 8th grade Algebra is finishing word problem equations and will be moving on to inequalities this week. Of all of my classes, Algebra is the one where I feel most "out of my league" as a teacher. Please pray for me to have wisdom as I plan units and lessons. I don't always know what should come first. I also have a wide range of ability levels (and motivation levels!) in my 8th grade class, which makes it difficult to keep the whole class on the same page. Nevertheless, I really enjoy exploring these abstract concepts with my students and trying to help them think outside of the box.<br /><br />Additionally, I was able to share my testimony in Chapel in the past few weeks, which was a really neat way to give my students an idea where God has brought me. My prayer for my students is that they will see God as he truly is and that they will see the world through his lens. I know that, more than anything we can say or do, is what will change their hearts and their lives.<br /><br /><strong>Happy Halloween! (or "The Great Wall of China Visits Bolivia")</strong><br />Who knew that Halloween was such a big holiday in Bolivia?!<br />The grocery stores have been flying plastic pumpkins and ghosts since September!<br />Our staff Halloween party this year consisted of junk food and games...and COSTUMES, of course! Jess and I dressed up as 2 of the Wonders of the World (You can make anything with cardboard...). I was the Great Wall of China. Jess was the Pyramids. Although manuevering our costumes in the taxi was difficult, we made it to the party in style and spent the evening eating and laughing with "Dr. Pepper", 3 funny fish, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, cat-woman, a ladybug, and Salt, Pepper, and Cumin.<br /><br /><strong>More Staff Adventures</strong><br />Last weekend, we had our first staff retreat of the year. We spent time listening to sermons, worshipping God and praying together, and for fun, playing PAINTBALL! We literally crawled up the side of a mountain to take on the team waiting at the top of the hill. There's nothing like shooting your fellow staff members with paint to bring you together as a team... :) It honestly was a ton of fun! Additionally, our time worshipping, praying, and listening to message was a great time of refocusing and remembering. At the end of the retreat, I found myself thinking about the excitement of celebrating in heaven with my students, particularly those who don't know Christ. It reminded me of the great importance <em>and</em> the great joy of having them know him.<br /><br />Another fun adventure of the week...On Wednesday this week, we did not have school because it was "All Saints Day/The Day of the Dead" which is a national holiday here in Bolivia. Several of us lady teachers took a hike up to the "Muela de Diablo" (the Devil's tooth), which is a high point that juts out from the top of one of the mountains near our homes. We planned to eat lunch at the point, but due to some rain and thunder, we decided being at the highest point around was not the best place to be in case of lightning. A few of us "climbed" down the steep, somewhat slippery slopes of the Muela by basically crawling from one solid rock to the next. We probably would have been fine standing up, but it somehow felt safer to stay as close to the ground as possible.<br /><br />In other news, this week, Middle School has community service on Wednesday and will be going to a group home for the elderly here in La Paz. They requested Jello, so we are bringing several colorful, jiggly cups of the popular fruit flavored dessert to share. It is fun to have the opportunity to serve with our kiddos.<br /><br />Also, I am getting SO excited for Christmas break! We're 6 weeks away from a flight back to South Florida. Ironically, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" just started playing on my iTunes...Is it too early for Christmas music? For the record, I have already started Christmas shopping! There was a craft fair at the American school yesterday, and Jess, Julie, Bekah, Becca, and I spent a few hours browsing the stands buying gifts for friends and family (and a few for ourselves!).<br /><br /><strong>Thanking God</strong><br />There is so much to thank him for. Praise him for the great things he has done! He is our protector, our helper, our teacher. I know I need him to guide me and teach me how to be a good teacher. I am thankful for his grace. Even on days when I feel like I am not faithful or have failed, I know that his grace is sufficient for me. He is still faithful, and he is the one who makes all things grow. I can find great peace in knowing him and understanding what is truly important in this life and the next. When we fail, we can seek his grace with joy, knowing that <em>he</em> is the faithful one. We have a treasure in jars of clay. Though we are weak, he is strong, and he often works in situations that look chaotic to us.<br /><br />When I feel out of control, I often think back to last summer. At the camp I worked at, the first week, I can honestly say, was absolute chaos. We had a really rough group of campers. A few of them were pretty restless, rebellious, and generally mean to each other. On the night where we were sharing the gospel with our campers, a few of them were "out of control" - clearly not paying attention and distracting the rest of the group. AND YET, in the midst of the chaos, one of our campers asked me directly, "How can I know God? I want to know him." What a shocking and beautiful reminder of the way that God works. So on that crazy night, we gained a sister in Christ. This story reminds me time and again that God is the one who works in my students hearts and that he can work in the most hardened hearts, even in the most distracting situations, to draw people to himself.<br /><br />Thank you so much for your continued prayers and encouragement. I feel so supported knowing that I have family and friends at home who are thinking of me and are partnering with us in prayer.<br /><br />Please pray for our staff. We have several staff members who have been sick. One of our middle school teachers is having wisdom teeth surgery this week. Please pray for a quick recovery. We also have several staff members making big decisions about where to be next year. They have to give the school an "Intent to Return" form by the end of November, so we will know within the next few weeks which teachers will be staying at Highlands next year and which teachers God is calling to the next big thing.<br /><br />I love you all!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-86707357142776369702011-10-24T18:18:00.000-07:002011-10-24T18:48:39.684-07:00Coming Soon!A new blog update is just around the corner!<br /><br />Adventures include...<br />-Ant Invasions<br />-A Bolivian Birthday (or "How I got Frosting on my Face")<br />-Spring Festival<br />-Mural Madness<br />-Waiting in Line (or "How I got my Visa")<br />-Middle School Mania (or "Ice Cream, Detention, and Classes")<br />-Happy Halloween! (or "The Great Wall of China Visits Bolivia")<br />-Thanking God<br /><br />The days are packed. :) There have been some very special moments over the past several weeks, and there have been some moments of discouragement and frustration. God is teaching me and convicting me all the time, and I can see God's hand at work in our school. Our students are asking questions. I am praying that God will give them clarity. For those who know Christ, I am praying for confidence in their salvation, the conviction that God is worthy, that they will have faith that leads them to obedience, and that they will know God for who he truly is. For those who do not know Christ, I am praying that God will answer their questions, that they also will see God for who he truly is, and that as a result they will be drawn to worship and trust the Majesty in heaven. I know it is God who gives the growth, and that even though we are broken people, he works through our weaknesses. In our weakness, he is strong. When we sin, when we fail, his grace is shown in our lives as we turn to trust in him.<br /><br />Please pray for me that I will have quality time to spend with God, that I will continue to depend on him and have an eternal vision in full view, that God will maximize my time, and that I will be able to juggle the many tasks on my to-do list. Also, please continue to pray for my students. Pray that their eyes will be opened and that they will see who God is and that they will run to him. Pray for our 8th grade class that they will not feel the need to rebel, and that they will learn self-control. Pray that they will find joy in doing good and not trying to be bad. Please pray for our staff to be healthy, unified, and energized.<br /><br />We're more than halfway to Christmas!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-26963484370831379762011-09-04T18:56:00.000-07:002011-09-04T19:43:22.621-07:00Spring is in the Air...I know it's a strange concept for those of you who are just experiencing the beginnings of fall in the Northern Hemisphere, but for us the days are getting warmer, the birds are chirping louder, and the trees are growing fresh green leaves and beginning to blossom. It is still chilly (as it will be all year), but even a few degrees makes a big difference to this Florida girl! The other day, I was excited to comfortably wear a t-shirt and jeans into the evening. As it is now, the days are beautiful. Sunshine dominates the sky here. The cool air and the warm sunshine create a perfect combination. In the words of Goldilocks, it's "not too hot, not too cold...it's just right!" I have been enjoying some (short) afternoon runs through my neighborhood and the surrounding areas. It's not as pretty as running in Tallahassee, and I am constantly watching for taxis, trufis, and stray dogs when I jog across uneven cobblestone roads. The other day, I was slightly embarrassed when I tripped (twice!) while running along the main road. Thankfully I did not fall flat on my face, but I was close to it. I typically try not to draw extra attention to myself here...I'm sure my clumsiness did not help me to blend into the crowds.
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<br />I cannot believe another week has already passed since my last entry here. The week passed quickly and smoothly. It seemed that my science classes were more "bored" with the lessons this week, possibly because we were taking true notes for part of the week leading up to an experiment (our first official lab!) on Friday. I can't remember if I mentioned the first lab incident we had the previous week, but in case I didn't, during our first "lab" activity, one of my students was so closely observing a lit candle that his hair nearly caught on fire! Thankfully, it was only singed and even his parents found the story amusing. Nevertheless, I chose a lab that I deemed to be pretty risk free following that incident. So...on Friday, my 7th grade scientists examined the mystery of solubility using colored sugar mixed with oil, water, and rubbing alcohol. It went really well, and I think the class really enjoyed it. (They've asked me LITERALLY every day, "Miss, are we doing a lab today?!" It was fun to finally say, "Yes!")
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<br />On the math side of things, my 8th graders have been learning about exponents and scientific notation this week, and my 6th and 7th graders have both been working with integer operations For 6th grade this is new, but for 7th grade this should be a review. Unfortunately, my classes are really struggling with the concept of adding and subtracting integers, and I am running out of ways to reinforce and re-explain it. We've spent longer here than I intended, but I am hopeful that the extra practice and extra time will help my students to understand this more clearly in the long run.
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<br />Outside of school, we had some fun eating and chatting at our girl's Bible study on Wednesday night and on Friday, we celebrated a birthday with desserts and games. I found a store in the Megacenter that reminds me of a Pottery Barn meets Pier One, and I couldn't resist buying a few new towels for our kitchen and a cute change purse to carry around all of the coins I use to travel around town (I've been using a plastic bag up to this point, so the change purse is a major improvement.).
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<br />My weekend has been incredibly relaxing, due largely to the fact that today I did not leave my house and tomorrow...there is no school! Today was an official "Pedestrian's Day" in La Paz, which meant that all vehicles were supposed to be off the roads. We heard rumors that some taxis and trufis were going to head to the streets anyway...Anyway, the lack of public transportation meant that Jess and I had the option of 1) walking several miles up a mountain to church which may or may not have been held this morning, or 2) staying home in our pajamas and listening to sermons. #2 won out this time. :) Yesterday, we had a fun afternoon of dinner and grocery shopping, which also included "groceries" such as picture frames and a mirror for Jess. It was fun to buy a few things to decorate our little casita and when we got home, I put pictures into frames, dug out some of the few decorations I brought along, and made my room feel a little more like home.
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<br />Afterwards, I spent the evening drawing, which is something I haven't done since I've been here (unless it was school related.). The combination of these simple joys has been really refreshing, and I am so thankful we have had just a little extra time this weekend.
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<br />I've also been really refreshed in my time with God this weekend. I've spent a lot of time with him, and have been remembering and experiencing the peace and happiness intimacy with him brings. I have a lot of reasons to praise him, and I've been enjoying learning from him this weekend. Although I don't know what it will always look like, I know that God has brought me here to refine me and to serve him. I hope to be faithful to his calling for me here each day.
<br />Which reminds me of a verse I am memorizing with a good friend: "Each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10) God has also been reminding me of the importance, the challenge, and the beauty of surrendering all of our lives to him. Please pray that I will listen and obey as God teaches me and that I will continually trust God without fear as I hold out my life before him. God is a good and faithful Father who provides us with all we need and more. Now...if only I could remember that every day. :)
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<br />Please pray for wisdom as I plan lessons this week and for my students to understand the concepts we are working on in class. More importantly though, please pray that my students are convinced of God's love for them and that those who have a relationship with Jesus have confidence in their salvation. Pray that our middle schoolers see the worthiness of a life surrendered to our Lord and Savior, and that they are not caught up in chasing after temporary things that the world has to offer.
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<br /><div align="center"><em>Turn your eyes upon Jesus,</em></div>
<br /><div align="center"><em>Look full in his wonderful face,</em></div>
<br /><div align="center"><em>and the things of earth will grow strangely dim</em></div>
<br /><div align="center"><em>In the light of his Glory and Grace</em>. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-64435544201251618162011-08-28T10:01:00.000-07:002011-08-28T11:35:55.437-07:00Life in La Paz - Day 33As I sit in our kitchen eating a burger and quinoa for lunch this Sunday afternoon, it is hard for me to believe it has <em>only </em>and <em>already</em> been 33 days since I left sunny summer in South Florida to move to the sunny, but much chillier, mountains of Bolivia. Since week 1, my days have been packed with the responsibilities of teaching. Lesson planning and grading have taken a lot of my time, but I've also had several chances to relax and have fun with other teachers from school. Game nights, watching <em>Mr. Popper's Penguins</em> in Spanish at the Megacenter (our local equivalent of the mall), Bible study, ultimate frisbee, and several meals in and out have filled some of the small windows of free time I have here. Each week, we get to know our way around a little bit better, and last weekend I had fun exploring the shops of San Miguel and getting "lost" on a minibus that was not heading to its specified destination...(After 5 minutes of me riding the bus as the only remaining passenger, the driver asked me where I was going. I told him my destination. He proceeded to tell me that the bus was not, in fact, heading to Obrajes, and he subsequently took the "Obrajes" sign out of the window. I apologized for my mistake...) :)
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<br />School itself has been very busy and very fun. I am teaching 5 classes altogether right now. I have my 6th and 7th graders for both math and science each day, and I see 8th grade once a day for Algebra. Each of the classes has a "unique" personality, and it has been fun to get to know the students in each group. There are days when I feel overwhelmed or confused about how and what I should do in the classroom, but God has been calling me to depend on him to teach<em> me</em> how to teach all of my students. Along those lines, I have been thinking a lot on these verses from Isaiah over the past few weeks: "In repentence and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength...Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are those who wait for him...Whether you turn to the right or the left you will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way, walk in it.'"
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<br />Thank you all for your many prayers on my behalf. God has been so faithful to me here. My roommate and I have been healthy and, even with some minor inconveniences, life has been settling into a steady routine. A typical day for me is...
<br />5:40 a.m. - Wake up and get ready for school
<br />6:45 a.m. - Brush my teeth with bottled water
<br />7:00 a.m. - Meet our taxi on the street in front of our house (Mario takes us to school every morning)
<br />7:15 a.m. - Get to school, drop things off in my classroom, print worksheets or make copies in the teacher's lounge as necessary, review the schedule for the day
<br />7:45 a.m. - Morning staff Bible study - This is a pretty cool way to start the school day. :)
<br />8:00 a.m. - Back to the classroom for last minute prep
<br />8:15 a.m. - A "warning bell" is supposed to remind the kids it's time for class...The warning bell is usually me or Ms. Youtzy calling all of the students to head to class
<br />8:20 a.m. - Time for class! I start the day with 15 super 6th graders!
<br />3:00 p.m. - Whew...the kids head home after a busy day of class.
<br />3:45 or 4:00 p.m. - I head home with my roommate Jess and our neighbor, Jill.
<br />After 4:00 p.m. - My afternoons are usually composed of getting things ready for school, making dinner, and catching up with friends or family. We have Bible study on Wednesday nights, and sometimes we have a movie night or dinner with friends. Other afternoons are filled with visa and immigration business, and next week, I am planning to start Spanish lessons with 2 other teachers from school one day a week.
<br />9:30 p.m. - Get ready for bed...The day starts and ends early for us teachers!
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<br />My roommate and I have been going to a Bolivian church that meets at the school each Sunday, and it has been fun to worship God in Spanish and I have really enjoyed the messages each week. The pastor is preaching through the book of Genesis right now, and today's message was about Jacob and Esau.
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<br />So...one month in, I still am awed by the mountains that rise all around us as I step outside each morning, I still can't remember how much it costs for a trufi, and I still smile everytime our landlord's dog, Diana, greets us at the front door (and when she sneaks into our house!). There are still so many lessons still to be learned and so many places to be explored.
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<br />As you pray for me, please pray for continued health and energy. Please ask God to give me wisdom and discernment as I plan lessons and deal with the different personalities and needs of my students. Many of our middle schoolers do not know Jesus and have a lot of questions. Please pray that they will see Christ genuinely at work in the lives of their teachers and that they would have a desire to know God. We also have a few new teachers who will be arriving to the school in the next few weeks. Please pray for them as they finalize their plans for the move and begin the transition to Bolivia.
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<br />And, finally, please keep me posted on life in the states! Shoot me a message to tell me what's new with you. :)
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<br />With love from La Paz,
<br />Joy
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<br />33 days and counting!
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-9530497791936111662011-07-31T17:26:00.000-07:002011-07-31T18:51:55.315-07:00Life in La PazAt 8:30 p.m., my 6th day in La Paz is winding to a close. It has been a fun, busy, occasionally overwhelming week of new places and new faces. I won't go into all of the details, but I will give you an overview of what my life has been like here so far.<br /><br />We arrived in La Paz around 9:30 p.m. last Monday night. After finding our luggage and figuring out how to retrieve my roommate Jess' lost suitcase, we headed through customs. My bag was searched, and I wondered what the customs officials must think about my box of 20 gluesticks, igneous rock kit, and "Atlas of the Human Body" book. I'm sure it's not what every suitcase looks like!<br /><br />After making it through customs, we all met two wonderful new friends, Scott and Sarah, who have been our orientation guides for the week. We piled 7 people and several hundred pounds of luggage into a van and began the descent into La Paz. The city lights sparkled below us as we rounded the corner from the airport, and we looked out over the sprawling city that we now call "home". I watched everything in wonder as we drove through downtown streets, passing lines of people waiting for...what? I was delighted by the Spanish phrases that appeared on street signs and billboards. I marvelled to see women dressed in traditional Bolivian attire walking the city streets going...where? My mind was filled with questions, and as we drove, it felt like a movie passing before my eyes, or maybe a dream. We were really here, but were we really?<br /><br />Finally, we arrived at our new <em>casita</em>. Jess and I live in a little house with a living room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom. There is a terra cotta tile floor in the living room and kitchen, and creaky wood floors in our bedrooms and the hallway. We share a small yard (rare in La Paz!) and courtyard with our neighbors Jill and Lucas (Jill works at the school too!) and our landlord, Christian. I will post pictures of the house in the near future!<br /><br />That first night, Jess and I chose our bedrooms and headed off to dreamland knowing that the next morning would be early and busy.<br /><br />The very first morning in La Paz, Jess and I had a mission - Find and catch a cab to Casa Grande, Calacota. But...before we could catch a cab, we had to figure out how to get out of our front gate! You would think for 2 teachers, something so simple would not be a problem, but it was only with the help of our friendly neighbor Jill that we even made it to the street corner to hail a taxi. :)<br /><br />The next few days were filled with explorations of La Paz. Sarah and Scott showed us where to buy groceries, where to withdraw money from an atm, where to get good coffee...They also helped us to buy cell phones from the marketplace and register them with the Bolivian government. We got a tour of the school, we learned how to ride on various forms of transportation, took a tour of the city, and we even had a barbeque/game night! (And somewhere in the middle of that, we found time to unpack.) On Friday morning, we had a mini retreat about 45 minutes outside of the city, which was followed by a "test" of our ability to get around the city. Sarah sent us on a scavenger hunt to find various places and things in La Paz. It was quite an adventure! Bekah and I were on a team together, and we learned many important things on the hunt, 2 of which are...#1: Most Bolivians are friendly when you ask them for directions, #2: Most Bolivians do not give accurate directions. (Bekah and I ended up doing a LOT of walking.)<br /><br />Here was the basic scenario...<br />Me or Bekah: "Where is the Central Post Office from here?"<br />Kind Bolivian #1: "Oh, it's 4 blocks from here to the left."<br />Me or Bekah: "Thank you! Hasta luego!"<br />*7 blocks later*<br />Me or Bekah: "Where is the Central Post Office from here?"<br />Kind Bolivian #2: "It's 4 blocks from here, go down to the next street and to the left."<br />Me or Bekah: "Thank you! Ciao!"<br />*5 blocks later*<br />Me or Bekah: "Where is the Central Post Office from here?"<br />...And so on. :) We did, after several questions, and several blocks reach the destinations on our list!<br /><br />Overall, this week has been tiring, exciting, fun, and overwhelming. There were some moments toward the beginning of the week where I felt so exhausted and uncomfortable in my new home, and there were some early tears. But in spite of our chilly house (This morning, I wore 4 layers and gloves in my bedroom!) and other less convenient aspects of living in La Paz, God has been faithfully encouraging me, strengthening me, and reminding me of his call to be here. I have been getting used to the challenges and laughing my way through the truly minor inconveniences of our new home. Each day, we are faced with new scenarios and each day we are making La Paz more like home as we work through the difficult, AND the wonderful parts of living here.<br /><br />Today was an beautiful day in the city. Sarah and I drove up to the school where a Bolivian church service is held. I was encouraged and amazed to be able to understand the message! The mountains and the city sprawled out below us, and I was reminded again that I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing such majestic mountains as we commute to and from work, walk to the grocery store, and watch our students play futbol on the school field. On the way back, we witnessed several families and a herd of people in zebra costumes (with giant sunglasses!) painting a wall alongside of the road with colorful mountain scenes (in La Paz, friendly Zebras help you cross the street...they are so funny! Apparently there are donkeys who mock you if you cross the street incorrectly, but I haven't seen any of those!).Our internet wasn't working, so instead of writing this earlier, I did some laundry (handwashed...our machine currently washes the ground instead of our clothes!), went outside and read a book in the mid-afternoon sunshine. I could hear music in the distance, and as I read, the sound of horns and tamborines drew steadily closer. I put down my book to see what was happening. Just around the corner from our house, a parade was walking by, complete with Bolivian dancers and brass bands. I was told the celebration was for el 14 de Septiembre, a day of revolution (I need to learn more specifics!). It made my day! And tonight, Jess and I cooked our first home meal on our old-fashioned gas stove. Deliciosa!<br /><br />Now that week one is coming to a close, it's about time to get down to business. Tomorrow is the start of our "Work Week" at school. Please pray for all of us new and old teachers to be productive and to follow God's leading as we set up, plan, and prepare for the new school year. Please pray for continued adjustment to our new home and for health and rest (several of our new and old teachers have been fighting colds and altitude sickness). Please pray that a new teacher, Maegan, is able to have her supplies and luggage shipped prior to the start of the school year (she was unable to check her bags, and has been living out of her carry-ons!). Finally, please pray for our students that they would come to school ready to learn with open hearts and that God would begin to do a good work in them.<br /><br />Thank you for your prayers and encouragement in this time of transition. I have felt so loved and supported by all of my faithful friends and family. God is answering your prayers. :)<br /><br />There is so much more I could say, but it would take pages and pages and hours and hours to tell it all. I hope that this (relatively!) brief summary of the week gives you a little taste of what life is like in La Paz. I assure you, there will be much more to come!<br /><br />*Note: Uploading pictures is posing some difficulty tonight. I'll try to put some up ASAP.<br /><br />Love from La Paz,<br />JoyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-49307615586271920492011-07-25T04:51:00.000-07:002011-07-25T05:12:15.354-07:00It's Here<div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#6600cc;">Today is moving day! </span></div><br />There are so many thoughts and emotions running through me this morning - <span style="color:#ff9900;">excitement</span>, <span style="color:#3333ff;">sadness</span>, <span style="color:#ff6666;">"Am I forgetting something important?"</span> and, <span style="color:#009900;">"Boy did I have some weird dreams last night!"</span><br /><br />My bags are packed (minus a few carry-on items...e.g. my laptop). I think they're under the weight limit (barely!). And in a few hours, I will be driving South to Miami to fly even farther South to...La Paz!<br /><br />My friends and family have all been incredibly encouraging this week. God has used their words to spur me on and build me up as I start out on this new journey. Thank you all!<br /><br />So, once I'm settled into my new apartment (?) or condo (?), and once I figure out how to use our internet, I'll be sure to post an update to let you all know just what Bolivia is like!<br /><br />Here are a few other thoughts running through my mind this morning...<br /><em><span style="color:#000066;">"Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#000066;">Naught be all else to me save that Thou art.</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#000066;">Thou my best thought, by day or by night,</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#000066;">Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light."</span></em><br />(We sung this at church yesterday. Talk about perspective!)<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."</span></em><br />-Corrie Ten Boom (if you don't know who she is, Google her!)<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#003333;">"We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."</span> </em>-2 Corinthias 4:7<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#006600;">"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."</span></em><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#6600cc;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#6600cc;">0 days 'til departure!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-75389910754104318792011-07-17T19:17:00.000-07:002011-07-18T05:08:01.246-07:00One Week<div align="center"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">In one week, on <strong><span style="color:#006600;">Monday, July 25</span></strong> at 2:00 p.m., I will be boarding a plane in Miami and flying to the Bolivian <em>altiplano </em>(high plains). It's hard to believe it's coming so fast!</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Just over a week ago, I got back from my 2 week Pre-field Orientation (PFO) in Southaven, Mississippi. Two weeks may sound like a long time to sit through dozens of sessions about transitions, assessment, and culture - and it was - but I had so much fun that the time actually flew by. </span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;">There we were, 80 or so teachers getting ready to jet off to schools around the world (literally!), staying in high school classrooms on creaky cots. Our days were filled with sessions to prepare us for our journeys ahead, and our evenings were filled with pick-up games of volleyball and soccer and whatever else came our way. Over 2 weeks, we played more card/board games than I've played all year! We even got to go to a <em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Red Birds</span></em> minor league baseball game in Memphis. (They won!) We watched <span style="color:#ff0000;">f<span style="color:#000099;">i</span>r<span style="color:#000099;">e</span>w<span style="color:#000099;">o</span>r<span style="color:#000099;">k</span>s</span> and <em>Super 8</em> in our spare time, and I got to know an amazing group of fun, talented teachers who God is calling to <span style="color:#3333ff;">Korea</span>, <span style="color:#ff6600;">Indonesia</span>, <span style="color:#6600cc;">Ghana</span>, <span style="color:#003333;">Peru</span>, <span style="color:#cc0000;">Venezuela</span>, <span style="color:#993399;">Suriname</span>, <span style="color:#009900;">Turkey</span>, and...the list could go on! </span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;">In the actual orientation part of PFO, we explored how different cultures interact with one another, and identified areas that could create conflict as a result of cultural misunderstandings. We took several personality tests and inventories to learn how we work in groups and how we deal with conflict. It as eye-opening to step back and think about my own tendencies. Some sessions dealt with our safety on the field, and some sessions dealt with the stages of transition we will experience as we move to a new country. </span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;">One of the highlights of the orientation was meeting our school director (Scott Frost), the other new teachers who will be going to La Paz, and a veteran teacher (Alison, that's you!) who has been teaching at Highlands for 4 years! Alison and Scott gave us the inside scoop about life in La Paz, and Alison gave us some lessons on cultural norms...like the proper way to greet strangers and close friends. We have a great team. I already feel really connected to my four new friends, and I am so excited to work with them this school year. </span></div><br /><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><strong>Here we are!</strong></span></div><br /><p><span style="font-family:georgia;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 335px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 281px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630653941725374770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0AEKeUkBRb117zabKBL0nzRQ8ZxhRYaIEFEbqTKlPVsw9z93UpFBKkt3SO_Qt_wdU6eDup0lLDJQXfm-AMHuRj9hvarATVSs-XP9FKSB1fgK6bLSF5MZ9HoebllhuqpU9bXpn5B0zcY/s200/P6230046.JPG" /></span></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><strong><span style="color:#6600cc;">Maegan</span>, <span style="color:#33cc00;">Becca</span>, <span style="color:#339999;">Julie</span>, <span style="color:#ff6666;">Alison</span>, and <span style="color:#cc66cc;">Me</span></strong></span></p><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;">*Please pray for these girls as they get ready to move. We're all in the packing and goodbye stages of this journey, which can be stressful, exciting, and sad all at the same time. Also, please pray that our whole team of teachers (new and old) at Highlands will be united with the same mindset and love and grace for each other this year, and that the trip to La Paz will go smoothly and safely for all of us. </span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Another highlight of PFO was learning <strong><span style="color:#ff6600;">how NICS was started</span></strong>, and how God is working through its schools around the world. You should go read about it. :)<strong> </strong></span><a href="http://nics.org/history"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><strong>http://nics.org/history</strong></span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><strong> </strong></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;">It's not the whole story, but it gives you a basic idea of how NICS became what it is today. </span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;">This quote pretty much sums it up: </span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#003333;"><em>"This was not originally intended to be a global plan to reach the world, but God's heart for the world pushed us forward, as he opened our eyes to what he was doing in our midst."</em></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;">And that's pretty awesome if you ask me. </span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#006600;"><strong>7 days and counting!</strong></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-32372592395523747772011-06-26T20:29:00.001-07:002011-06-26T21:04:55.766-07:00Counting DownWell...with each passing day, the distance between me and La Paz shrinks. As of yesterday, I'm at the one month mark. It feels like it's coming fast! Yikes!<br /><br />Tomorrow I leave for my 2 week Pre-field Orientation in Mississippi. At the orientation we will have several seminar-style classes to teach us about some of the different issues we will face in our schools and the issues we will face as we move abroad. Some of the titles on our schedule include, <em>Safety: At home, at school</em>, <em>Third Culture Kids </em>(referring to students who are expatriates), and <em>Learning to Adapt</em>. Plus, I'll get to meet some of the new teachers I'll be working with next year. I'm really looking forward to that!<br /><br />As a whole, I am feeling pretty apprehensive about teaching this fall. I'm so excited to be a teacher, but so much of this is new to me! I feel like I'm learning a lot as I go...I've been taking a lot of fears to God in my prayers lately. *<br /><br />And on that note, I do have a few prayer requests this time around. Please pray for me...<br />1) to have peace and confidence in the days leading up to the start of the school year (a.k.a. trusting God with the transition)<br />2) that I will be prepared to teach/that I will have time to prepare<br />3) that our team of teachers will be ready, will get along well, and will be centered on serving God<br />4) for safety in traveling and emotional, physical, and spiritual health in all the adjustments<br /><br /><br />*Based on my fears, I have been thinking on these verses lately:<br /><em>"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged." -Deuteronomy 31:8</em><br /><br /><em>"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9</em><br /><em></em><br />Both of these verses were said to Joshua as he prepared to take over leading the Israelites when Moses died. I'm sure it would have been an intimidating transition. Moses had some big shoes to fill! After all, he had led the Israelites out of Egypt, led them through the Red Sea, and led them through the desert for 40 years. God, of course, was the one who performed the miracles in Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and provided food and water for the people throughout that time. Nevertheless, I'm sure Joshua must have felt insufficient for the job. Thankfully, faith in an unfailing, all-powerful God was the requirement for the position. We know from reading the rest of Joshua's story that he faithfully listened to God's directions and God gave the Israelites great victories as he and the people obeyed. Pretty cool.<br /><br />Another good reminder: <em>"Who of you by worrying can add even a single hour to his life?" -Matthew 6:27 </em><br /><em></em><br />So true. <em>"Cast your anxiety upon him for he cares for you." -1 Peter 5:7</em><br /><em></em><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#6600cc;"><strong>28 days til departure!</strong></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-72550267282988274122011-06-10T06:32:00.000-07:002011-06-10T07:27:54.912-07:00Answered Prayers and Little SurprisesGod is good.<br /><br />In the process of moving to another country, there are many unknowns. I have so many questions, sometimes I don't even know where to start! Several of these questions involve the availability of items I take for granted. For example, "Will I be able to buy a jar of peanut butter there?" or "I wonder if they have cereal there." Most of these questions are pretty unimportant. I can live without peanut butter. I'll find something for breakfast that doesn't involve crunchy flakes in milk. However, there are some other questions that are more essential.<br /><br />One of my fears about the transition involves my asthma. For those of you who don't already know, I have exercise and allergy induced asthma that I control with a fast-acting inhaler. My asthma is triggered by physical activity (anything <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">cardio</span>), allergens and pollutants (dust, cat hair, cigarette smoke, etc.), and dry, cold air. Being high in the mountains, La <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Paz</span> is said to have a somewhat cold and dry climate. Additionally, many people suffer from shortness of breath due to the altitude itself. These factors make me wonder, "How is my asthma going to react when I'm there?" and "What if I can't breathe?"<br /><br />Anyway, one of my questions about the transition has been, "Will I be able to get enough inhalers to last while I'm in Bolivia?" and "Do they sell them there?" I've only ever gotten one inhaler at a time. Now, I'll need at least 4 for August to December. I started praying that God would make a way that I could get 6 inhalers (a six month supply) to take with me on my first move.<br /><br />Well, I went to the doctor and presented my request to her. She said she would write a prescription for 6 months but she didn't think they would give me more than 3...I kept praying. When I went to pick up my inhaler, they had mistakenly only entered one inhaler into the computer. I explained my situation to the pharmacist who told me she could give me 6 inhalers, but my insurance would only cover one. However, my insurance only knocks $5 off of the cost of the inhaler anyway...And, she told me she could give me a "card" (similar to frequent buyers card, I guess) that would knock off about $5 for each. After a few minutes, I walked out of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">CVS</span> with 6 inhalers in hand! Thank you, God!<br /><br />God is continuing to open doors in this process. He is faithful, and he continues to surprise me with his goodness (which I guess I should really expect since he is always good). Some of these surprises have come in the form of sale purchases.<br /><br />I was praying about what jacket I should buy for the trip (I know it may sound silly to pray about what jacket to buy, but I did it anyway! I pray about lots of "silly" things.). There were a few factors that went into this decision. 1) It is cold. My jacket should be warm. 2) It rains a lot (even though it is dry?). My jacket should be waterproof. 3) If I hike in the mountains, there might be snow. Again, I need a warm, waterproof jacket. 4) It warms up a lot during the days, and the weather changes quickly. I need a jacket that I can change when the weather changes. 5) I don't have a lot of packing space to work with...So, in conclusion, I need a multi-purpose jacket to accomplish these goals.<br /><br />I looked around online and found some "3-in-1" <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Northface</span> jackets that have a removable fleece liner and a waterproof shell with a hood. They looked perfect! If it is cold and rainy (or snowy!), I could wear a warm, waterproof jacket. If it is just cold, I could take out the fleece liner and just wear that. Or if it is just rainy, I could just wear the outer, waterproof shell as a rain jacket. Like I said, perfect. Except...shopping for a warm, waterproof jacket in Florida in the summer does have its challenges. Plus, all of the online sellers seemed to be sold out of my size or were charging a pretty hefty price for the jacket. Hm...after several hours of searching and indecision, I found a jacket in my size (in an agreeable color) for a large but reasonable price. I submitted an offer to eBay and...was informed that the item had already sold. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ok</span>, God. I guess that's not the one! Back to the search engine.<br /><br />As it turns out, when I searched again, a new site popped up. A site that was selling the jacket I wanted, in my size, at 50% of the price I was about to pay for it! Wow! It is surprises like these that make me laugh and celebrate God's goodness. God is a good Father to me. Even in some of the "silly" things (non-life-altering things), God continually shows me that he is taking care of me and that he loves me. Some days, it is finding a parking spot. Other days, it is finding my keys...And some days, it is getting a GREAT deal on a warm, waterproof jacket!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-87523685648477353022011-06-09T05:21:00.000-07:002011-06-09T06:01:14.575-07:00Factors, and Planets, and Graphs, Oh my!<span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">As I have been preparing for Bolivia, I have checked many things off my list:</span><br /><br /><ul><br /><li><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Get visa (Check!)</span></li><br /><li><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Get shots (Check!)</span></li><br /><li><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Buy waterproof jacket (Check!)</span></li></ul><br /><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">But, in the midst of these preparations, I have been clueless as to what kinds of school supplies and teaching resources I should even think about bringing. Until yesterday, that is.</span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color:#ff6600;">Yesterday, I learned that I will be teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade <span style="color:#333399;"><strong>math</strong></span> AND 6th and 7th grade <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>science</strong></span> this fall!</span><em> </em></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I have to say, I was really nervous when I first found out what subjects I was teaching because I do not consider math and science my strong points. </span>In fact, this makes me laugh because anyone who knew me in middle school and high school knows that math was definitely NOT my favorite subject, and science was my LEAST favorite subject.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">However, over the past several years, I have really grown to love both math and science. Science because it is so practical. It's life! <em>Everything</em> involves some kind of science. Plus, the more we know about science, the more we know about God's amazing design of our world and the worlds beyond. </span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">I read the 6th and 7th grade science standards yesterday and some of the things I will be teaching are basic <span style="color:#339999;">anatomy</span>, <span style="color:#ff9966;">rock cycle</span>, and the <span style="color:#993399;">solar system</span>! So cool. I can't wait. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">And for math, there are so many fun things to explore during these grades. Again, it's all so hands-on and real! <span style="color:#9999ff;">Measurement and angles</span>,<span style="color:#33cc00;"> negative numbers</span>, <span style="color:#6600cc;">probability, </span><span style="color:#ff9900;">algebra</span>...It's all around us. Plus, it's like a puzzle. You have to brainstorm and experiment and explore to find the solution. Who doesn't like puzzles?!</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">I realized some of the things my 2nd graders learned this year are the very first steps to what my middle schoolers will be learning next year! 2nd grade, you're well on your way to middle school!</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Now that I know, you can be pretty sure I'll be using my free time for the rest of the summer to brush up on my factors and exponents and endocrine systems and...Does it make me a nerd that I'm excited about doing this over my summer vacation? Haha don't answer that. :) </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#ff9966;"></span></em><br /><strong><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#009900;">*Just a few verses about the Maker of science and the Author of math:</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#ff9966;"></span></strong><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#ff9966;">"The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of his hands." -Psalm 19:1</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#ff9966;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#66cccc;">"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." -Psalm 139:13</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#ff9966;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#993399;">"By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations; by understanding he set the heavens in place." -Proverbs 3:19</span></em><br /><em></em><br /><em></em><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-11279003832722819042011-05-24T13:23:00.000-07:002011-05-24T14:54:57.435-07:00One Step Closer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheupNnpGmSXfw6KI_X-Sr_LFa6acutrmTV9smjD69xzf_ZL-YOKXB3uJml61sWyYNz2e1mWjc006YdKuUqdazLtlIVyPrfZt9xoHagh-xJYH4GMgP-YFcbxI32hGaCEErTnvy4SMWRPi4/s1600/DSC01146.JPG"><span style="color:#330033;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610391557815486434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheupNnpGmSXfw6KI_X-Sr_LFa6acutrmTV9smjD69xzf_ZL-YOKXB3uJml61sWyYNz2e1mWjc006YdKuUqdazLtlIVyPrfZt9xoHagh-xJYH4GMgP-YFcbxI32hGaCEErTnvy4SMWRPi4/s200/DSC01146.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#330033;">I'm happy to say...my visa is in hand!</span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">I am legally one step closer to moving to La Paz. </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Caleb and I drove to Miami this morning with my paperwork to visit the Bolivian Consulate. I was nervous that I had done something wrong, but thankfully, my worrying was in vain. After making a few U-turns, we found the Consulate hidden in an office building down the hall from the <em>Subway </em>(as in the sandwiches) headquarters for Miami and Latin America. I handed over my paperwork (practicing some Spanish in the meantime), and within the half hour, I walked out with my official visa! </span><br /><span style="color:#330033;"></span><br /><span style="color:#330033;">Then, Caleb and I drove to Calle Ocho where we had lunch at what he described as a "Cuban <em>Denny's.</em>" My Lechon Asada (roasted pork), rice, and yuca was <span style="color:#ff6666;"><em><strong>deliciosa</strong></em></span>, and it gave us both a good chance to practice our Spanish.<br /></span><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="color:#330033;">After lunch, we bought a flowers from a small stand outside of the restaurant for my parents' anniversary. *Congratulations on <span style="color:#ff6600;">24</span> years of marriage, Mom & Dad!* </span></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;">...62 days and counting!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-40700556555071079842011-05-19T17:41:00.000-07:002011-05-19T19:10:44.021-07:00What's new?<div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">Well, it's been just under a month since my last post, and I have a few new things to report! </span></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;"></span></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">First, the big event of the season for me... </span><br /></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;"></span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608593438471934210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33gw4kAekozzbi48CJb_-Lg_gb04bKRBzdDatZed_eIrzcKVnoSGcMiaUW0DR6xmG3Pf1g6RNG3yi6TFv8IROb6apAEwLhFrNYaH4cbCPB2tG-zp3-_Rfs9Rurdwwai9VjA_ZCOuq61g/s320/DSC00762+%25282%2529.jpg" /><br /><br /><p align="center"></span><span style="color:#000066;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:180%;">...Graduation!</span></span></span><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">After 4 years, 40 classes, and several thousands of dollars, I stepped across a stage, shook a few hands, and became an official alumnus of Florida State University. Yay! In what was a whirlwind weekend, my family (minus Caleb) came into town, celebrated with friends and food, and helped me finish moving out of my apartment. I said goodbye to Bradford Oaks and several friends with a few laughs and a few tears, and we headed South to Plantation (Dad and Jeff spent an unexpected evening in Orlando due to car trouble, but made it home just 24 hours later than planned.).<br /></p></span><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">I spent the next few days unpacking and trying to find new homes for my many belongings that seemed to expand as soon as I tried to fit them into my closet. I said goodbye to a few boxes of things that seemed like they would be more loved (or at least more used) in someone else's home, and after a little effort (and a trip to the storage unit), everything was settled into its new place. </span><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">Nearly as soon as I finished organizing, the company started coming! My first visitors were the Marvelous Madison and Excellent Emily. We planned to spend time basking in the sunshine, making friends with butterflies, and kayaking through the South Florida canals. We did do some kayaking, but due to rain and the threat of thunderstorms, our sunbathing and butterfly garden adventure had to wait. Instead, we spent the week eating ice cream sundaes, touring the Sawgrass Mall (we found some great deals!), and enjoying high quality entertainment together (<em>The King's Speech, </em>and <em>Glee</em>). </span></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608606515672663938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ucRIWYVDLTtMX3wOvFC-_YDzWgHHmAf_KusvcJ6wpyJeKm4wWFz0-4N2MzCOKTlnuHeuZS95m08ZMlqcoQ94ooR0IbRj5gqc-ClM1q5HjAW_1XvcQ12aPa8IaZXd1hsU2E2B11cpVlA/s320/DSC00851.JPG" /><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">Madison and Emily left town on Saturday and were replaced by...the Sensational Celeste and her boyfriend Andrei as well as my Aunt Mary and Uncle Jose. We had a delicious graduation dinner with several friends and wonderful family members, which included highlights such as laughing our way through several YouTube videos and eating...3-LAYERED CHOCOLATE CAKE!<br /></span></p><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">After a fun-filled week/weekend, I spent Monday doing laundry, running errands around town, swing dancing with Britnee and Annie, and repacking for a week away from home. It was quite a challenge because my trip included several destinations with even more activities.</span><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="color:#000066;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Destination #1: </strong><em>St. Petersburg, Florida</em><br /></span></span></p><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">Birthday festivities for Emily which included frozen yogurt, my first Zumba class, hibachi chicken and shrimp, beautiful days at the beach, quality time with 2 of my best friends, and, of course, big floppy hats!</span><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="color:#000066;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Destination #2:</strong> <em>Winter Park, Florida</em></span></span><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">Sushi with Madison <em>and</em> Celeste and Andrei thanks to a happy mistake! After dinner (and dessert), a relaxing evening of American Idol. Finally, meeting my ride to Destination #3.</span><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="color:#000066;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Destination #3: </strong><em>Charleston, South Carolina</em></span></span><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">A weekend of swing dancing, relaxing on the beach, and hanging out with new and old friends...Pure bliss.</span></p><br /><p align="left"><span style="color:#000066;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Destination #4: </strong><em>Plantation, Florida</em></span></span> </p><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000066;">Finally home! Ah...After a week away, I was relaxed and ready to sleep in my own bed once again. At least for a few days! :)</span><br /></p><br /><p align="left"><span style="color:#000066;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong><em>*Drumroll please...</em></strong>In case you're wondering why I haven't included much news on Bolivia, it's because there hasn't been much new news! BUT here's the latest (for my <em>most</em> faithful readers...): the past few days have been filled with visa preparations (filling out the application, taking a terrible passport picture, etc.) and reading my Pre-field Orientation materials. And today, I got my shots! Thanks to modern medicine, I will no longer have to fear the threat of Yellow Fever or Typhoid Fever. </span></span></p><br /><p align="left"><span style="color:#000066;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Next item on the agenda: taking my visa application to the Bolivian Consulate Miami. </span></span></p><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;color:#000066;"><strong>66 days and counting! </strong></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-37646568678866287802011-04-22T21:54:00.000-07:002011-04-22T22:52:10.020-07:00A Very Special Day in 2nd Grade<div align="justify"><span style="color:#663366;">Thanks to my <span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff6600;">super</span> second graders from Mrs. Crowe's class, I am much more prepared to teach next fall! (If any of you are reading this, you know who you are!) </span><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="justify"><span style="color:#663366;">Here's the story: Today was my last day at the school, and I was sad to say goodbye to all of my students.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="justify"><span style="color:#663366;">The day started out pretty <em>normally</em> for a Friday. We had our usual spelling test, reading test, and awards cermony. Even though we had a <strong><span style="color:#33ccff;">special</span></strong> assembly, there was nothing especially out of the ordinary about the morning. </span><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="justify"><span style="color:#663366;">After lunch, we went out for our <em>normal</em> recess. Part of our class was playing <span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>kickball</strong></span>, and I was watching the game with Miss Samantha. I rang the bell, and we all headed back to the portable, just like any <em>normal</em> day. However, something wasn't <em>normal</em>! When I walked in, the lights were out. Suddenly, I heard 19 voices shout,<span style="font-size:130%;"> <strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">"</span><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Surprise!"</span></strong></span> The lights went on, and there was a beautiful cake that said <em><span style="color:#ff9966;">"We'll miss you Miss Pitcairn"</span></em> sitting on the table by the door.</span><br /></div><br /><div align="justify"><span style="color:#663366;">Mrs. Crowe told me to sit down in our class rocking chair, and everyone gathered around as Mrs. Crowe handed me a <span style="font-size:180%;color:#339999;">HUGE</span> bag full of teacher goodies! The tote bag was filled with <span style="color:#ff6600;">pencils</span>, <span style="font-size:130%;color:#996633;"><em>paper</em></span>, <span style="font-size:78%;color:#ff0000;">markers</span>, <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">c</span><span style="color:#ff9900;">r</span><span style="color:#ffff00;">a</span><span style="color:#009900;">y</span><span style="color:#3333ff;">o</span><span style="color:#9999ff;">n</span><span style="color:#663366;">s</span></span>, <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000099;"><strong>pencil holders</strong></span>, <span style="font-size:130%;color:#000000;">staplers</span>, <span style="font-size:85%;color:#009900;">colored pencils</span>, <span style="color:#3366ff;">glue</span>, <span style="font-size:130%;color:#6666cc;"><strong>pencil sharpeners</strong></span>, <span style="font-size:78%;color:#009900;">rulers</span>, <em><span style="color:#999999;">paper</span> <span style="color:#999999;">clips</span></em>, and <span style="color:#330033;">more</span>, all gifts from my students to help me get ready to have my own class next year. It was such an unexpected gift, and it made me feel very loved to know that my students were helping me to get ready for my adventure this fall. The gift my 2nd graders gave to me is also a gift to the students I will be teaching next year. My students made this very <em>normal</em> Friday into a very <span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ccff;"><strong>special</strong></span> celebration that I will always remember.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"><em><strong>Thank you, Mrs. Crowe's class! </strong></em></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938410420155730274.post-71177359782235142502011-04-11T19:10:00.001-07:002011-04-11T19:46:12.598-07:00Why I'm Blogging<span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color:#3366ff;">Graduation is just around the corner. (It's less than</span> <span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;"><strong>20</strong></span> <span style="color:#3366ff;">days away at this point!) It's hard for me to believe that 4 years have gone by so quickly, and I haven't really come to grips with the fact that I'm moving on from Tallahassee so soon. In many ways, it feels like the end of any other school year...a break for the summer, some fun vacations, beach days at home in South Florida, maybe time to read a book or two...Here's the part that's different though. At the end of the summer, I won't be making the 7 hour drive back to Tallahassee. I won't be listening to Spanish podcasts as I pass Orlando; I won't be trying to take pictures of the sunset and wildflowers as I drive along I-75; and I won't be sighing as I pass the stadium thinking, "I wonder how many games I'll go to <em>this</em> year?"</span></span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#3366ff;">If you had asked me a year ago where I would be after graduation, I would have told you, "I really don't know." If you had prodded me a little further to take a guess, I probably would have told you I'd like to be teaching English in Spain. Or, I might have said I would try to get a job at an elementary school somewhere in Florida. Those were really the only two things on my radar at the time. So now, when I tell you, "I'm going to be teaching middle school in Bolivia this fall," I still smile, laugh, and roll my eyes a little because it just feels unreal. But it is real! </span><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#3366ff;"></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color:#3366ff;">At the end of July, I will be moving to </span><span style="font-size:180%;color:#993399;"><strong>La Paz, Bolivia</strong></span> <span style="color:#3366ff;">to teach middle school at</span> <strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000066;">Highlands International School</span> </strong><span style="color:#3366ff;">(</span><span style="color:#3366ff;">more details coming soon!). No, I have never been to Bolivia. Yes, I am excited. Yes, I am nervous! (But I am more nervous about teaching <em>in general</em> than I am about the fact that I'm going to be teaching in Bolivia...)</span></span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color:#3366ff;">And that is why I'm blogging. I hope to share this exciting adventure with anyone who is interested in following along and journeying </span><span style="color:#ff9900;">a</span><span style="color:#ff9900;"> <span style="font-size:130%;">little closer to the sunshine</span></span> <span style="color:#3366ff;">(and the penguins!) with me via the <em>wonderful</em> <strong>W</strong>orld <strong>W</strong>ide <strong>W</strong>eb. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1