4 Week Update

It's been such an exciting 4 week adventure thus far. I must give praise, first and foremost, to God for all that has taken place here. He is in total control and if it weren't for Him, I would not be here.

Recently, I've been feeling the 'effects' of not being in the Encounter environment anymore. So, God helped me to understand the vital importance of my own personal Bible study (apart from the quiet time.) On Monday, I started to work through a book called "The Walk of Repentance", and it's such a great book to get your mind thinking. This week's focus has been on submission to authority, and trusting God in who He's appointed above myself. I Peter 5:5 really stuck out to me. It talks about how we should be subject one to another. It's so easy to fall into the rut of not looking at others better than yourself, and I've been reminded over and over agian to do so...Every neighbor of mine is better than me. Who am I to say otherwise?

In regards to the children here, Saul is improving every day. We actually played for 45 minutes with just one thing, and he can now count to three on his own! He's like a sponge that constantly is soaking up water. He has come to love a video of Little Red Ridding Hood. The story is acted out with signing, and Saul loves to imitate the different characters. Please just continue to pray for his mental development here. Praise God for the progress so far!

We just found out a week ago, that Criss will be moving to Buffalo, Ny on 9/26/09. So we are enjoying the last few days with him here. It's sad to see him leave, but God's great soverignty is in this as always. Betsy knows some sign language teachers there in Buffalo, and he will be able to get all the one on one attention that he needs to best be taught. Please keep him and his mom in your prayers as they are packing and preparing to head to Ny.

Criss loves to trace stars!

Everyday is so different, and we like to keep things exciting and fresh. So on Friday, (9/18) we had mowhawk day. Quiet fun...many many colors and lots of gel. The students took turns in spiking each other's hair, and they even had the opportunity to play with Betsy, Jen, and my hair too!

Sitting: (Left to Right)

Laura, Criss, Mizael, Kioney, & Saul

Sitting: Adriana, James, Kevin, Johanelly, & Kristian

Bottom: Jen & Me Top: Adriana & Betsy

This next week, I am hoping to be able to teach the older student's vocabulary class. Six new words every day. It will be a good time for practicing and also learning new signs. Plus being able to just interact with the students more. Please pray for confidence and clarity of mind for myself in this new class.

So really only Saul was asleep in this picture...but it's still cute! :)

Thanks so much to all of those uplifting me and the school in prayer! May God bless you richly!

Rain, Rain, and more Rain!

Well, we didn't get the storm exactly how we anticipated it! Never lost power, but it sure did rain and rain! School was cancelled in anticipation of the storm on Thurday, and half our students did not come on Friday, because of there being so much rain! None the less, it was a very fun day!

The students baked banana bread (which was very yummy!) It was also a good math lesson, and it's so much more fun when you get to enjoy your hard work!

It was a good and restful weekend. And by the time Tuesday came around, I was ready to "battle" with the children again! Today was different. My main responsibility was to teach/entertain Saul. He oftentimes becomes a distraction to the other 4 pupils and with Saul in a different room, the other four could concentrate and learn more efficiently.

Saul loves to use the automatic pencil sharpener, and he also loves to match things that are the same...(letters, colors, numbers...etc.) So, I got a box of color pencils, little laminated colored pieces of paper, and the APS (automatic pencil sharpener). He proceeded to pick out every yellow colored pencil, and after he matched them to the correct color paper, his reward was to sharpen the pencils. We almost made it through the second color, but he decided that one was enough! :) (pink was in close second!)

The boy is finally beginning to recongnize his name (sign name!) He loves the letters "s" and "l". And is overjoyed whenever he sees either of them! He loves to grab a marker and scribble his "s" all over the white board! and then present it with pride!He truly is a joy to teach, and he learns quickly and remembers much! Today we walked up and down some steps and counted as we climbed. He seemed to enjoy that too. I so cannot wait to see what God will do with this little guy in the years to come! Praise the Lord that He is here and is getting the proper schooling from such a young age! The earlier the better!

I love these children so dearly, and even though it is a struggle to communicate and connect with them sometimes, I enjoy every single minute! Sarting at the top: Larimar (we call Laura), then (boy with eyes closed) Mizael, next to him is Chris, then Kionishka, and lastly Saul! Please continue to keep each child in your prayers! We are praying that God will open their eyes to see that they need a Savior.

Tropical Storm 'Erica'

A storm is comin! Yay! But Betsy has informed me that the last time there was a tropical storm here, the power was out for a week! We'll see what happens! God is in control, but we desperately covet your prayers for safety! Here's a link to a website that shows pictures of what the storm is doing over Puerto Rico! Pretty cool pictures!

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200906_ensmodel.html#a_topad

I'll keep you posted whenever I can! Love you all!