Happy birthday DECEMBER!

Hello everyone, hope all is well. It's been a while since I've posted so I thought I would throw out a random post. It is officially DECEMBER and us teachers have been so excited about CHRISTMAS for so many reasons. We are all so excited to go back to the states and recharge with friends and family. We celebrated December this past weekend by having a cookie/baking party and watching Elf. Our cookie/baking party was HILARIOUS because well we are just really lacking in appliances. Only one of our ovens is currently working and it's about the size of a shoe box (okay maybe a slight exaggeration, but seriously it's tiny) and we had some grand plans to bake up the wazoo. So we decided to improvise and make do with what we have by trying to cook some cookies on the stove. It was hilarious and almost worked but basically turned into warmed up cookie dough, delicious nonetheless. HAPPY BIRTHdAY DECEMBER!

In other news we have found a new taxi driver. His name is Jaxel and he is hilarious. We always feel super blessed because God seems to always provide us with new taxi drivers right when we need them.  Our original taxi driver Nino, up and left to go work on a fishing boat near mainland a month or so ago and it's been rough without him. Taxi drivers can be sketch and hit or miss here so Nino was a blessing and we were sad to see him go. Luckily one of the teachers picked Jaxel out at the mall one day and we've been using him the last few days and so far he's been great. Today, Ingrid and I had him pick us up from the coffee shop to take us home. He's been telling us that we need to go eat carne with him in the street in Las Fuertes and today as we were on our way home, he asked us when we were going to go eat and living out our YOLOness we said AHORITA! and so he busted a quick U-y and off we were to Las Fueretes for some carne en la calle. It was awesome. We were laughing at how with Nino we went to his house to make baleadas and now here we were going to go eat carne with Jaxel, seems to be a trend for our taxi drivers to want to make us gorda (fat)! Regardless we had a blast feeling like locals in Fuertes and eating delicious grub in the street.

Also, we just found out that next week we basically only have classes for half the week because the school puts on a huge Christmas program and the preparations for it cuts into class time (it's crazy). So we have no school next Friday (the day of the program) and Thursday is basically going to be spent shuttling kids back and forth from the school and the mall (where the Christmas program is going to take place this year) to practice for the Christmas program. That means that I really only have 1 more week of teaching for this quarter, which is just WILD! I don't know where it all went. We are almost half-way done with the school year, so crazy when I put it like that.

It has been an up and down adventure here and I've been learning a whole lot everyday. Lately, I've been dealing with a lot of insecurities and feeling super weak here. It's felt like every weakness of mine has been magnified here and it's hard not to just dwell on those weaknesses and feel like a sucky human being. Thankfully, God is good and has been walking me through this whole process of refinement and seeing His perfection through my weakness. It's a bittersweet process, but I truly am thankful, and I feel like each day I'm stepping more and more into who God has created me to be. It's hard but oh so good. Thankful, thankful, THANKFUL!

Anyways that's enough of my ramblings, here are some pictures of my precious, little babies. (click "read more" to see more pictures!)
Thanks y'all for reading, means a lot. And hey maybe think about leaving a comment :)

My kids the day before Thanksgiving Break

crazy gemelo.

Coming Alive

It's funny how small moments and encounters can remind me of big picture life things. I had a simple afternoon yesterday hanging out with 2 random little boys in West End. I was hanging out with two of my friends on a dock behind a dive shop when these 2 little ninos came strolling back. One of them started fishing with literally just a piece of string with a hook attached at the end. The other was standing with him and sweetly smiled and waved when I looked over. His smile lit up his whole face and I was immediately enamored. He slowly made his way over to where where we were and I made small talk with the little Spanish that I know. He then asked me to get him some coconuts off the nearby trees. My friend and I (mostly my friend) got one down for him and another for his cousin (the other boy fishing). I made my way over to him and his cousin and hung out with them. We chatted, I watched them fish, they climbed trees to get coconuts, I did my best to assist them, we drank coconut water, laughed, and enjoyed the day. 

They were so precious and really just stole my heart. It was such a simple, easy time but I felt like I came alive all over again hanging out with them. Sometimes I forget what really awakens me and makes me come alive and in that moment it all came flooding back to me. Teaching here has been difficult to say the least and I feel like lately I've felt a bit lost on this island, unsure of what I'm doing and unsure of what I'm meant to do. But in moments like yesterday and during my times tutoring in French Harbor and even moments teaching and hanging out with my students, I'm just reminded of my love for children and how spending time with them and loving them makes me come alive. I just felt my heart bursting with love as I was hanging out with those boys and everything in me was awakened and present in that moment. That sounds kind of dramatic and over the top, but it's all just to say that it was a special moment and encounter and it reminded me of my passions and the desires of my heart coming alive and being lived out. It's sweet to live out what you love, even if it's just a simple afternoon hanging out with two little boys and drinking some coconut water. Thankful for the heart God has given me and for the desires He's placed in my heart. It's good to be alive. 

Here's a picture of me with the two little boys. There some more after the jump (click "read more" below). 

Reflections

Oh man, what a week it has been. It is officially rainy season over here in Roatan, I think it has rained almost every day this week. It's kind of nice in a way because it reminds me of fall, but it's still pretty hot and humid all the time, which makes it feel less like fall, but tis life in Roatan. So this week at school had lots of ups and downs. I had a great Monday where I just felt so light-hearted about everything. Instead of getting mad, I really just laughed a lot. It was good but also really bad. It was good in the sense that I was more light-hearted and joyful and bad in the sense that for the rest of the week my kids did not take me seriously. Oh the joys of teaching, so many different hats to put on. But on Monday while I was explaining the homework, one of my students fell out of his chair and I could not stop laughing. It was really bad. It then spiraled into every other student pretending to fall to try and make me laugh. Oh man it was near disaster, but it was the end of the day so, it didn't cause too much trouble. But man the rest of the week it felt like my kids were just trying to push every boundary and test what they could get away with. It was pretty rough. I just don't know what to do. I want my kids to feel like they can have fun and laugh and be silly, but there needs to be a level of paying attention and order right? I just don't know anymore!

Just learning and realizing that each day brings its new challenges and blessings. Learning to just take each moment and each lesson with open hands and open hearts. I'm in need of a lot more patience, grace, compassion, and love to get through each day. Thankful that Jesus supplies all my needs because oh man do I have a lot. I'm lacking in so many ways but God is good and all sufficient. Thankful, always.