When I realized....um I live here

This has been another crazy week. We have survived two weeks of school! We are finally getting a routine down and the "mission trip" feeling is wearing off and it's starting to really be real that I'm living here and will be here a long time. It's a really weird feeling thinking that this is my life now. Laundry, grocery shopping, doctors, transportation...even in the simple things my life will be very different for quite a while.

This week we had Open House night for the parents. Families got to come see the school and meet the teachers. I was pretty intimidated by this, but it was amazing the hospitality and love they showed me. The parents are very aware that the majority of the teachers are from the States and leave a lot to come teach their kids. These parents are involved in their child's life and care about their education, but it is also deeply evident that they're so glad we're here. I felt very welcomed and like they supported what I'm doing. I met several of my students' parents and siblings. It was really interesting conversing in Spanish with them and seeing my students with their family speaking their native language. It was cool how much they owned the classroom and were excited to show their parents their desks and all of our classroom routines.

some of my kiddos finding books.

This week was also the start of my Spanish lessons! I am meeting with a Spanish teacher two times a week. This is going to be one of my favorite things I'm doing here. We are trading languages: he's teaching me Spanish and I'm teaching him English. We meet and speak totally in Spanish and I explain English grammar concepts in Spanish the best I can. It is extremely difficult explaining English in English much less in my second language. We've only met twice and I have already been incredibly stretched as an English speaker and a teacher. Hopefully I can be as good of a teacher as he is to me.

I came across this verse this week...

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."

Acts 20:24

I've barely been here four weeks and it's really easy for me to forget the real reason I am here. Yes, I'm a teacher and I have never-ending lesson plans and stacks of papers to grade and tests to write, but when I return to Texas in June I am a missionary. I will always be a missionary no matter where I'm living or what I'm doing. I'm getting to the point where I am tired and the year ahead seems long but it's GOOD because I am here for Him. I sleep very well, but I am excited to get out of bed in the morning. I am filled with the joy of the Lord and He makes every moment of every day great. 

Every Friday my 3rd graders read to the 1st graders. They're very proud of this.

I am still so grateful and humbled for this opportunity. As I hang out with fellow teachers I am in awe that the Lord dropped this job in my lap. These teachers and these people are amazing. They have incredible servant hearts and I'm incredibly blessed just getting to be around them much less poured into by them. 

Yes, they're this cute in person.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Thank you for reading God's stories through my blog. If you ever have any questions or would like me to get pictures of something specific I'd be more than happy to! Love you all! 

Back to this huge stack of papers next to me needing grading....

Yesterday we found this great coffee shop. It had a beautiful courtyard, Guatemalan hot chocolate, and we had the place to ourselves. This is Sean and Devin.

Dad, look who we found!