Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, I actually have a break in the weekend to write and update everyone. I have had a large amount of outside work to do for my classes this trimester. We also don't get out until 1:00 pm now, so the afternoon schedule at home has been pushed back an hour. Thankfully, my language teacher has reduced our workload some. We are now having to do a Bible study every other week, instead of every week. It was taking me about 4 hours to do the Bible studies and they were becoming very stressful for all of us. On the off weeks, we are going to all read the same passage and discuss it. We certainly need practice with free-flowing conversation and discussion as well. It's going to be great practice.

The kids are really enjoying their classes this trimester. Parker especially has done a lot better in his new class. They have been doing more activities and his teachers read a lot to them. Looking at books is one of his favorite things to do. He also loves anything to do with animals. We have animal flashcards on Jon's IPOD and he sits and says the names of all the animals in English and Spanish. Super cute.

Kendall continues to be a "leader" and "little mommy" in her class. For those who have a first-born girl, you know that these are both good and bad characteristics, but mostly good. She is very observant and tries to take care of everyone, including her little brother.

Jon and I are both teaching ESL this trimester. Jon has the advanced group in the morning and I have the advanced-beginners in the afternoon. The students absolutely adore Jon; his jovial personality and humor go a long way here. I have a smaller class of mostly women this time. We have had a good time learning directions, adjectives, and daily routines (washing the dishes, ironing the clothes, etc.) One of the men in Jon's class actually serves as a translator in Costa Rica for E3 Ministers. E3 is the group that our church in Columbia, SC works with during our campaigns to Colombia, South America. It is certainly a small world.

Church has been going better. It is amazing how much more we can understand now that we know past tense. We don't necessarily know how to use it correctly all the time ourselves, but reading the Bible and listening to sermons is getting a little easier. Sometimes my English background is frustrating for me because Spanish and English do not always match up. Learning the new forms in Spanish is difficult when I can't attach it to how to translate it in English. It's part of the process I know and my teachers keep reminding me to take it one day at a time.

Last week, our language class studied food. On Friday my classmates and teacher came over for lunch. Each of us prepared a typical food and then had to explain, in Spanish, how we prepared it. It was a relaxing and fun time. This was also the first time I had had a teacher over to the house. She enjoyed our American dishes and we all laughed at some of the differences in Costa Rican and American foods. The 2 hours of language class has been really good. I get a lot of talking time because there are only 3 of us in the class. Yesterday, I had to describe a funny moment that happened to me in the past. I (tried) to talk about the time that I dislocated my jaw at a museum in Washington, D.C. This is a very famous family and friend story, and luckily it was just as funny in Spanish. It of course was not funny at the time, but I can laugh about it now.

During the week, Jon goes around town and talks to various people about different topics. Each week he has a new theme and questions that he has to ask them. The following week he presents his finding to his teacher. His teacher Anna was actually a flight attendant at one time and learned English really well. She is able to help Jon with every question he has because she knows both English and Spanish.

Praises:
1. The kids have been healthy so far this trimester.
2. A group from the US came and led chapel on Thursday. It was an encouragement to us to continue on in the hope of the gospel.
3. God has blessed us with wonderful friends here. Learning and life in general would be a greater struggle without them.

Prayer Requests:
1. That learning would continue to come and that we would not become frustrated or discouraged, especially me, at making mistakes.
2. One of my teachers from last semester lost her father this past week. (I mentioned his condition in a previous post). Pray that God would be glorified in this situation and that my teacher would be a light to her family, most on them are not believers.
3. Pray for dependence on God in all things.