Let The Waters Rise

There's a raging sea,
right in front of me,
wants to pull me in,
bring me to my knees.
So let the waters rise,
if you want them to.
I will follow you,
I will follow you.

The lyrics of such an encouraging song. The power of the words and the truth behind them and a generation that will hopefully believe in them with all of their hearts.
The song continues with...

God your love is enough,
You will pull me through,
I'm holding onto you.

As of today I have met all of my new 7th graders for this year. Two of the sections completed their information sheets and I was able to bring them home to look over and get to know them on paper.  It is such an encouragement to see what's important to them. One of the questions was to list three things that they are grateful for. Many of them listed family and friends, but they also included the privilege being able to be in high school at ALP and the fact that they have Jesus' Grace. This group of kids already have my heart. I read some of the struggles that some of them have already had to face... some struggles that I haven't even experienced. They are almost forced to grow up so quick. I'm thankful that many of them told me that they love to draw and to see that they do draw for fun!

To say the least, I'm excited for this year and I'm looking forward to getting to know these kiddos and see what they are capable of creating this year in art.

An Attitude of Gratitude

Catchy huh? Well, this year we were presented with a theme for the entire school. Choosing Gratitude. I think it's a wonderful beginning for the school year, and I only hope that we continue to reinforce it throughout the year. Our students receive so much and so often that they feel it's expected of others to give to them. Teaching them to be grateful and thankful will be an amazing life lesson.

More on this to come.

A Blow to the Heart

Never have I ever wanted something so bad, but know that it is completely out of reach.
Never have I ever cared so much for something, but I know that everything will be alright, with or with out me.
Never have I ever wished to be 15 again, in hopes that sparks would fly in different directions.

But here they are. Those feelings that come and go whenever you encounter something that truly had your heart back in the day. For me, it was something that I didn't even know I had been holding onto. Something that I thought was just there for the moment. But no, its resurface has made me wish that I had been more proactive back then, and wish that someone would have saved me from the blinders that come with being in such a young relationship.

The heart is such a delicate thing. It needs to be highly guarded and cared for. Things you think you get over can come back and slap you in the face when you're not looking. Don't let it happen to you.

That's all. My thoughts for the day.

Falling Down The Stairs

It's true. I fell. I fell and couldn't help but laugh. Laugh because it hurt, I was in pain, it was silly and no one was around to witness the event let alone help a sista' out. And here I am, with a sore body from my fall down a flight of stairs. Ugh.

I've been back now for almost a month and within 2 days of being back I have had to readjust my thinking. There have already been many challenges (which seems to be a theme lately) and it's been very difficult transitioning back to Honduras this time around. I've found myself missing home a tad bit more, missing my friends, and missing the freedom to get up and go. I miss the ease of transportation, my Zoey, and most of all my nephew.

Life is full of hills and valleys, or so I've read lately. I guess I'm on my way down the hill (or the stairs). I hope though that I get the opportunity to head back up sometime soon. I don't really know. This summer nocked me upside down, returning here... well, it's been nuts. On top of heartache, letting go of old friendships, feeling the effects of split parents, and having to pretty much start over it has been quite exhausting readjusting back here. On a good note, I am excited to begin classes next week. I'm excited to get to see my students from last year, and get to meet the incoming 7th graders. And I can't wait to begin new projects. I really do Love my job, so that makes it a little easier to return. We'll see how this goes though.

For those of you praying for me, pray for peace. For my heart to be at rest here.

Copan... ✓

Ok, so I had this really long post telling you about what I did over my time in Copan, Honduras... but it erased. So here are some photos.

In short... I had a really interesting week. Language school was awesome, and I do feel like it helped me improve. I was forced to actually speak Spanish, which definitely helped. I enjoyed walking around in a safe environment and being able to go cafe hopping every now and then. It's a small town, and I'm a big city girl, so of course I got a little antsy, but other than that the environment is great. I did get sick however and that was the downside to the week. It was awful. That took a whole day and a half away from my stay there, but I eventually recovered. While I was there I visited the Macaw Bird Park and the ancient Ruins.... both very interesting, with the Ruins being absolutely amazing.

 

                                   

An overview of the Ruins. 

 

The Mayan Calendar... Dec 21, 2012... see you there. 

Playin' a little soccer in the ancient field.  :)

Front view of the language school.... cool place.