The crash!

Yes, that is how I felt yesterday. Like finally I can start letting down a bit. But it was a long exhausting day because, I was talking a lot. In class, out of class. I am hoping Karla will be all set to take over tomorrow, and the last two days of this week I can just, kind of --- rest. Of course, Scott has other plans, wants to go into Anapolis and meet with a lady about a video presentation he is trying to finish. So maybe that will take up all of Friday.
Remember how I said it had rained, well, it smelled like rain for hours, and cooled down nicely. It did the same thing last night, even thunder and lightening, but still not a drop of acutal rain!!! Maybe today. Then maybe I will feel a bit better. I mean I feel like I do on a PMS day, but I don't havePMS. It is that bad. I don't want to talk to anyone!!! And then of course, that is the day your husband is just around more and wants to just sit and "chat" and I have nothing to say. Poor guy he has hung in there this whole time, well I hope he can be patient with me a few more days.

Here is Karla with her class

It rained

Okay, not a ton, but it was 70 when I woke I this morning. What a refreshing change. Karla made it safe and sound and she said she wanted to be at school bright and early tomorrow, maybe I won't have to teach all week.
Laney and her classmates were there ready to meet her when they drove in. It was fun watching her know them all by their pictures.
Thanks for all your prayers,
Pray that rain keeps coming. I need to dismantle my house and dust everything in it. Not a fun chore, but it has to be done. There isn't a place that isn't covered with dust. I want to wash all the curtains and windows. Maybe if Karla gets set to go, I will have a couple days, with no classes...

Trees

A sunday ago we heard a message about trees, and ever since then my mind has been looking at all the trees on the land. And even though we haven't had any rain, spring is coming anyway, at least in the trees. The have dropped their old dead leaves, and new, dark, lush, green leaves have come in their place. The Flamboyant tree that bursts into red flowers are just loaded with blossoms.

As I watched this I couldn't but help make the spiritual application. Obviously these trees had found a hidden source of water that flowes deep under the ground. And I thought, is my life like that? Even during the hot, dry times, do I reflect the riches of God, his refreshing life? Does my tap root go deep? As I have struggled through these long first six weeks. God has certainly been my strength. The devotional I have done with Jill Brisco has been an encouragement. I know that the prayers of many of you has been a source of strength. Now if I can just hang on until the rain comes. It is almost 80 degrees and it is only 6 am!!! It is going to be another cooker!!!

Karla is coming!!!

Spring comes to the dry land

This tree will be covered in amazing red flowers before the rain comes

Yes, Praise the Lord, she flies Sunday and arrive Monday morning. Please pray for her safe travel, and that all the last minute details will come together and as she says good-bye to her family and church. We can't wait for her to get her. I have had such fun teaching the little kids, but I am ready to lighten my load. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, " Make the most of yourself...for that is all there is of you." Well, I have been making the most of myself, and now would just like a little break.
When you wake up in the morning and you can hardly walk because your feet hurt and your joints are stiff. It isn't a good sign. Part of this is from the fact that I hate to wear shoes inside, but then I stand on my feet all day at the stove, cooking. It is too hot to wear shoes, but it hurts not to. Oh, the choices...
Yes, it is too hot for shoes, it is close to a hundred every day. This is only survivable because it is dry as the Sahara Desert. But then the rain comes to taunt us, and the humidity builds. But it doesn't rain. So we sweat, and peel between the dry and humidity. But it will come. And so we wait and hope.
Friday night was a nice break from the usual when our Seniors put on a nice Italian restaurant for us. (a fund raiser for the Senior trip) I dressed up and Scott took me out. It was very nice. They did a great job. I helped make the dessert. Our home EC class learned how to make Cream Puffs and that made the chef's job a bit easier just pulling them out of the freezer, setting them on a plate and drizzling them with chocolate, (Thanks Pampered Chef for the recipe).
So this week I will help Karla get settled into her Apt. then she will start taking on part of the class until she is all caught up on what we have been doing. Laney is very excited. It has been fun to pray with them each day, even when you wondered sometimes if God would answer and to see him bring it all together. It is such a great experience for them.

Week 5

Yes, one more week filled out and crossed off. Only one more week until Karla comes, but please keep praying, I haven't heard that she has in her hand her passport with her Visa stamped inside. Pray that it doesn't wait for the last minute to arrive, that is no fun.

This week was another busy week. But it was fun. Yesterday the sophmores initiated the freshmen. We always laugh at that. I love seeing these kids just jump into this humiliating experience with both feet and enjoy the process.

one of them singing Holland's national anthem

Tuesday was a stressful day as we received an e-mail for our coworkers who would be sharing at a field fair for missionary candidates. Scott had made a show just for that occasion to challenge them to think of Brazil as a field to work in. Anyway. the DVD hadn't made it, and they were desperate to find a way to get it to them. Thanks to the internet and our tech guy in Anapolis we were able to resolve it Wednesday in time to show it on Thursday.

So by the time that was done, it was Thursday and my week was almost over!!! But it wasn't over until the pies were baked and the kitchen was cleaned. Yep, Thursday's home ec class was pie crusts and fillings. We made about 42 mini pies using the muffin tins. We had fun, but I think that I won't try and tackle such a huge project next time. We made lemon meringue pie, and pumpkin pie. Yikes!!! it was 2 hours after my class was supposed to be done that everything was cleaned up and put away!!!

So by Friday I was pooped. But I managed to rest in the afternoon, and my friend and I made supper together and our families spent the evening together. the kids watched Zoom, we watched Premonition (very Good!! - she learned what a wimp I am with scary movies) and the guys watched a war movie. Yes, it was a nice end to a week.

Today, a few of us ladies are headed to the city to spend the day out and together. It will be nice, but as usual I hate leaving my family. I don't know why I wrestle with this. I can go with Scott and enjoy the day and not worry, but if it is just me, oh I just have to really just jump in and go. But I know it will be good to get away.

Have a great week!!!

sacrifices

Yes, there are days when I am so tired of being far away from my friends and family. My friend and I often cry on each others shoulders as we share our homesick thoughts. I think the hardest part of our lives is saying good-byes to loved ones.
So as I was reading in a beautiful devotional book by Jill Brisco this week, I came to a thought she was sharing about how her life has always been full of good-byes. She is crying on her Savior's shoulders and he is listening to her, then as our Lord so often does, he just quickly puts our thoughts into a proper perspective.
He shares with her how much he hates to say good-bye, too. How so many people come to his door. He opens the door and meets another one of his precious creations, then he has to say to them depart from me I never knew you.
What a precious reminder to me that I have just a moment in time here on this earth to make a difference, and all of eternity to be with my Savior and my loved ones. Don't you hate it when you want to have a pity party and God won't let you??
I heard something the other day. A preacher was sharing and he said if Jesus had never died on the cross would your daily life make any sense? You know it is a weird thought, but it keeps going around in my head. My life makes absolutely no sense if you take Jesus out of the equation. Why else would I leave the country I love and my friends and family and life down here?? Would your day to day life be any different or make just as much sense if you took the reality of Christ's death on the cross out of it??

A day in the life of my fish

Have you ever wanted anything so much???

My house is the one with the yellow lawn

Yes, that is my house. It is brown from horizon to horizon, but at my house I have a bit of green, my small attempt to water a lawn, and then I have a carpet of yellow. If you stopped for a moment under that tree you would also hear a very loud humming, the bees are quite busy today. Still not a cloud in site the last drops of rain we had were in July, oh, it seems like a year ago.

I am also having lots of fun with my Gerber Daisies. These three plants are getting quite soaked because of my broken washer, and the seem to be very happy about it!!!

pictures

Don't you wish you could sleep like Tigey

No matter what is happening around him, on

him, etc. He just sleeps right through it!!!

My ballerina in training.

I want to get her signed up for a class,

but it never seems to be the right time

Okay, she can smile at the camera when

she is protected by the sunglasses...

Or do you have a better explanation??

Week three down only like 33 to go!!!

Yes, my third week of school is already passed and it was quite busy. First, praising God, Karla ( the teacher coming to teach my ele. class) received her authorization to come. Now she will take them her passport, jump through a few simple hoops and hopefully have her visa in hand and ready to travel by the 14th. Please pray that this will all go well.

Second, it was neat to see the money come together for Scott to update his computer. The neatest thing was that a family we met in Maine (Jonathan's buddy in third grade) gave a very generous amount toward the project. That was really special. I know they have been faithful in praying for us, and have wanted to help out, but were never able to, but then just when we were really wondering if we would be able to update the computer, it all came together.

I spent Friday in town with two of the new Portuguese students (pregnant moms). I helped them through their appointments (all in Portuguese) and that was fun, hearing the baby's heart beats, and just helping them through everything as they started their prenatal care. I can't wait for these little ones to arrive, I miss babies!!!!

Sunday, we had a couple come for lunch after the church service and we talked to them about how she could get some help with her English. She teaches English, and speaks it fairly well, but definitely could use more practice if she wants to some day teach on advanced levels. She is one of the students I meant when I taught English in Anapolis that I really liked. Very impressive. Always wanting to use her English, and of course her sweet smile didn't hurt any. She is engaged, and her fiance is a professor, so Scott enjoyed talking to him. I didn't catch what he teaches, but they both were very nice. They loved my "American" lunch, and that was fun, just feeding them. We had chicken and broccoli casserole, rice, sunflower honey bread, and banana cream pie!!! And only the sunflowers I had brought down, the rest I found here including the Campbells cream of mushroom soup.

It was a busy week, again, but I am enjoying most of my days. The washing machine works half the time, but I am able to at least keep up with the laundry. One of these days it will break completely then I will have to send it away to be fixed, pray that is during vacation, or after November!!!

Last night as I picked Emma up to brush her teeth, she felt warm. She was acting fine, but I after the last time when I thought she might be warm, but didn't think anything of it and she was sick, I'd better take her temp. Well it was almost 103 degrees ( I guess when it is close to hundred these days it is harder to tell when they are just hot, or sick). Anyway, I gave her some advil and put her to bed. She woke up in the night even hotter so I gave her more meds and she finally went to sleep. She was pretty delirious though until the meds kicked in. She still felt a bit off this morning, and Scott said she threw up, too. I hope she is better soon, it makes it pretty hard when we have sick kids and no substitute teachers!!!

Yes, that is a pretty long note, but I find it is a bit hard to write each day, so when I do sit down, I can't believe all that has been happening.

Wish you could have been at church with us Sunday, Scott's message was really good, used the concept of a compass and the winds that ship masters used to guide their ships and compared it to our lives. I don't think it was recorded, too bad, it really was neat!!!