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Waking up in Austin is bittersweet today, I am missing Belize but happy to be home at the same time. Mostly I miss them-



as I was leaving the school, walking away for the last time, they were saying, "bye Miss Holly,bye!" over and over again - i felt as if my heart was being ripped out
and one little girl who I had become very close with said, "i will never forget you, Miss Holly, never".
I am not sure about the impact I made on these children, but I know that my life is forever changed because of them, that I am forever blessed

Saying Goodbye

What better way to end it all than with a dance party?

Can it be over????

The sun is setting on my time here, so hard to believe. I am going to miss this place so much but mostly, I am going to miss the people. They have impacted my life forever and have blessed my life. I am so grateful for my time here and thank God for this wonderful opportunity. 

Sharing thoughts

I am reading Streams in the Desert by L.B Cowman, here are two excerpts i would like to share:

"These were the potters and those that dwelt among plants and hedges; there they dwelt with the king for his work." (1 Chronicles 4; 23)

We may dwell "with the king for his work" anywhere and everywhere. We may be called to serve Him in the most unlikely places and under the most adverse conditions. It may be out in the countryside, far away from the King's many activities in the city. Or it may be "among plants and hedges" of all kinds- hindrances that surround us, blocking our way. Perhaps we will be one of " the potters", with our hands full of all types of pottery, accomplishing our daily tasks. 

It makes no difference! The King who places us "there" will come and dwell with us. The hedges, or hindrances, are right for us, or He will quickly remove them. And doesn't it stand to reason that whatever seems to block our way may also provide for our protection? As for the pottery- it is exactly what He has seen fit to place in our hands and is for now "his work"

Frances Ridley Havergal

"Brightly colored sunsets and starry heavens, majestic mountains and shining seas, and fragrant fields and fresh-cut flowers are not even half as beautiful as a soul who is serving Jesus out of love through the wear and tear of an ordinary, unpoetic life. "

Fredrick William Faber

Saturday Workshop

On Saturday, Heidi and I did a writing workshop for the Standard IV class, which is preparing for a test to take to get into high-school. The weakest subject areas here are reading and writing so much practice is needed. So, we spent Saturday morning working with the kids. Here are a few pictures. It was a good time, I enjoyed working with the older students. They are real sweet and eager to learn new tricks and methods to writing. Here you can see Heidi looking at some baby rats that some girls found in the creek. They just loved these nasty little things and as you can see, one girl befriended hers and it just sat on her notebook as I taught the lesson- it took a bit getting use to but after awhile I was able to come close to her and read her work! ha! and yes the things were cute but come on, they're rats!  

My Classroom

So my classroom is the picnic tables outside the kitchen! 

 I am working with these specific kids on reading, they either can't read at all or are reading at a 1st or 2nd grade level. I can already see improvement in them and it is so exciting! 

This is Jorge, he is so eager to learn and constantly loves to talk!

This is Roberto, he has a lot of difficulty reading and is a bit of a trouble maker but real sweet at the heart of it all. 

They are a handful but I have been so blessed to be able to be a part of their lives. 

Happy Halloween!

We had a Halloween party yesterday with a bake sale, costume contest and dance party! 

It was alot of fun and it was great to see the kids laughing, dancing - way out of school mode. Here is a picture of two girls I teach! We had a great time yesterday, they both ate at least 4 cupcakes and stole my witch hat from me! 

           

My new favorite hangout

Perkup!!

 That's my new favorite coffee shop, well the only coffee shop in town. Here are some reasons why I love it: 

1. The whole thing is painted in Teal!!

2. They have AC! ( a high commodity around here!!)

3. I can get a cappuccino. 

4. They have the Internet. 

5. AND they play awesome pop music like Katy Perry and the new Brittney Spears, seriously! 

No Greater Love

I am reading No Greater Love by Mother Teresa. She is an amazing woman, full of God's love and trust.  I wanted to share a few quotes from the chapter on Love:

" God put the commandment of loving our neighbor on the same footing as the first commandment."

"Intense love does not measure, it just gives"

" It does not matter how much we give, but how much love we put into our giving."

" We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world."

We all know this woman dedicated her life and went beyond what most of  us can do, but she simplifies and breaks down what it is we are suppose to do so beautifully. As I am here in the midst of this devastation, seeing homes swept away and peoples lives being forever changed by natural disaster, it is hard to grasp, hard to understand.  But my call to Love, to Help, to Give only intensifies. I hear God speaking to me, pressing on my heart.

I want to Trust like Mother Teresa, I want to Love like Mother Teresa.

" In order for us to be able to love, we need to have faith because faith is love in action; and love is action in service."

Entertainment

Belize has random signs everywhere, they are quite humorous sometimes but I found one that I would share with you all. 

This ones for you Christine:

Yes, that is on the box. That's one way to get the message across.