I'm Learning.... He's teaching. It's All About our Attitude.

We have been here for 3 weeks. Can't believe it!  There have been ups and downs:times where I've desperately wanted my old life back...with it's conveniences, and ease of living, with the ability to see my daughter on a regular basis, and spend time with my friends, but times where I've delighted in the new people God has put in my life, the convenience on living on school property and the confidence in knowing that this is where God has placed us.

We are settling in and I am learning new things. I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone - especially in the classroom. Back into working with 7/8 year olds who have an energy that makes me appreciate more fully all early elementary teachers. I can guarantee you - these people do this job for the love of the children and the calling God has put in their lives, not for the money! 

Some of the things I'm learning is to be more organized! I have to ensure my lessons are planned more than a week in advance so that I can organize anything I need copied at least 2 days before I need them. The school does not have a copy machine on campus, but sends copies out. No last minute copies for this lady!!

I'm remembering that 7/8 year olds are not able to control themselves in as far as their peers are concerned. I constantly hear .... he touched me, he's playing with paper, she's not eating her snack, he pushed in line, she's eating candy in class......  So I'm learning patience; I'm learning that they need to be taught these skills of handing different situations; I'm learning that they are just children who thrive when they know what is expected from them.
  
I was reading this morning about how Jesus asked Peter if he loves Him. After Peter said he did, 3 times, Jesus simply said "Feed my Sheep".  We need to know that Jesus' sheep aren't perfect. They can be  loud, disrespectful, pushy, naughty, etc. but it is impossible to exhaust His love for them, or my love for them if it flows through the Spirit of God within me. I have no business being guided by natural emotions - I have to feed His sheep. He will not release us from His commission to us. Jesus says - pour yourself out. Don't testify about how much you love me and don't talk about the wonderful revelation you have had - just feed my sheep.

We asked God to put us where He wanted us. He put us in Asuncion, Paraguay.

He put us in a small school with children from all over the world - Korea, Taiwan, the US and local children. He found us a community to live in with caring people who have helped us acclimate to the area. 

He has taught us that He is faithful. He will be with us...wherever we may go. We need to suck up the whiny selves that we sometimes become, and look for the blessings in each day - and believe me, there are many!  We are here for 2 years. After that, who knows. We just want to be where He wants us to be. 

I want to encourage you to take each situation, even the sucky ones, and see how you can approach it. If you see it as an opportunity to encourage someone else, or grow in ways you didn't expect, then you will find that it is not as bad as you expected. No, not everything is going to be fun, or great, or wonderful. But we can make the decision to get through it with God's help - because He will never fail us.

First full Week

                                          

Our first week at school is over and we are enjoying our weekend :)  It's been busy, crazy, hectic, different, strange, and yet really good.  We've had so many experiences this week that have put us totally out of our comfort zones, which, I guess, is a good thing. We never tend to stretch ourselves unless we're forced to. And then, we find that we are capable of things we never thought we could do.

This week brought new tastes.  Our cantina (cafeteria) serves hot lunch every day and I've tasted food such as empanadas, a type of savory tart with tomato, ham, egg, cheese and a crispy pastry, and a few other treats. Many, many starchy foods (which is not good for me), but great to try out new tastes.

My empanada :)

Students lining up for lunch in the Cantina.

It's been a challenge finding my feet in 2nd grade again, and trying to figure out the curriculum, but I know it won't take long before I'll be comfortable. I have 18 incredibly sweet, but VERY energetic, 2nd graders. The language is a challenge sometimes, because some of them don't speak English very well. However, others help to translate, especially when they are trying to tell me something. I do teach in English, for those who asked ;)

The staff at this school are wonderful!  From the office staff, cafeteria staff to administration. We have been made very welcome here, and know that we will be happy here for the time we are here.

Marlowe and I decided to go to the store this week. Just the 2 of us. No translators. We had been told which buses to take, but I wasn't 100% sure of the stops. We waited about 20 minutes for the bus, stuck out our hands and climbed aboard. We paid, walked through the turnstile and looked for a rail to hold onto because it was pretty full.  When we were near (or when I THOUGHT we were near) the store, we pushed the button and climbed off. Right outside an Ace Hardware. Beautiful - looked like a mix of a mini Target and Walmart. Big and open and very, very clean. Marlowe found his hummingbird feeders. Then we left and realized we had about another mile and a half to walk to our store.  Long story short.....it was an experience, and now we REALLY know where to get off!!

We're loving the fact that, even though school starts at the crack of dawn, it takes us less than 5 minutes to walk to our classrooms. Zane can come home after school on his own, and the school field is his playground.

Today, 2 of the girls from our apartments bravely took part in a 42km marathon in the town. Temperatures are expected to his 97F today, but the race started at 6, so I think that helped them. A few of us went to cheer them on. We stood in the middle of the road, on a pavement, and enjoyed the breeze and shade. It really is a pretty town - it's just a pity seeing trash everywhere. It seems like the many trashcans on the sides of the roads are more for decoration...?? Here are some pics of our view today, including our girls. Well done, Courtney and Annie - we are so proud of you!!

Yes, the random dude had a fake beard!! Funny!

On our way home, we took an older bus that was very interesting. When sitting inside, I saw wooden boards wired together, a nail or two lying on the ground and, every now and then, the road showing between the boards. The bus moaned and groaned, but got us home.

The week ahead is going to be wonderful - Brendon arrives on Tuesday!!! Cannot WAIT to see him. We will feel more complete with him here.

Please continue to pray for Shelaine, as she continues her life without her family. Praising God for her amazing husband and adorable dog. This is her season to be living the life God has planned for both her and Jordan as a married couple. Both Jordan and her have decided to try to keep Layla with them, or with Jordan's parents. That is a blessing, knowing she doesn't have to be put down. However, pray she behaves because if she doesn't..........(remember, she does not get on well with other dogs, although it seems to be working for now!).

I know this is going to be good. If God is in it, how can it not be?

                                              

Expect the Unexpected

After 3 full days here, even though our heads are still spinning, we are finding that we are slowly settling in.  We have an amazing community of new friends in our apartments and have unexpected and delightful times together. For example, we made a fire and told our neighbors that if they had anything to put on it, they were welcome. It ended up with us sharing our sides, and them sharing theirs, and a dinner with warm conversation and laughs as our children entertained us around the table.

Yesterday was a huge eye opener for me. Where we are, we do not have transport. However, the bus system is very regular. There are many things we still need and one of the young ladies in our apartments very kindly offered to take us "newbies" on the bus to a store to get what we needed. We walked up to the gate and went outside to wait for the bus. You have to look for buses with certain numbers, because these take you to different places. As the bus approaches, you have to put out your arm so they will stop. You climb on, pay your 2mil (the equivalent of 40c - U.S.) and walk through a turnstile to find a seat. When you are about to arrive at your destination, you push a button or pull a cord (whichever is on the bus), and he will stop. Then you walk out the back through another turnstile.  This was a 15ish minute ride, and not bad at all.

We went into the store which had bits of everything. The first thing we had to do was hand in our backpacks, or get our purses put into a material bag that was zipped and sealed and given back.  Prices vary from "not bad" to "hmmm...do I really need a toaster in my apartment or can I just continue to walk upstairs and use that one?"  I even saw some items with clearance $3.79 stickers on them (I assume imported from Target!). 

When we were done, we walked a couple of block to find the bus that would take us back. This is where the fun began. It looked full. There were people standing. However, we paid our 2.3mil and squeezed on. Not easy when you are carrying 2 huge packets of items!  You either hold onto the rails overhead, or the back of someone's seat.  As we went on, the people kept coming. It was a loooong ride!! Eventually, we had to squeeze through people to get off the back and then you need to hustle because the driver doesn't wait long.

I realized that I had not bought the groceries that we desperately needed so my poor neighbor (who had just taken us out) graciously offered to walk with me to the shop a little later in the day.  With my backpack on my back, we left and did the 15 minute walk to the store. It's interesting to see everything around you. There are cars, buses, and motorcycles all over the road. It's a little crazy. The roads are not in very good condition and the pavements tend to be cracked and broken. 

We went in the store, which looks very similar to most stores, with a few differences - practically all the products are different with different brands. Sweet Katie took me on a tour of the store and showed me the different products and what they were. She then took me to the meat counter and told me it was very important for me to learn my numbers in Spanish because you have to take a number and then they will call you when it's your turn. Needless to say, she ordered my meat for me :)

THEN....we had to walk home. That was the walk that reminded me that you shouldn't buy so much if you have to walk. I had boxes of milk and all my meat in my backpack (which weighed a ton) and we each carried 2 packets. All I can say is....my lifestyle is going to be a lot more active, which is a GOOD thing. I may not like it, but it is what it is, and it can only be good for me.

                                                     

We have found many unexpected things here. Some have thrown us off balance, some have been delightful, some have been daunting. These are some of the examples - and you can decide which fit into the above categories :

*  a community of neighbors that are very supportive
*  a school within walking distance
*  apartments on the school property that are all surrounded by walls and      fencing, and a guard by the gate, making this entire property a huge    playground for our children
*  the fact that Paraguayans don't put toilet paper into their toilets because of small pipes....... *nuff said there
*  communal microwaves and toasters
*  knowing that you now need to be super-organized when wanting to go to the stores
*  water that is delivered to your front door in huge containers for 11.5mil (about $2.30)
*  inability to print what I need at home....and the need to be super-organized at school as you put your request for printing in, and received it up to 48 hours later!)
*  a language barrier that needs to be addressed by me asap
* a winter that is comparable to the US summer (for now...I believe it does get cold after the rains)
*  being able to watch parrots breed in the roof of the playground
*  knowing that you are in the place God wants you to be

We were told in our orientation that we need to ask people / our church back home for support, both in prayer and financially, as salaries here are not good. We do pay for rent, utilities, health insurance, etc. but at this stage, we just want to ask for prayer because we feel that if we have needs, God will provide. He has already shown us that He will. We are content. We are excited. We are ready to sew into His Kingdom.

Today, Marlowe and I will walk up to our classrooms and ready them for tomorrow. Tomorrow, I meet my new "babies" and begin a year of unexpected blessings.