Hola!

Well, it is hard to believe that I have been in Guatemala for almost 2 months now!!!! WOW!!! It is becoming more and more like home everyday! The people are great and I really am enjoying all of the things that I get to do!

Working in the school is fun, usually. The children are great and make me smile! They have a great way of making you feel special. Last week I was sick and so I was not able to go to the school for two days (I had a really bad cold or something, but I was told that since the viruses here are different that it can hit me pretty hard until my body gets used to it), anyways, when I got back to the school there were Get Well pictures all over the desk. So sweet!

Teaching children to read can be complicated, especially when you are teaching them to read in a second language. We are working on phonics and sounds, I have even downloaded some of the books my mom used with my siblings and me when were little. I've been working on a workbook with all different practice sheets for the children to do at home, and I also want to take some of the books that we have and read them onto a CD, like a book on tape. One of the difficult things about teaching the children to read in English is that the majority of their parents don't speak English, so they cannot read to them, and also when the children are practicing, their parents do not know if they are pronouncing the words correctly. That is why I think the CDs will help, because then they will be able to hear the proper pronunciation.

I have also been able to teach some of the chapels with the children. I really enjoy doing that! I love it when the children start to understand Biblical concepts and begin to apply them to their lives. Take the love of God for instance, I mean, people "know" that God loves them, but their comes a point when it really clicks, and someone understands that they are loved and it changes their entire life! This is what I love to see and it is why I am here! It's great!

God is so good! I really am glad to be here and I am looking forward to what else He has in store!