Week One Done!

It is hard to believe that I am already in my second week here at Good Shepherd Christian Academy! 

Let me tell you a bit about my classes!


Music Class

Before school started, I was very nervous about teaching Music.  I want Music to be a class that my students look forward to each week, but I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make it fun for them.  How wrong I was! 

Highlights:

The Bilingual grades (K4-4th grade) have been learning a song called "Dios Nos Ama" (God loves us).  The kids LOVE this song.  Many of them have approached me outside of class to sing and dance the "Dios Nos Ama" section of the song.  If they get nothing else out of my class, I hope they will always remember this song that says God loves them.

My 9th grade class is learning how to count rhythm, and at the end of class one day I divided them into three groups.  One group tapped quarter notes on the table, another group clapped half notes with their hands, and the last group tapped sixteenth notes on their legs.  It was UBER-simple, but they were so excited to be making "music" together!  One of my students from the community -- a teenage boy named Ruben -- leaned back in his chair and exclaimed, "Que lindo!" (How cool!). 


English Class

English class has gone well, so far.  I have resolved to speak all English in my classes and to have my students speak all English.  Since my students come from both the community and the children's home, their levels of English-fluency are varied.  The children from the home understand and speak a lot of English, while the community students understand almost none.  It has been a challenge to find a way to bridge the gap between the home kids and the community kids, but I am learning!

Highlight:

I have a new 6th grade community student named Johan.  At the beginning of the week, he said almost nothing, and it was clear that he didn't understand anything that I said.  By Friday, however, he was volunteering to write sentences on the board!  I was very proud of him, and I am glad to see his excitement to learn English.

Ministry

I have been trying to build relationships with the older girls in Casita 3 and Casita 5.  I have found that one key to their hearts is movies.  We watched both One Direction movies a couple of weeks ago, and the other day I took my movie case to their Casita and let them choose one.  They chose my favorite movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  I was more than happy to watch it with them!

I hope to start some bible study time with a few of the girls very soon.  I am looking for girls who want to learn more about God's Word.  I would appreciate wisdom in what to teach them.

So long for now!

With love, 

Bailey

Photos!

The sunsets here are beautiful.  I walked outside a few nights ago to try to capture it with my camera . . .

This is where I live, with 6 of my fellow teachers!  We share rooms -- each room has a bedroom and bathroom.  

This road is right in front of our rooms.  We get to wave "Hola" and "Adios" to anyone who passes by.  The trees you see in the background are Orange trees -- they come in handy for afternoon snacks!

One of my 5th Grade students, Henry, writes a sentence on the board.

Yolanda, one of my 7th grade students, works on Math homework.  She needed my help with long division.

My lunch buddies

Another lunch buddy -- Josselin. 

 

FOUR "Little Things"

Once every couple of days here, something happens that I don't want to forget. It's usually nothing major.  Just something small – the way a child laughed at something I did, a meaningful conversation I had with one of the teenagers, etc. There have been a couple of those "little things" lately that I wanted to share.

ONE.

There are 6 new siblings here at the home, and I have had the opportunity to bond with one in particular – her name is Mercy. Mercy is very quiet but incredibly sweet, and she is coming out of her shell more and more with each passing day. When new children come to the home, I often try to make a point of reaching out to them. So from my first day here, I tried to foster a relationship with Mercy.  A couple days ago, she ran up to me and latched herself onto my leg. I had to figure out how to walk with this new little thing latched onto my side!  She is precious, and I pray that I can speak God's love into her heart during my 10 months here. 

TWO. 

One of the other new siblings is named Errykson.  He is 11 or 12 years old.   As I was standing in the lunch line one day, a young boy (little Fernando) walked up to me and tugged at my shirt. 

“Bailey?” he said.

“Yes, Fernando?” I replied.

Fernando pointed to Errykson, who was in the front of the line. “Errykson – the new kid?” 

“Yes?”

“The new kid, over there. . .  The one wearing the hat and the dark shirt?” Fernando wanted to make absolutely certain that I knew to which Errykson he was referring. I assured him that I did.

He continued, “El dijo que usted es bien bonita."  Translation:  He said that you are very pretty.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling. “Thank you!” I told Fernando. Then, the little messenger walked off to communicate my “Thank you” to Errykson. For the next few minutes, all of the boys around Fernando and Errykson started smiling and looking over at me.  It was funny and cute, and it made my heart happy.

THREE.

My next "Little Thing" happened while I was in town Sunday with the teachers.  We were all in a store, shopping for various supplies we will need for the next 10 months. I was walking down an aisle when a young boy (maybe 13 years old) said in English, “Hello!”

“Hi!” we replied, not paying much attention.

“Are you the teachers that live in Zamorano?” he asked. 

“Yes, we are.” I assumed that he had talked with one of the other teachers in the store (We stick out with our white skin). 

“Oh, ok! My pastor live in Zamorano,”  He said.   His English was very broken, but I love meeting kids like him around town -- kids who are learning English and are happy to find a North American to practice with.  I did not expect his next question, however.

“Are you Christians?” This question made me pause, then smile.

“Yes, we are!  We love Jesus!”  I replied.

Now he was smiling.  He touched his hand to his heart and nodded his head, affirming, “Oh, yes! Me too.  Jesus is my Lord!”

“Good!” I replied, happy to meet a little brother in Christ.

“He is a good Lord!” my new young friend added, still touching his heart.

“Yes, He is a good Lord!” I smiled.  How wonderful it was to meet a young boy in love with his Savior Jesus!

FOUR.

One morning after I had finished my breakfast, I was walking around to each table, saying “Buenos Dias” to all of the kids. Helen, one of the teenage girls, called me over to her table. Before I go any further, let me give you some back-story on my relationship with Helen.

When I was here for the summer in 2012, Helen and I became very close. We enjoyed spending time together, and when I left, we wrote letters back and forth. Unfortunately when I returned a few months later, I neglected to greet her as warmly as I should have. I was caught up in greeting all of the other children, and when I saw her, both of my hands were occupied with children leading me away somewhere. I smiled at Helen and said, “Hola!” I should have stopped what I was doing and given her a huge hug. But I didn't, and it hurt her. Since then, we have not been close. 

When she called me to her table, she asked me, “Bailey, are we still sisters?” 

“Yes,” I replied, not understanding why she was asking me this.

She wasn't satisfied. “No, I am asking you. Are we still sisters?”

I thought for a moment, still not comprehending.  “Yes, why not?” 

She laughed, and grabbed my hand. “Ok, because I found your letter.”

Then it clicked. She was referring to the letters we wrote to each other 3 years ago! We had called each other, “Hermana” (Sister).

I smiled. “Yes, we are sisters. And I still have your letter, too!” She grinned, and we hugged. It felt good to reconcile that friendship which had been strained for so long. We spoke about some other things, and when I left their table, I told her, “I'll see you later, sister.” She laughed and nodded.

These little things mean so much to me. Each little moment with a child fosters a relationship that opens up a door to share with them how much their Father loves them, and how much He wants a relationship with them.   I pray that these little moments become relationships of discipleship. Will you join me in prayer?

Pray for open doors to share God's love with these children.

Pray for God's guidance in finding specific older girls to disciple.

Pray that I can build relationships with the Tias (house mothers) and Honduran teachers.

Pray that the language barrier will cease to be a barrier.

Friends, thank you for your prayer. Thank you for your financial support. Know that through these things, you are making an eternal impact on these children and this country.

With Love,

Bailey.