A dancer's dance

I'm happy to say that Monday marked the third week of a ballet class that I'm teaching. Some of the girls had asked me to start teaching dance classes, and I have enjoyed teaching the class very much. I can tell that some of the girls really want to get it right. They are working very hard in class. It is that first time that they have had official dance class on a weekly basis. I think that some dance teams have come to the ranch and taught classes for a week, but this is their first on going dance class. I plan to keep the class going as long as I live in Honduras. It has been a challenge to go back to the very basics of ballet. After taking ballet for 13 years I had forgotten some of the stuff that I was taught. Stuff that over the years, just becomes a part of you. I find myself getting ahead of the class, and forgetting to explain everything. The girls are eager to learn, and it has been a fun experience for all of us. I have 8-10 people coming to the class. Even some of the adults on the ranch are taking the class. Although I'm teaching a formal class on ballet, my really desire is that the girl learn to be dancer's in life. That they learn the joy's that God has placed before them, remembering to make the most of every situation. The bible calls us to "give thanks in all circumstances." (1 Thes 5:18) I hope that they take this truth and make it part of themselves. Anytime you take a class it's so that you can learn something, I pray that the girls learn more than just the techniques of ballet, but that they learn what it is to truly live.

5 little joys in my life

I realized that I had not yet written about my babies. As often as I think about them I can't believe that I have yet to write about them. I teach pre-school. I have three kids at the age of five, and two kids at the age of four. They are one mess after an other, and I love them more than you could know. They come to me at 8:20 in the morning, and I get to keep them until 12:00. First thing in the morning we have a bible story and prayer time. Then we go into circle time, learning about colors, shapes, numbers, letters ect. Then we go water our plants that we are growing (or lack there of, in which case I explain that plants take a long time to grow.) We also have centers with all kinds of fun things, movement, music, art, snack, and of course we play outside. I'm blessed if we make it through the day without crying, hitting, "snatching," yelling, or mis-behavior. But, what really makes my day is when the day is filled with laughter. I love to play on the kids humor. I love when they make me laugh too. A big part of my job is talking to the kids in English so that they learn English young. They are doing so well with their English, I am so proud of all of them. I'm sure I will have many good stories involving them soon;)

The wonderful world of waterfalls

Living at a high altitude has it's advantages. One of my favorite things is the way the top of mountains are sprinkled with creek beds and waterfalls. Within walking distance of my house there are many waterfalls. Some are large gushing with water, and others very small, or thin with very little water traveling over the sides. Some of the people on the mountain use some of the waterfalls to wash there clothes, their dishes, and themselves whenever they need to. The water falls are Gods way of providing for their physical needs. They always know where they can find clean fresh water. They are also used for enjoyment for all the people on the mountain. I always enjoy a day when some of us go to the waterfalls. Normally a bunch of the kids on the ranch will go. We will hike all over the place until we come to the perfect one. Many times in one outing we will visit 3-4 different waterfalls. Every time I go thinking "oh, I've seen them all," and every time I'm proven wrong. Just this week I saw some of the most amazing waterfalls, I didn't even know were around. Like I said normally the kids will go along, but this week we had a teacher in service day, and only adults went. Before we get down to business the teachers always have a time of worship and prayer. God is who brought all of us teachers together and we have to remember to keep him at the center of our school. We all got in the car and went down the mountain a little and then hiked to some waterfalls. It was a sweet time to just come before God as teachers, in the mist of His glory. Running water has such a calming effect. I loved that we went outside to worship. It was a meaningful time for all of us, but it made it hard to get back in the school mode when we got back and had things to get done.