Shalea---June 30, 2014

Today was an amazing day, but what can you expect when God is in the driver's seat? He never ceases to amaze me by His timing, His planning, and His unfailing grace. Viatris and I were so fortunate to be able to work with the kindergarteners here at the school.  There were only seventeen today, and their teacher was very sweet.  She had arranged a typical kindergarten classroom with a circle time area, four rectangular tables, and a play center. The "play" center consisted of broken toys and crates of bottle caps.  The kids used them to sort by colors and build things with! There was one little boy who was pushing around a plastic tricycle that was missing the front wheel.  It didn't seem to bother him.  It made me think of all of the toys that we have that are boxed away. We are so fortunate in the United States!  I was amazed how well the children stayed focused despite all of the sounds around them! It is very noisy with the birds and other tropical sounds.  Not to mention, several dogs came in and out in search of leftover food! Each child is responsible for bringing their own bowl for their daily lunch.  Each day, a mother is in charge of cooking and bringing rice, beans, and small tortillas for the children.  They do not use utensils, and they eat with only their hands.  Viatris and I make a good team! We taught them about the Fruits of the Spirit, and we made two art projects with them.  It was humbling to see their way of everyday life.  Picture yourself having been born high in the mountains with no other way of connecting with the outside world.  I am sure many of the children have never been into town, because it is so very far away.  The highlight of today was when we were showing the 1st grade students how to make a heart with their hands to symbolize love... "amor." The neat part was when we went over to the kindergarten room to show them the same symbol, and their teacher started digging in her supplies. She pulled out a poster with someone making that same heart! Talk about chill bumps! Tears of joy were shed today.  God is so good!

Shalea