[Saturday, January 29, 2005]
What a gorgeous day it has been. The sun has been brightly shining all day. I enjoyed spending some time upatiars on the roof reading my Bible while I did laundry. It was a great way to start my weekend. Last night my roommate, Erin, and I made a big dinner and invited 2 other teachers and a couple that is working in Puebla with EBM, the same mission as I'm with, over for dinner. We had an enjoyable evening eating and talking and being entertained by the couple's 2-year old son, Drew. I ended last night with a long walk with my friend Shannon. We have come to really enjoy walking and talking in the evening. We always walk up to the highest place in the city- to a church. I love to stop on the stairs going up to the street the church is on (about 150 stairs) and looking out at all the lights of the city or when it is still light out, the mountains in the distance. Puebla is such a big city!! When we walk near sunset there is the most amazing view of the sun setting on Mt. Popo and Mt. Itza. We will be going for a walk this evening as well. :)
This week went well, although I had some difficulty sleeping this week. I had trouble falling asleep on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights and on Thursday night I went to bed late. So, I was tired and a little less patient than normal. Praise the Lord that He gave me the energy to get through the week and to sleep well last night.
I was blessed this week to hear from 2 friends from Indiana Wesleyan. I haven't heard from either of them in awhile, so it was fun to learn about what they are doing now.
My students have been getting into the habit of singing to me when I walk into the room. One girl organizes the other students and acts as the director. It's quite fun. The other day I was warned as I was about to walk into the room that they were going to sing Father Abraham to me. For the sake of time I stopped that song before it even got started. It's really neat though to have children that enjoy school and enjoy singing. We sing every morning and sometimes the kids just show so much joy and have so much fun singing about God and His blessings to us. We as adults have a lot to learn from these children!
Well, I will end today with a special prayer request. I have a brother and sister in my class whose mom left the family over a year ago. The children have not seen her since then. They talked to her earlier this week and she told them that she would be coming sometime in the next 2-4 weeks to visit them. The oldest of the 2 students, whom I had last year also, came to me after school one day and told me. He had the biggest smile on his face and he was filled with excitement. So, please pray for this family- that the mother would keep her word and come to her children. Pray also that while she is here things will be worked out in the marriage so that she returns to her family. Thank you for praying with me about this. I will keep you updated!
Remember as you go throughout this next week that each of us is here for HIS glory!
Angelina
This week went well, although I had some difficulty sleeping this week. I had trouble falling asleep on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights and on Thursday night I went to bed late. So, I was tired and a little less patient than normal. Praise the Lord that He gave me the energy to get through the week and to sleep well last night.
I was blessed this week to hear from 2 friends from Indiana Wesleyan. I haven't heard from either of them in awhile, so it was fun to learn about what they are doing now.
My students have been getting into the habit of singing to me when I walk into the room. One girl organizes the other students and acts as the director. It's quite fun. The other day I was warned as I was about to walk into the room that they were going to sing Father Abraham to me. For the sake of time I stopped that song before it even got started. It's really neat though to have children that enjoy school and enjoy singing. We sing every morning and sometimes the kids just show so much joy and have so much fun singing about God and His blessings to us. We as adults have a lot to learn from these children!
Well, I will end today with a special prayer request. I have a brother and sister in my class whose mom left the family over a year ago. The children have not seen her since then. They talked to her earlier this week and she told them that she would be coming sometime in the next 2-4 weeks to visit them. The oldest of the 2 students, whom I had last year also, came to me after school one day and told me. He had the biggest smile on his face and he was filled with excitement. So, please pray for this family- that the mother would keep her word and come to her children. Pray also that while she is here things will be worked out in the marriage so that she returns to her family. Thank you for praying with me about this. I will keep you updated!
Remember as you go throughout this next week that each of us is here for HIS glory!
Angelina
[Sunday, January 23, 2005]
Aren't you all enjoying that cold, snowy, icy winter there in Ohio? I've heard about your recent storms! Here in Puebla I have been enjoying 70 degree afternoons, although the evenings and morning have been around 45-50. Yesterday I was taking a walk with my friend, Shannon and it started to rain. It rained lightly and it was so exciting because we haven't had any rain for over 2 months. It felt very good coming down on my head. :)
I've been keeping busy but have had more spare time than usual. Last weekend marked the end of the 1st semester and I was busy working on grade cards and preparing things for 2nd semester. I came down with a cold also last weekend which kept me home from my evening activities this week. So, being at home left me with some spare time. I've been using a lot of my spare time just reading my Bible, praying and listening to praise music. I have really enjoyed the time I have spent with my Jesus since I've been back to Puebla. It's amazing that 3 weeks have passed since I was at home. I've been having a great time. I continue to seek God's will for me next year in prayer. I'm very excited about what He has in store for me and for now I'm just waiting and praying.
My students gave science reports on the weather this week. They were required to do an experiment to go along with their reports, so we saw some neat projects like a tornado in a jar and another student made a barometer and explained how it worked. One student brought in a fan to show the effect of a jet stream. The reports were really successful and the students enjoyed learning about the topic they selected. We also had Show and Tell a week ago. One of my students brought in some lego projects he had done. One thing was a submarine about 3 feet long that used a few thousand pieces of legos! Another student brought in hermit crabs. We enjoyed seeing everyone's special things. I have really been enjoying my job lately and feel so blessed to be here. I'm so thankful that God has given me this opportunity.
I hope everyone is doing well. I pray that you will be seeking the Lord and watching to see what opportunities to serve Him you will have this week. I encourage you to be strong in the Lord and live everyday for Him!
Angelina
I've been keeping busy but have had more spare time than usual. Last weekend marked the end of the 1st semester and I was busy working on grade cards and preparing things for 2nd semester. I came down with a cold also last weekend which kept me home from my evening activities this week. So, being at home left me with some spare time. I've been using a lot of my spare time just reading my Bible, praying and listening to praise music. I have really enjoyed the time I have spent with my Jesus since I've been back to Puebla. It's amazing that 3 weeks have passed since I was at home. I've been having a great time. I continue to seek God's will for me next year in prayer. I'm very excited about what He has in store for me and for now I'm just waiting and praying.
My students gave science reports on the weather this week. They were required to do an experiment to go along with their reports, so we saw some neat projects like a tornado in a jar and another student made a barometer and explained how it worked. One student brought in a fan to show the effect of a jet stream. The reports were really successful and the students enjoyed learning about the topic they selected. We also had Show and Tell a week ago. One of my students brought in some lego projects he had done. One thing was a submarine about 3 feet long that used a few thousand pieces of legos! Another student brought in hermit crabs. We enjoyed seeing everyone's special things. I have really been enjoying my job lately and feel so blessed to be here. I'm so thankful that God has given me this opportunity.
I hope everyone is doing well. I pray that you will be seeking the Lord and watching to see what opportunities to serve Him you will have this week. I encourage you to be strong in the Lord and live everyday for Him!
Angelina
[Saturday, January 08, 2005]
Happy New Year to everyone!
I'll start by sharing a little about my last few days at home. I spent New Year's Eve with my family and relatives. We had a fun time of playing cards, washers and Catch Phrase. I felt blessed to be surrounded by people that care about me. At midnight I greeted the New Year with the question of why we celebrate it because my life doesn't change from Dec. 31 to Jan.1 and yet it is a time of celebration. I started the year with prayer asking God to have His way with this year. I am really looking forward to what God is going to do in my life this year. I have been reading a lot lately in the Bible and have been encouraged by others that God does all things well and that He has a desire to give me good things- in fact the Bible says that He will not withhold any good thing from those who love Him. So, I am excited to see what good things God wants to give me during the next year. It is neat to look back through the past year and track God's love and faithfulness. You all have been a part of God's good gifts to me through your prayer and support. Thank you. I do pray that each of you can take the time to reflect on God's goodness in the past year and you can be excited about the things that God is going to do for you and go through with you in this new year. Be encouraged my brothers and sisters in Christ for we serve a mighty, holy, and very generous God!
Well, I have been through the first school week back and have really enjoyed it. My students have been so good to me this week as I have shared with them some things that have discouraged me over the Christmas break. They are so protective and caring and I am so blessed by them! I have just been surrounded by encouragement since I've been back to Puebla.
My travel back to Puebla was the BEST I've ever had! I left Lima around 11am and got to my apartment in Puebla around 9pm. It was a very quick travel day with no problems and an unexpected blessing. For the first time I flew into the Puebla airport and the people there were amazingly friendly. It is a very small airport, with basically only one flight coming/going at a time. There were no long lines for customs, immigration or backage claims. Also, I was given a 180 day Visa simply by asking for it. (Usually you get 90 days and it has to be renewed, which costs about $20.) So I was surprised and happy about that!
I almost forgot, but Thursday was a Mexican holiday called 3 Kings Day and it is to celebrate the 12th day of Christmas and the Wisemen bringing gifts to Jesus. The tradition here is for people to have parties and buy a special kind of bread called Rosca. Inside the bread, which is in the shape of an oval ring, (the center is cut out) there are hidden little plastic or porcelain figures. Each person takes a turn cutting himself a piece of bread and if you find a figure inside your piece you are supposed to host a party on February 2nd and have tamales at the party. So, I got to celebrate this event 4 times. Only once did I get a figure in my bread. It's a different but fun event. Also in some parts of Mexico people give gifts on this day- kind of like an extra Christmas. :)
Well, I've officially announced to LBT that I will not be returning to Puebla next fall, so now I'm really seeking the Lord's direction on what to do after I return to the United States. The options are limitless and I have NO idea what to do or what God is calling me to, so that is a huge prayer request- that I will wait on God for Him to reveal His will for me.
Have a great week and please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd love to hear from more people.
Angelina
I'll start by sharing a little about my last few days at home. I spent New Year's Eve with my family and relatives. We had a fun time of playing cards, washers and Catch Phrase. I felt blessed to be surrounded by people that care about me. At midnight I greeted the New Year with the question of why we celebrate it because my life doesn't change from Dec. 31 to Jan.1 and yet it is a time of celebration. I started the year with prayer asking God to have His way with this year. I am really looking forward to what God is going to do in my life this year. I have been reading a lot lately in the Bible and have been encouraged by others that God does all things well and that He has a desire to give me good things- in fact the Bible says that He will not withhold any good thing from those who love Him. So, I am excited to see what good things God wants to give me during the next year. It is neat to look back through the past year and track God's love and faithfulness. You all have been a part of God's good gifts to me through your prayer and support. Thank you. I do pray that each of you can take the time to reflect on God's goodness in the past year and you can be excited about the things that God is going to do for you and go through with you in this new year. Be encouraged my brothers and sisters in Christ for we serve a mighty, holy, and very generous God!
Well, I have been through the first school week back and have really enjoyed it. My students have been so good to me this week as I have shared with them some things that have discouraged me over the Christmas break. They are so protective and caring and I am so blessed by them! I have just been surrounded by encouragement since I've been back to Puebla.
My travel back to Puebla was the BEST I've ever had! I left Lima around 11am and got to my apartment in Puebla around 9pm. It was a very quick travel day with no problems and an unexpected blessing. For the first time I flew into the Puebla airport and the people there were amazingly friendly. It is a very small airport, with basically only one flight coming/going at a time. There were no long lines for customs, immigration or backage claims. Also, I was given a 180 day Visa simply by asking for it. (Usually you get 90 days and it has to be renewed, which costs about $20.) So I was surprised and happy about that!
I almost forgot, but Thursday was a Mexican holiday called 3 Kings Day and it is to celebrate the 12th day of Christmas and the Wisemen bringing gifts to Jesus. The tradition here is for people to have parties and buy a special kind of bread called Rosca. Inside the bread, which is in the shape of an oval ring, (the center is cut out) there are hidden little plastic or porcelain figures. Each person takes a turn cutting himself a piece of bread and if you find a figure inside your piece you are supposed to host a party on February 2nd and have tamales at the party. So, I got to celebrate this event 4 times. Only once did I get a figure in my bread. It's a different but fun event. Also in some parts of Mexico people give gifts on this day- kind of like an extra Christmas. :)
Well, I've officially announced to LBT that I will not be returning to Puebla next fall, so now I'm really seeking the Lord's direction on what to do after I return to the United States. The options are limitless and I have NO idea what to do or what God is calling me to, so that is a huge prayer request- that I will wait on God for Him to reveal His will for me.
Have a great week and please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd love to hear from more people.
Angelina
