Mixed feelings...

So 1 week from now we will be on Canadian soil....or at least American....or maybe not. Our flight is scheduled to leave March 22nd....however Seth has developed chickenpox....yes this complicates things. He technically cannot fly with Chickenpox....which means we are praying that the spots scab over ASAP so that we can make the flight on March 22nd. This also means that he is not able to go to school anymore as we don't want to infect any other kids....so Seth's trip to the zoo, fun in Fisica (gym) and chance to spent quality time with his best-buddy and sponsor child, Esmeling, is all not going to happen. Now we are also hoping that Eden doesn't get Chickenpox.
Mixed feelings...the teachers and all of our friends would love for us to push back our flight to stay longer....and in many ways so would we! But we are also wanting to be home as hanging out in isolation with a three year old is tough work (poor Heath).
On a HUGE positive side....today we had an AWESOME PD Day with the teachers. We worshipped together, ate a typical Guatemalan breakfast (eggs, beans, cheese and tortillas), ate sweet bread with coffee, then had cake....oh and we spent several hours as a team talking about how to continue the literacy program once I'm gone and not nagging the teachers daily! Before our literacy PD (talk), we watched a video of Cash Luna (a preacher from Guatemala). He talked about vision and excellence in everything we do. It was so inspiring! He talked about how Jesus' first act on earth was to change water into wine...and He turned it into the BEST wine...why? Because Jesus only turns things into GOOD and doesn't know how to do a task poorly.... So as we chatted - all the teachers & I - about how to keep up the good work, we were inspired to give our BEST and do our jobs with excellence! What a great day :)

Other huge positives....we finally got the wood shelving units which will be the Play Centres for the 2 kindergarten classes and grade 1. They are beautiful and made locally (meaning, made by the guys just down the street....down that HUGE hill we walk daily). The classrooms look great and the teachers are working so hard! This Friday we have the big book fair which will display all the books that the kids have made over the past 2 months and all the work that the teachers have done. Oh, and Heath mentioned in the last blog that it will display my work....but he failed to mention that he has essentially created a library in 2 months. He's been folding books, glueing books, printing materials, and taking care of Eden ....which has created a library and allowed me to be in the classrooms everyday. Wow!

The hill...so remember that hill that we walk up daily (and Heath sometimes twice a day...like when I forget to bring diapers up and he just 'runs' down to get some)? Well, I too walked up twice the other day....once carrying Eden while Heath pushed Seth in the stroller and carried the computer bag....then I went up again without Eden...and it only took me 7 minutes to get up the hill!! It took us like 20 minutes our first days here! Today, I had to push the stroller up by myself while carrying the computer bag....and 20 minutes later and soaking wet with sweat, I made it to the school. Now I feel a little badly about how much extra stuff I'd put in the computer bag that Heath carried everyday or for the several times that I asked him to run back to the house to get stuff (and then walk up the hill again)! Oops!

1 week to go and filled with joy for what the Lord has been doing! We are all in Good hands.

:) Diane (and family)