1st week of school!

Look, look.  See the class.  It's second grade in action.  Ms. Kiera has one of our larger classes.  She is in her third year of teaching and is doing a fantastic job.  She keeps a controlled classroom and is planning her lessons almost totally on her own.  Pray for her as her confidence continues to build and she expands her experience as a teacher.    

We were finally within hours of our first day of school.  Everything was set in place.  Any possible scenario had been played in our minds.  Like an orchestra, we were fine-tuned, well, ok, maybe not FINE tuned, but we were prepared and our audience (the students!) would not know every missed note.  Finally, the hour arrived and our 2009 schoolyear that had hung in question only months ago, became reality.  All this sounds so dramatic, but for the stage of the game we are in here in Helene, it is a crucial year.  After a month of training, we have four lead teachers and two assistants (prospective teachers) going solo as I serve in an advisor type role.  I stand backstage and provide props, cues, and encouragement.  It is somewhat difficult to not have my own classroom - (at my age I yet am not burned out by teaching, what's with that?), but I am so thrilled to see these ladies stretch and step up.  The rehearsals are over, and the curtain went up.  We pray that the spotlight is on Jesus as we minister and serve together.  

Heeeere's Dominic!

As I sit here and reflect on our Teacher Training which has absolutely consumed my life for the last 3 weeks, I am amazed how God puts together people and places for what He is already doing.  When Emily left Helene last year, I admit some anticipation about the 2009 schoolyear.  As I returned and we opened the school, it seemed her presence was everywhere, in everything I picked up or moved, "the memories were so thick, you could swat them away like flies"(sorry, that line from "Field of Dreams" was appropriate!).  But over the last few weeks, our times in the afternoon have become a new sense of what we are doing here in the Helene Christian English School.  A big part of the success in our training this year is due to the Lord sending a young man named Dominic Alvarez.  Dominic is a talented guy, very articulate, sensitive listener and exactly what we needed for training, an animated speaker.  We wondered how our island teachers would react to a "man teacher" in our midst.  They love him!  Everything from his Gameshow Review to his pictures on the board to our very serious moments in the scripture about how Jesus was a teacher, too.  How I miss Em, but thank you, Lord, that Dominic is here.

Teacher Training 2009

This week we completed Teacher Training 2009 with four of our former island teachers and two new prospects who will be assistants.  We have spent every afternoon for the last three weeks exploring positive expectations, classroom management and content mastery.  More importantly, we have experienced a strong camaraderie and friendship.  We have pulled our topics for training from previous years as well as some new activities designed to get to know each other AND the culture better.  This year I have seen these ladies speak more freely and stand before each other with more confidence than I have known before.  We are stoked to begin school.  On Tuesday when the school board meets, we will be told when our first day of school will begin.  Next week we will hold our planning periods - each teacher has a planning time one morning a week - and set up our classrooms.  We are getting off to a later start this year, but I believe we will finish strong.   

This is one place we never sing, "Rain, rain' go away!"  After almost a month without rain, we began to pray last week for God to deliver some blessed showers our way.   And He did!  We have had some squalls move through at night or perhaps once a day, but this morning we awoke to a good heavy downpour.  And it was very overcast with more short showers most of the day.  What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday, especially when our whole team is SO exhausted.  Our boat is being repaired and basically, remodeled.  Teacher Training met every day this week with great success.  Student matriculation (registration) was held for three days and will continue.  Our visiting doctor and his wife left this week after a ten day stay.  Busy week.  But today the rain let us take a break, pull away from the work load, and maybe get a nap. 

one month into our 2009 year!

Today is exactly one month since we arrived in Helene for 2009.  We spent almost a week downisland in West End for a sort of prep time/mini-Team Steam.  We had our newest intern- Dominic Alvarez, back as a "fulltimer" and a fresh intern who has visited Helene with his church - David Chase.  These guys are a perfect match for our team and are really fun individuals. 

Dominic will be teaching and training in the English School.  He has led out in our Teacher Training that started this week and done an excellent job presenting the information.  David will be responsible for maintaining our property and buildings...the "to-do" list really never ends for him.  Our former team member Paul Moore spent two weeks with David showing him the ropes in a fast forward cram course on electricity, water system, generator, boat, etc.  Deirdre, Larry and I are so grateful to God for the team He has put together for 2009.  It is definitely a new start as we face many changes this year in our ministry and direction for the site.   

WE'RE BAAAACK!

A month ago today Larry and I caught a ferry from La Ceiba to Roatan to return to Helene.  We had a glorious four month break as we celebrated the birth of our granddaughter and the engagement of our oldest daughter!  Family and friends are by far the hardest ones to say goodbye when we leave.  But as we arrived on the island a week later, we were welcomed and excited to greet our island friends.  LOTS of changes going on this year as we return with FIVE staff.  Since we arrived, we have already had several groups of visitors including one of our favorite dentists and his wife.  One of the biggest goals in my ministry here with the school was to get the word out about our new community school board.  They will make the crucial decisions for our English school this year as we continue to train island teachers and begin a new school year in a few weeks after teacher training.  The children are constant in asking when school will start.  I remind myself that the first year we came here, school did not start until June, so not to worry about our late start date.  God has been preparing things while we were gone and is in the very middle of prep right now.