Coming to an end...

Well we are coming to an end here…only 1.5 months left…and I haven’t written a blog in a long time, figured that’d be a good idea. Lately I’m filled with such bitter-sweet emotions. The excitement of coming home is something I feel every day. But also the realization that I will be leaving this place that I have grown to know as “home” for the last year is rather sad. I remember being so uncomfortable and counting down the days that we had left but now it’s different. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited to be coming home…I think about it a lot…which I should probably limit that…lol! But I don’t know when I’ll come back to this place or see the people I have grown to love. Even the little things that bother me I think I’ll miss just because it will mean that this experience is over. It’s been such a rollercoaster ride of emotions but it has been so great and so beneficial in multiple ways. I don’t think I could ever replace what I’ve learned this year, nor do I want to.

My Classroom 

So an update of work and such…I have finished my time as the lead teacher in the Jardin class (with 4 year olds). This was a great experience even though I couldn’t wait until the other teacher came back from maternity leave. J It had its stressful times, that’s for sure, but then it was also very rewarding at the same time. The curriculum that we teach to four year olds isn’t difficult but when it is not in the language you speak fluently, it can be. Also, trying to manage a class and keep 22 little ones in line while translating everything in your head can make a person tired at the end of the day. Thank God that the school days were only 4 hours long! J I really had to work a lot on patience, which has always been a struggle for me; those who know me well know I’m not always the most patient person. I had to learn how to be patient with the kids and also with myself, which might have been the hardest part. My Spanish had to quickly improve as well! Since I was the lead teacher, I was in charge of everything. I think this responsibility helped me a lot with my Spanish. My Spanish is nowhere near perfect, but it’s getting better, day by day, and I feel like I can usually communicate what I need to and want to, which is so great! Now I just have to keep it up when I get home!

The house of one of my students

Now to what I am currently doing at work…I am now working on Sponsorship letters that the school is sending to the U.S. and Canada. I go to the houses of students who are financially struggling to pay for their schooling. I meet the parents, see where they live, hear their stories, take pictures of them and their houses, and then later write their stories. This has been an eye-opening experience. I have been able to see where some of these kids come from and it breaks my heart. Some of the houses are falling apart or they are so tiny the whole family shares one room. It just reminds me how much we really have, it’s ridiculous. I remember begging my mom to have a T.V. in my room and whining about how small my room was as a kid, and these kids don’t even get their own rooms, and if they do, it is just big enough for their bed! It’s amazing how much you can change and appreciate when you see the poverty that is right in front of you. Also, to hear some of the life stories of these children is devastating, and they are all so young. This is when I have this inner-fight within myself. Do I withdraw all my money from my bank account (which isn’t much to us, but tons to them) and help these people out, or try and help some, or just pray? What do I do? I was going to the school everyday before I started this new work, knowing that some of the kids come from rough homes and backgrounds and feeling sorry for them but not thinking much about it and now it’s totally different. I know I can’t help everyone, and that’s not why I was sent here either, but it’s hard not to think that way. I then find myself thinking about the future. If I go home, buy a house, then I’m going to want to furnish it with nice things, spend a decent amount of money to make it “look good”. But “look good” to who? Me…probably not…sure I like that stuff…but it’s all about impressing others that come and see your things…right? What is the real reason to having such things? These are just my thoughts, please don’t take any offense to any of this…I have no problem with having nice things…I have nice things already…and I want them too…and probably will have them in the future…but this is just what rolls through my head when I see how other people are living, and when I see how truly happy and proud they are of the things they have. I feel I complain about not having the best of the best…but why? Does it really matter? Why do we always want what we don’t have, that has always been a struggle of mine…being happy with what I have, and where I am, at that moment. I could go on, but I’ll stop there. I just know that these are all things that I need to work on with God and I am thankful that he has given me what he has and shown me, through this experience, what I have and how good I have it! J

The view of Piriapolis

                             Now on a lighter note…our team just recently got back from our retreat in Uruguay and Argentina. We went to Montevideo Uruguay for about a week to spend our vacation time there together, as a team. It is absolutely gorgeous there, it was amazing! We stayed in a Hostel two blocks from the beach, toured the city a bit and ate a lot of good food.J We also went to the city Piriapolis and took a lift up to the top of a little mountain for a beautiful coastal view…amazing! It was great to spend some quality time with the team, laughing and making jokes like usual. I am going to miss them a lot when this is all over. I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to them. After our week there, we went back to Buenos Aires, where we stayed before coming to Paraguay at the beginning of this adventure, to visit the families and friends we had made there. This was so great. The people in Buenos Aires are the most loving, friendly people I have ever met. They are so accepting, and have such a visible love for God. We feel at home there and are truly appreciative of their friendships. Can’t really express how much we love them!

On our way to the airport in Argentina!!!

The group out to dinner in Montevideo!!!

For this last month and a half, I ask that you pray for me as I try to “make it count”. I want to “be here” as much as possible even though I’m excited to go home and be with friends and family again. I want the people here to know how much I love them and appreciate them and this experience that I’ve had. I want to continue to build on my relationships with my family, coworkers, and friends. It has been hard of course, like I’ve said before, but irreplaceable at the same time. Thank you for all your support and prayers, and for listening to my thoughts. Hope all is well back home, can’t wait to see you all very soon!

        I’ll leave you with scripture that my friend (teammate) Andrew has shared with me: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”Philippians 4:15  

thoughts....

First of all, sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written. I thought I’d get my lap top and I was putting off writing this until then, but it’s not coming. So here we are…

The months are flying by here, less than 4 to go, it’s kind of unbelievable. After the New Year I really decided that I wanted to make this last half count. It was easy to fall into a habit of “counting down” per say, as to when I’d get home. But as much as I miss home and at some points would give anything to be there, I know I want to BE HERE right now. I want this place to be somewhere I miss and want to come back to and think of fondly. I know every moment hasn’t been fun or easy but I’m growing here and I see God working in my life and I’m am making relationships with some really great people.

I have found some things out about myself that I don’t know if I ever would have seen at home. It’s funny when you’re home and COMFORTABLE and you know your routine, everyone else does too, and how you respond and react to things. And then you get taken out of that and put somewhere else where everything is different and changed, and you have to adjust and confront yourself in many ways. Or, you root yourself in your old ways and find yourself unhappy. I’m not saying I never resort to the comfortable, because I do, and I think that’s almost how we are wired. But I’m trying to think about the uncomfortable and just jump in. I have discovered so many things that I want to work on within myself and I know it’s going to be life long, but I’m so thankful I’ve had this experience to open my eyes to those things.

I’ve recently taken over my Jardin class of 22 four year olds. The teacher I was an aid to had her baby 3 weeks ago. This suggestion of me teaching while she was on maternity leave was brought up about 3 to 4 months ago and never again. Which I was apprehensive about because of the language barrier. Then, on the 1^st day of school, I was informed, in front of all the parents, that would be their child’s teacher. J Talk about surprised! I’ve learned that that’s how things just go and you role with it. I’ve also started teaching 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd graders English for one hour three days a week. I do this before I go into my class of energetic four year olds. J This class takes a lot of patience. It’s one thing to teach and try to control a bunch of four year olds when you speak their language fluently; it’s even more challenging when you don’t! But I’m trying to work on staying calm and loving them when they’re driving me crazy, because they need that. Our school is the only place where the majority of these kids get to know Christ. So my goal is to love them and show God’s love to them as much as I can.

At this point I find myself thinking about what it’s going to be like to come home, how different it will be. I know God will help me re-adjust just like he has here. The things I think about are, will I go back to the way I was before because it’s normal, my friendships (they might change or not exist anymore), how will I feel about money? I’ve seen how people live who don’t have much and they’re so happy. I just think about the fact that if I eat a meal at the school and I don’t like it, and am still hungry later. I can go buy something somewhere else because I have that ability and the resources. But, a lot of the people I know here don’t! And they eat it because it’s food without complaints. We have so much and we don’t even realize it! It’s just hard to know a balance in how I should live when I’ve seen poverty first hand, and this is just one example. Also, a job is something I think about. I am coming home and going to try to jump into my career! Ahh!!! That is scary! At times I envy my teammates because they are all going home to go to college, just sounds easier and more fun. J But when I start to worry I try to focus on the fact that God has a plan for me and I don’t need to worry about it. I just need to have FAITH in Him.

There are so many things that I’ve been thinking about and want to share but it’d take a lot of writing. I’ll be home soon enough to share them with you all in person. I’ll leave you with a few quotes from my devotional that have been encouraging…love you all and miss you lots…see you soon!

*When you choose a course along with My will, nothing can stop you.

*Obstacles will occur but don’t be discouraged.

*I create stress when I want a result now instead of waiting for God’s timing.

*When I hope in God I will be protected from depression and SELF-PITTY.

*God is my ever present help when I am weak.

One of my prayers….

Lord, I ask you to show me your path forward moment by moment. I pray you help me to slow down and enjoy your pace and enjoy this journey in your presence. 

Thankfulness...

Being that Thanksgiving just passed, and my devotional has been talking about giving thanks for the last 7 days or so, I figured I´d write about thankfulness.

I´ll start with some great quotes or Bible verses from my devotional. This devotional has been great for me, it has applied to what I´m experiencing here and it is one thing I´m thankful for right now.

            -Remember that JOY is not dependent on your circumstances.

-Be willing to follow wherever I lead you. Follow me wholeheartedly, with glad anticipation quickening your pace

- Instead of regretting or resenting the way things are, thank ME in all circumstances.

- Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:17

-You need to look beyond the flux of circumstances and discover Me gazing lovingly back at you.

-Complaining to others is another matter all together. It opens the door to deadly sins such as self-pity and rage! Bring your grumbles to me.

-Live fully in the present depending on Me each moment!

-Trust Me enough to let things happen with out striving to predict or control them.

-A life of praise and thankfulness becomes a life filled with miracles. Instead of trying to be in control, you focus on Me and what I am doing.

-When your mind is occupied with thanking me, you have no time for worrying or complaining.

All of these quotes have hit home for me. I have been struggling with all of these things and I love that God has so clearly shown me he is there and with me through all of this through the words in my devotional.  

Other things I am thankful for:

-My AMAZING team here in Paraguay. They are such a blessing and I am so glad to have this experience with them. I don’t know if I could do this with out them. They are all great in their own different ways, I love them!

- My wonderful family back home praying for me and thinking of me.

-My friends and church back home thinking of me and praying for me.

-I´m so thankful for my mom. She listens to everything I say, hears it all and gives me the strength to power through when things are hard. I appreciate that she stays strong for me and pushes me to change my attitude towards the positive. I appreciate her more than she knows.

- The long bus ride to work to listen to my music and just have some time to think. I sometimes don´t want to get off because I´m caught up in my thoughts.

- My family here. Even though it´s been hard, and adjustment. We have our good times. And I´m thankful for the freedom they are giving me to have experiences her with them or with others around me. I really have it good here.

- I´m thankful for one student in my class who every morning runs to me and gives me a big hug and says, ¨hola profe Cotty (Katie)¨. It makes me feel so good. And at times when I´m at work feeling like I´m not doing anything or helping, I can think of those kids that I get to be with and have grown to love already.

-This one is a bit superficial but I´m seriously VERY thankful for it; the air conditioner in my room. With this I am able to sleep some at night (I just don’t sleep well anymore in general) but with out the AC I´m not sure I´d sleep much at all. I thank God every morning and every night for this.

-The Klassen family. They are our directors here and they have welcomed me into their family like their own daughter. I am at their house 3 afternoons a week. I especially am thankful for Edulia, the mom. She is so sweet and so patient with my Spanish and is always making sure I´m doing ok. I love her.

-My new friend Bianca. She is great and we have a lot of fun together. I love when you meet a person and it feels like you´ve already been friends for years. :)

-I´m also thankful that I have been able to see all the things I take advantage of at home, just the simple ordinary things to us, that they don’t have here. For example; cold water and ice, free water and refills at restaurants, my car, AC everywhere you go, speaking the Native language fluently, people not staring  you down because of your hair color or skin color, family and friends that know you and love you unconditionally. There are many others but I am thankful in general for the things and people I have at home.

Being here so far has shown me how to appreciate my family back home and not take advantage of them because they ARE my family and will always love me. I have learned to appreciate every positive thing and try and hold onto those, even though I don’t always do that, I´m trying. To just be thankful in general. I tend to think I´m the only one going through something difficult or challenging, and that is not true. God is trying to show me the good in every situation and that it is MY choice to think that way. He has provided me with everything that I need. God is my focus! This is my continual prayer, that I can remember and do this at all times.  

Here is my list of things I feel God is working on with me:

-Trust

-Thankfulness

-Complaining and comfort

-Being in the moment now, not focusing on the future

I would love your prayers in all of these things and I thank you for all of your prayers so far. Talk to you soon, wishing you all happy shopping and whatever else you are doing in this Christmas season.

P.S. Enjoy the cool weather and actual Christmas feeling for us down here in South America. A bit hard when its 105 degrees out and really humid. But hey, I´m getting a pretty good tan! :)

Going good...

So there isn´t really much to update you all on but everything is going great here. I am enjoying my job and making new friends. My spanish is getting better, still is not great but so much better. I´ve been able to have a few deep conversations and been able to get to know people better as well. That is really nice and has made a big difference in my experience here. I´m very glad for this. It was kind of hard at first because I couldn´t hardly communicate with anyone but now it´s going good, slow and steady:) I can´t wait until I can really really talk to them!:)

I have been teaching a lot of English and have been asked multiple times to teach other people, which is ok, but I would like to learn Spanish a little better before I start teaching English to a lot of people. So we´ll see how that goes, hopefully I can teach more people after a few months when my Spanish improves. Also, at my work, they asked me to be the lead teacher in a few months when the teacher now goes on maternity leave. That´s a bit scary but I think I´ll be able to do it since I´ll have about 3 more months to practice my Spanish.

My group is going to cook a Thanksgiving meal for all of our families and our leaders, about 38 people! We are going to take the day after Thanksgiving off from work and spend all day cooking together. It will be the first test to see if we can all work together in harmony! No, it should be great and we are really excited. We are sad we won´t be home with our families but we are going to bring a little bit of home here to help us celebrate! Can´t believe its only a week away! So excited! Hope all of you are well and I will try and update again soon! Ask me any questions, anytime! Chau!!!!

Quick Update

Life is picking up down here in South America...I´m really starting to enjoy myself. My job is great and I love the kids and my co-workers. I still wish it was a little longer of a day but it´s great. My official job is being in the four year old classroom helping the other teacher. Then for thirty minutes every day I go to another class and teach the students English. Usually it´s one or two words because they are all very young. Then on Wednesday´s in the afternoon I teach English to about 20 students that are from 6 years old to 15 years old for an hour. It´s interesting but it went a lot better than I thought it would. I am also teaching English to my boss one day a week. She is really great and I come to her house every day for my Siesta because there is nowhere else to go and my house is too far away. I´ve grown to love her family and they help me with my Spanish some too. Her husband is the pastor at the church right next to my work and he is the person that arranged all of our jobs and houses here in Paraguay! Anyway, I should go but just wanted to give you all a brief update! Talk to you soon!

Things are starting to pick up a bit...

Hello everyone, hope this message finds you all well. Things are going pretty well here in Paraguay. We have been lucky enough to have a few days of cool rainy weather, it has been amazing! For all of you it is turning into fall, and those of you not in PHX it is cooling down and the leaves are changing and whatnot...here, not so much. It is getting hotter, except for these few days, and it will just continue to increase. I´ve been told it gets up to like 115 degrees F! I can handle that becuase its like home, but there´s humidity here! But I will live and God is definitely showing me that. I don´t need to be totally comfortable to be happy.

My work has picked up a bit, I am now reading with students in the first grade class that struggle with reading, I´ve been able to use some of my teaching background so that has been fun. I am also helping in a classroom with 4 year olds. After that I read with two of the 2nd graders. Also, on Fridays I teach English to the 2nd grade students. I love the kids and I love their excitment and enthusiasm. I have been able to communicate a tiny bit better with the teachers, and getting to know them a little better, which has been great. They are really wonderful people. I also have been able to learn some stuff about the children. Most of them come from troubled homes and backgrounds, where their parents are not around and don´t provide a positive influence for their kids. This is what we try to accomplish at the school. They are all great in their own ways and I can´t wait until I understand everything they are saying to me. LOL! They talk very fast and high so I especially struggle to understand the kids. They call me Tia Katie (Cotty is how it sounds), or Profe Katie...its adorable! That means aunt Katie or teacher Katie for those of you who might not know. I am also going to start teaching English at the church right next door to the school two afternoons a week...a little nerve racking since I still can´t speak Spanish but we´ll see how it goes!

I can´t express in just a few short words how much God is already working within me. A friend of mine gave me a devotional before I left and every day I read it I am so amazed and in awe of God and how directly the Bible verses and messages apply to my life right now. I am taking it one day at a time and listening to what God has to say to me. I may not know the exact reason I´m here and might feel like going home at times but God has a plan and I want to be able to fulfill that for him.

Hope you all have a great weekend, I will try to write again soon.

P.S. Sorry if there are spelling errors, I am using a computer thats set to Spanish only and so when I click spell check it says all my words are wrong. :) And for those of you who know me well, I can´t spell!

Paraguay thus far...

To start, sorry I haven´t made a blog post since Argentina, we had better internet access there so it was a lot easier to write. I have internet here in Paraguay but it charges my host family per minute so I am trying to use it as little as possible. I do have internet on my phone which is great, but writing a blog on a tiny phone is somewhat of a challenge:)

So, we arrived here in Asuncion, Paraguay after a long 22 hour bus ride on the most comfortable bus I´ve ever been on, and I´m not joking, we pretty much had a bed on there, it was wonderful! But the ride was ok and I was filled with nerves and anxious to see what Paraguay would be like. We arrived around 4:30 p.m.and hadn´t eaten anything since 10:00p.m. the night before so the pastor and his assistant that picked us up took us to Burger King, good ol´American food to start out our time in Paraguay! :) We then went to our host families for the night. I was the first to be dropped of and I was not ready to leave my group yet. But I had to go anyway. I met my family, the Neufeld´s, the dad is Alvin, the mom is Renata, and there are 3 kids, Samuel (13), Tonia (11), and Marcos (8). Hopefully I can put up pictures soon so you can see them. They are a very nice family that has taken me in with such short notice. I share a room with Tonia. The first night I unpacked my things and tried to get settled in. As most of you know, I am easily homesick and I was definitely homesick that first night and I am still struggling with it but I´m taking it each day at a time and trying to work through it. The last few days I have been able to get closer to my family here which has helped a lot. Oh and the dad speaks English and the mom a little as well, which is great for me to be able to communicate but doesn´t really help my Spanish much.

The first 4 days were spent touring the city with our lovely tour guide, Dario, not sure he enjoyed that but he is Alfred´s assistant so he kinda had to. It was fun though to get to see the city and also become familiar with the buses. I take 1 bus to work every morning and 2 home...that is a change for sure. I´m not used to public transpirtion but its doable. Not terrible just not the best of times. :)

So you are probably wondering about my work. Well to be honest its a bit slow right now but I´m hoping it will pick up. I am working at the daycare-school! There hope is to have me teach English when my Spanish gets better so we will see about that. Hopefully sometime soon I will be able to get more involved. This week we pretty much just painted some Hop-Scotch things for the kids, hung out with the kids, and did any misc work they needed us to. Here there is a 2-3 hr break in the middle of the day so that has been interesting. Myride is about 40min each way so there is no point in going home and then coming back so we have been trying to figure something else out to do. When I say ¨we¨ I mean Riley and I. He works there as well, its nice to have someone from my group with me. Cara, another group member, was there with us this week as well because her job doesnt start until Monday.

My Spanish is still pretty rough, we had classes this week but they are different than what I expected, like most things about this trip...lol! But hopefully they will become useful or I might seek out some private lessons so that I can improve quicker.

Hope this gives everyone a bit of an idea of what is happening here and I hope to have more exciting things to tell you in the near future. Please continue to pray for my homesickness...sadly it has not gone away yet. As well as my ability to addapt to the heat...haha...its hot here and no AC. My Spanish could use some prayers as well. Thank you so much, talk to you soon!