I'm back!! :)

Hello! 

Wow have things changed since the end of last school year!!

Before I go any further, I want to apologize for not keeping up with my blog last semester. I started a few of them, but they never got published and for that I say I am sorry to those of you who have kept up with my life down here and wondered what was going on (if you would like for me to post them, let me know and I will, although they will be out of date ;). But I am hoping to keep it going while I am here from now on. :) I know I'm getting a bit of a late start, but here it is!

Anyway, as I said, lots has changed!! When the end of the school year came, I was the dorm counselor of 3 students, there were 5 staff people (myself included), and 7 students attending school. When I came back, I was most likely only going to have one dorm student, there were only 2 staff members (including myself) and we didn't know if we were going to have 3 or 4 students in the classroom.

As it turns out, 1 dorm student, 2 staff members, 3 students attending. Reasons? Not totally sure. But 2 of the 7 students moved to Florida, so we knew they wouldn't be back. We thought we would have 5 students attending at the end of the school year, but over the summer, two of them decided to change their minds. If you didn't know, last spring we got an additional student from Orocovis come and stay with us. We thought that Maria would be back again this year, but for whatever reason, only God knows why, she decided to go back to her public school where she doesn't learn hardly anything. So there went the first one of 5.

Also over the summer, one of the other students decided that he wanted a life style change and he didn't want to come here anymore either. He wanted to be in a school that had more students, so he could make more friends. He made a decision to not follow God anymore, so why would he want to come here? Needless to say, he kept telling Betsy (and me when I saw him), "I don't know if I'll be back." And then on the first day of school, he showed up to get transfer papers signed so he could go elsewhere. That left us with 3 students.

Side note: The kids often ask for prayer for more students and more teachers. Please join us in agreement for this prayer request.

As far as me and my life here, as I said, I only have one dorm kiddo this year, which is good, but also kind of not. Because it is just me, I have to do everything. Entertain him with fun, active things to do during free time, make sure homework gets done, make dinner, make sure he gets showered, ready for bed, etc, etc, etc. And for a normal kid, it wouldn't be too bad. But for Juan, it is hard. He has such a hard time focusing and paying attention that a math paper that would normally take a child his age 20 mins to do, takes him twice as long or longer. Especially if it is something that he has just learned that day in class and needs to practice to remember what he's learned! So because he has a hard time paying attention, finishing his homework, writing nicely, blah, blah, blah, I am constantly having to be on top of him for everything. TIRING! My patience is DEFINITELY being tested and my frustration level gets thinner each day of the week. I now know what it is like to be a single parent, literally. I felt that way some last year, but I had one/two other students who helped, and two other staff members who helped too. But this year I have no one. Just me! It is frustrating and stressful. But things have gotten a bit better since the beginning of the school year. It really all depends on the day with him though. One day he could be completely not focused and paying attention, and the next he could do really well and get his homework done in no time! I wish I knew if something made a difference.

But either way, I know this is where I am to be. I know that because I am here, this little boy is getting a MUCH needed education. Because if I weren't here, he wouldn't be here. And he SOOOOO desperately needs it. Not just in school, but in life also. So despite that fact that I get lonely, feel like I have no friends here sometimes, feel disconnected to the world as a whole and back home, etc, I know that God has placed me here for such a time as this. I know that I am much needed here, for more than just that little boy. I am here for myself, for those I work with, and for the students. God is teaching me, growing me, and using me in ways I never even imagined. I thank Him!

Some other things to pray about:

Those feelings mentioned above while here: Loneliness, no friends here, disconnected to the world and things back home

Juan: That he learn to focus and pay more attention, that he remembers what he learns in the classroom (many times if he has a few days off-even a weekend sometimes- he forgets what he learned and has a hard time answering questions he could answer quickly the week before), for him to come to a full understanding of what Jesus did and accept Him as his Savior

My financial support as I continue my time here

For those other students who are no longer coming here: that they would not forgot God in their lives, would continue in their walks with Him and/or that He would touch their hearts and bring them back to Him.

For the other 2 students here: that they fully realize how much God loves them and the power they have with the Holy Spirit, and that they remember what they learn in the classroom as well

Father, thank you for your Goodness. You have blessed me bunches, and I give you all the glory. Thank you for letting me realize (again) that I am here for a reason, and letting me know partially what that reason is, because I am sure that there is a bigger reason than just what I see and know. Thank you for teaching me. Help me to remember why I am here in those times that I feel so lonely or like I don't matter. Help me to keep my eyes and focus on You. In Jesus' name. Amen.