We bought our tickets!

We found a great deal for for tickets for our trip back to Belize this year. We will be leaving October 4th. We will be spending Christmas in Belize this year (can you imagine swimming in the river on Christmas day and not even being cold, crazy hugh?). It was about the same price to come home and then go out a second time so we have booked a trip back home for Jan 26. This will give us a chance to visit our family again, I'm sure we'll be mighty homesick by then.

Of course the quesiton your probably asking is: what are you going to be doing this year?

Most of our focus will be on Cory's ministry this year. She really found an incredible niche in helping dyslexic students last year. I believe she has a gift because we saw students who were failing pass last year and actually do quite well near the end. Check some of our past entries for some great stories. So Cory will be focusing on that as her main thing.

As for me, I was told by my Seminary that I have to get finished my degree. After working on it for 6 or 7 years they are pushing me to get it done. Quite frankly, I can hardly wait to be done. So I'm going to finish my grad essay (thesis) on using the Web for local churches and doing a directed study on the history of Mennonites. With that history course I am hoping to put together a study to help those in the village and on the colony. I don't want to dream too far but I wonder if understanding their roots will really help the old colony find freedom in Christ. We'll see, keep praying. I've also been invited to preach in a church in the neighboring village and that pastor was quite eager for me to get back even before we left last spring.

So keep us in your prayers.

Had a baby, it's a niece!

The long wait is over. Kim and Lance (my brother) had their third child today. It was a baby girl 8.3oz. Cory is over at their house looking after the kids now. I hope to be able to go to the hospital when she gets back this afternoon.

Nothing New to Report

For all those asking -- we are not pregnant and not dead.

Working at TWU

I'm back to work at TWU. I took a class last week on "Building Healthy Churches". It went well but I am more excited about the assignment where I am writting a paper on how the internet can be "unhealthy" for the local church. This should be a good step towards my larger grad essay which will deal with what the internet is and how it can best used to support the local Church.

This week I'm re-connecting with collegues and doing some planning with them on the myTWU site. Right now however my computer is in the "shop". Good news about that though because I have a great tech who is re-installing it and will hopefully make it dual-boot (as either XP or Linux)

That's it for me now. Oh ya, and we're trying to sell the condo.

Graduation

Last night was graduation. We had 5 grads this year and it was a joy to see them finish and walk the isle. Three are off to Canadian schools and two are staying here (one will even be a teacher next year).

One of my joys was to have some of the students (from all grades) come up to me and thank-me for being their teacher. Some almost had tears in their eyes. This is especially significant since I have had a somewhat challenging year and have often wondered if I was doing any good. I thought it was going to be many more years before they came to appreciate what I had done but last night one of the girls said, "I want to thank-you for teaching us this year. I know I have not always appreciated you the way I should..." Another student came up to me that night as well. He did not finish very well this year. On the last day he wrote on the wall "I hate school" and then took off. When I called him on his cell he told me that he wasn't coming back and was quitting. Last night after seeing the grads make it I saw him talking to the school board and then he came up to my truck as we were pulling out and said, "I know I haven't been that easy on you this year. I just wanted to thank-you and let you know that I will be going back next year." It's going to be another three years for that guy and he knows it but I am so glad he is going to try.

As we wrap up here I often think what kind of mark I would give myself. Honestly, I am not sure. I know I have tried hard and we God has used me to do so amazing things (including getting the students to lead chapels and memorize whole chapters of the Bible) but I also know I would do some things differently (like be more strict in the beginning and stuck to my guns more when the students opposed me and telling the students I love them more often). In the end I am glad God is the one who gives me my mark. I have had to learn this year to just be faithful and not to worry what my students or others think. I have been working on the discipline of finishing well. I have also learnt a very valuable lesson that I do not have to shine in every ministry but sometimes I just need to sludge through it and trust that God will do something with it in the end.

Half acre planted (all it took was a shovel, a string, gas and a lighter)

Last night it rained really hard. Our wheel barrow had 4" of rain in it just from one night. That is almost a week of good rain so I guess rainy season is upon us now. When I got to the nursery this morning our trees were flooded (some almost to the top of the bags). So Carl and I figured it is time to plant the little suckers.

So we loaded up the truck and headed out to the first plot. A nice 8 acres hill with some rich top soil at the bottom. It was this bottom piece we planted today.

We learnt a lesson last Saturday about how slow and silly it is to try to line up the border by eye (same location but we only planted 60 trees then). This time we brought some string and tied it to two poles on either side of the field. Then we marked off every 8 feet. Then we put the trees under the markings on the string and then moved the poles over another 8 feet. In so doing we have nice straight rows for the tractor and mower to keep it clean later on. Silly thing is we could not get the poles in a straight line so for now the trees are only straight one way.

During this time we found a line of leaf cutting ants. Those guys find plants, climb them and cut all the leaves off and carry them in long rows back to their home. It looks really cool to see them but they can take out 200 saplings in a day. I follewed their line and stuck a stick in it to deal with it. Funny thing, Carl moved the truck and parked right on top of it. So we looked and looked for their nest.

We unloaded all the rest of the plants (remember where the truck was) and headed out for lunch. The rain made the road a mud-bog so when we came back we had to hike it in (half mile). By the time we were back they had already started on the trees. This time we brought gas and a lighter. We poured the gas down their little holes, lit a stick on fire and threw it at them. It is so cool to watch the little puffs of fire come out of the holes as the fumes work their way underground.

It took us about 3-4 hours between the three of us to plant 200 mahogany saplings. So we had time to spare. I had heard that direct seedings works just as good as going to all the hassle of growing the plants in a nursery so we grabbed some seeds and plucked 3 down in between every tree. Wonder how those will turn out?

In the end, 200 saplings and 600 seeds. (Well I caught Carl dumping about 60 cedar seeds into one hole so maybe 6000 seeds). The funny thing is I kept wondering why Carl was saying, "Man, we are going to a have a lot of trees in a few weeks...."

Moving....

This summer will be full of a lot of moves for Cory and I. On June 4th we drive to Mexico then take a 5hr bus to Cancun then 8 hour flight to Seattle.

When we get home we need to set up our condo again. Second week of June I am taking a course from ACTS (only 2 more to go till graduation).

Then I'm back at TWU full-time for 2 weeks launching a new project and connecting with my team.

Starting first week of July, Cory and I are in Kelowna. My brother has released an online kid-safe chat this year called club penguin. He needs my help to build some backend stuff to make it run smoother. It should be a really awesome project and I am most of all looking forward to time with family (both Cory's brother and my brother live in that area). Kim (my brother's wife) will be having a baby during this time and we really want to be there to support them and greet this new member of our family.

We're still looking for a house for July but August and Sept we are house sitting. We even get a dog!

Then at the end of Sept we are returning back to Abbotsford to help TWU get the new school year kicked off. Then back to Belize. Cory will be continuing her awesome ministry with tutoring students. She has really found a gift there. I hope to plant trees, host authentic walk seminars in the local churches, write a book or two and help out my brother and TWU part-time over the internet.

Unexpected Ministry

Last Sunday Cory and I travelled to the neighboring village called San Philepe to find a Church. We drove around in our old pickup until we found a group sitting around a tree outside a Church. We called out the window, "Are you guys a Church"

"Yes", they replied.

"English or Spanish?".

"Spanish" they called back. So we waved goodbye and kept up our search. The problem was we could not find anything that was open. So we turned the truck around and went back to our little circle under the tree.

When we got there they invited us to join them. As soon as we sat down they asked us to share. "I thought this was Spanish?"

"Yes, but we also speak English too"

"What would you like me to share on?" I asked.

"Teach us from Revelation chapter 10". So I flipped open my Bible and took a look. After a quick glance I knew I was not ready for this one. Oddly enough we happen to be studying Revelation in class right now and had just finished chapter 8. So instead I shared my testimony. What was neat is that at the end of it I said that every story has a beginning and an end and everything that is in the middle is understood in light of how the story began and how it will end. In just the same way the Bible starts in Genesis and works it's way through to Revelation. The history in between (including our lives) are the threads that weave this story together. So just as in my story God has a journey that he is taking me on that is part of His greater plan, so each of our lives (I explained to them) has a purpose and is part of that bigger picture.

Afterwards we met the pastor and were invited over to lunch by a very nice family. The pastor asked if we could come back and speak at the Church. At first I said not at this time because we are so busy with the closing of school but I really felt I needed to so I found him later that day and arranged to come in two weeks time.

This will be for Saturday night May 6th and the topic will be Evangelism. Interestingly enough, 25% of the town goes to an evangelical Church. It should be interesting...

Thanks again for all your prayers.

Recently, Chris and I organized a weekend with a few of the other international teachers to go into the Cayo district (about a 3 hour drive) and go cave tubing. In true Belizean style, since our truck did not have enough room for all 6 of us, four sat in the cab and 2 rode in flatbed...perfectly legal in Belize. But my! Did they get sun!

Ians Caves Branch is one of the few places in Belize where they offer adventures in Cave Tubing. A guide told me that while the caves belong to the government, the entrance to the cave is located on Ians Caves Branch property so they are the only one who has access to that particular cave.

We arrived at Ians Caves Branch, after first stopping in Spanish Lookout for ice cream of course!

Our cabin, while spacious enough, had no electricity...pardon me, it has electricity enough to run a single ceiling fan, for everything else we used oil lamps. We ladies were lucky enough to (without realizing it beforehand) pick the cabin with a bathroom (no shower, just a toilet and sink -- and yes, no electricity in there either). The showers at this "resort" were jungle showers -- with hot water.

I choose to believe that the "resort" was saving us money by cutting back on electricity and showers in every cabana. However, they do not claim to be a resort and even state "we are not sanitized from the jungle, we are apart of it".

The first adventure we went on was cave tubing. That of which, I have not developed the pictures as yet since they were taken with a 35 mm water camera. I will post pictures as soon as I can. And explain about the trip too.

The second adventure we went on was a jungle walk in which a guide explained to us many different medicinal uses of trees and leaves...etc.

This tree is called a Sabor Tree. It is the national tree of Guatemala and thus is also protected in Belize. The ancient Mayans believed that the roots of the Sabor Tree were actually the stalactites of the caves (the big boulders that hang down from the ceilings of caves). They believed that if they offered sacrifices in the caves, the stalactites would carry the sacrifices use the roots of the tree, through the tree, and into the heavens. That is why they used caves for doing their religious sacrifices. This particular tree (in the picture) is about 300 years old.

This is Santa Maria. Add lemon or hot sauce for favor. It is good for a toothache as eating it turns the mouth numb. (Looks like celery, doesn't it?)

This plant is good for curing malaria.

I thought the way these vines crept up the trees was just beautiful.

Our guide (Neko) told us that terminates are good to eat.
And true enough, they were crunchy and surprisingly minty. It would sure take a lot of terminates to be full. (Yes, that is my tongue! -- Cory)

He said that you could take a terminates nest, divide it into four and burn each at the corner of a camp to keep away mosquitoes.

These leaves (the small ones), if boiled and made into a tea, are good for toothaches (not sure if it numbs the mouth this time). This tea, however, is not to be drunk, just swished around in the mouth and then spat out. Notice this before picture (on the left) and then the after picture (on the right). Before shows before the leaves are touched, and after shows after they have been touched. The leaves retract inward as a defence mechanism. And it works, since when cows come by to eat the leaves, when they are touched and they curl inward, the cow is fooled and moves on to find a different leaf to eat.

The roots of the cohune tree are good to eat. As well as the nuts (which are on the ground). They grow into beautiful trees.

We don't have a picture of the harball tree. That one, if you cut the bark or open its fruit, it seeps glue!

We also went to the Blue Hole National Park. I believe it is because of a natural underground spring, but a section of this "pool" is a brilliant blue, almost like the ocean. Funny thing is, I discovered that if you spit in the water, small fish jump up to the surface of the water and eat it. Gross, but it sure is cool.

We hiked around in the park a bit...and came across this beautiful sunset:

In this national park there was also St. Herman's Cave.

These are stalactites. Which are actually mineral deposits coming down from the ceiling. Eventually, they will combine with stalagmites that come up from the floor to form a column. But the ancient Mayans did not understand this geology and just thought the stalactites were the roots of the trees and that the trees were their access to their gods in the heavens.

We traveled through the cave and thankfully emerged on the other side. Thank God! I was never so happy to see daylight.

Oh, and our truck ran out of gas 1 mile from home!

That's our Cayo trip with Phil (from North Carolina), Rebekah (from Manitoba), Alicia (from Manitoba), Noelle (from BC), and Chris and I (also from BC).

Stay tuned for the tubing pictures and commentary.

Reading is her favorite!

"Reading is her favorite!" she said.

How exciting to hear that. This from a girl who has struggled with reading immensely. And now, she loves it. I feel so blessed to have been given these glimpses into knowing how my work (tutoring in this case) is making a difference in people's lives.

Update on the spelling-memory game: her spelling tests are better than normal.

So a student I (Cory) work with while volunteering at the school....I am amazed at how far he has come in his math. He has improved like night-and-day in his cognitive ability in math. Just the other day, he came early for our time together. He told me that they were finished Bible early and just playing some games, but he wanted to come and do math. "I used to hate math; but now I like it". How encouraging to hear!

A typical week for Cory:
Monday -- all day at the school volunteering (first one-on-one Math with a grade 5 student; then helping out in the grade 2 classroom as an extra set of hands; then after lunch working one-on-one with two dyslexic students from grade 3; then reading with 4 grade 1 students who need some extra practice; then as needed working a small group from grade 4 in whatever area needs to be covered that day; tutoring after school for 1-2 hours)

Tuesday -- Math with a grade 5 student; then going home and making lunch, only to bring it back at lunch time for 6 six teachers; doing one-on-one with grade 3 students; then tutoring for 1-2 hours; then a second tutoring job for 1 hour.

Wednesday -- Math with a grade 5 student; after lunch doing one-on-one with grade 3 students; reading with 4 grade 1 students; working with a small group of kids from grade 4 who need some extra help; tutoring after school for 1-2 hours.

Thursday -- Math with a grade 5 student; working as an extra set of hands in the grade 2 classroom; after lunch working one-on-one with 2 grade 3 studnets; tutoring for 1-2 hours; then another tutoring job for 1 hour.

Friday -- Math with a grade 5 student; going home and making lunch for 15 people (to be brought to the school for teachers and students who need it); after lunch reading with 4 grade 1 students; tutoring for 1-2 hours. I do like it that when I am done for the day, then I am done. As\na full-time teacher I found that I was taking the work home with me --\nmarking and planning...etc. And was up till late at night trying\nto get everything ready. As a volunteer and tutor, there is\npractically no prep work. However, since I work with 3 dyslexic\nstudents (2 at school and one I tutor after school), I am reading some\nbooks that will help me best meet their needs...and boy am I learning a\nlot about dyslexia! Oh my, it is amazing what I didn\'t\nknow. Check out "The Gift of Dyslexia" and the "Gift of Learning"\nby Ron Davis. A dyslexic himself, he has actually discovered a\ntermendous method of helping dyslexics overcome all that which holds\nthem back. When I mentioned above that "reading is now her\nfavorite subject" -- that is state only weeks after using Davis\' method\nas outline in his books with her. He has some wonderful methods\non helping students with ADD, Math, and handwritting problems...not to\nmention getting beyond the normal hurdles of dyslexia (e.g., making the\nletters that float around stop floating).

I do like it that when I am done for the day, then I am done. As a full-time teacher I found that I was taking the work home with me -- marking and planning...etc. And was up till late at night trying to get everything ready. As a volunteer and tutor, there is practically no prep work. However, since I work with 3 dyslexic students (2 at school and one I tutor after school), I am reading some books that will help me best meet their needs...and boy am I learning a lot about dyslexia! Oh my, it is amazing what I didn't know. Check out "The Gift of Dyslexia" and the "Gift of Learning" by Ron Davis. A dyslexic himself, he has actually discovered a termendous method of helping dyslexics overcome all that which holds them back. When I mentioned above that "reading is now her favorite subject" -- that is state only weeks after using Davis' method as outline in his books with her. He has some wonderful methods on helping students with ADD, Math, and handwritting problems...not to mention getting beyond the normal hurdles of dyslexia (e.g., making the letters that float around stop floating).

Creative Spelling

So today I went to one of my tutoree's houses
to work with her for an hour or so. In preparation,
I made small cards containing two lists of her
current spelling words. Then we played "memory"
with them. The trick? Everytime her or I flipped
over a card we had to say the word and spell it, then
flip over another card to find its match, saying and
spelling that word too. If we came across vocabulary
words, then we had to say, spell, and read the
vocabulary words. She enjoyed it so much that we
played three times! And still she was not tired of it!
in essence, we went through her spelling words
about 6 times verbally. Verbal is good for her since
she has a learning disability and learns better verbally.

Soon, I want to try practicing spelling words with
pudding...the kid has to spell the word with their
finger in pudding! I'll see if I can't take some pictures.

Cory

Amazing! Her reading is the best it has been all year!

I have been having a wonderful past couple of weeks. Where does this joy stem from? From being able to help the students at Linda Vista School, particular students that is. As a volunteer special needs teacher, I come along side their regular teacher and help as needed. I have a few dyslexic students that I work with one-on-one and I decided that I needed to learn more about dyslexia so that I could better help these students. It is as if God knew this over a year ago, because when I worked for the bookstore I bought some learning books but had not read them, yet I took them along to Belize. Now, I zipped through the one book in just a week (and it was a complicated book) and am starting on the second one, eager to read it. I am a novel girl...books that are just information are not that interesting for me, and yet I am so drawn to these books that I have not read the novels I have sitting on the shelf.

Anyways...what has happened? I have been trying different methods (methods geared toward helping students with learning disabilities) and have found that grades are going up. One method of reading that works better for dyslexic kids is that instead of using phonics to sound out words, to use the spell-read system. That is where if they have trouble with a word, to spell the word, then I say the word and they repeat it. I have tried this method and found that they are better able to pick up on that same word in the future. Why? Probably because they have such good memories that they remember the spelling of the word and how it is pronounced...as opposed to sounding it out.

Another process I have been trying is doing clay-spelling with spelling words. One student, after doing this for 20 minutes the day before his spelling test (and only working on about 6-8 words of 30 (actually, he only did 3-4 and I did the other 3-4 words, to which I made him check my spelling and then spell the word after that without looking)), he got the best on his spelling test all term (the term is almost over)!

Another student, we spent 2 hours on Saturday afternoon creating the alphabet out of playdoe, then saying it forwards and backwards many times. Then I would ask her, "find the letter N" and she would locate it. Then I would say "what are the letters around P?" And she would tell me that. Forwards and backwards, the capitals and the smaller case. In the end, her teacher told me today (Monday) that her reading has been the best it has been all year. "What did you do?" She asked. "We just went over the alphabet for 2 hours". Praise God that the little girl really enjoyed it (since we were playing with playdoe). I think what happened is that dyslexic kids are known for having really good memories, and just as the spell-read system works by them memorizing the spelling of a word and linking that with it's pronounciation, so too when they get really good with knowing the letters of the alphabet, then their reading is effected in a positive way too.

I can't take all the credit, because I have found that God has given me a unique ability to understand these books on dyslexia (which is where I am learning all these different methods of teaching). "The Gift of Dyslexia" by Ron Davis and "The Gift of Learning" by Ron Davis. Excellent, phenomenal books on how to help students with not only dyslexia, but also math problems, hand writting problems, ADD, and ADHD. Read them if your child or student is in need of some help. It is amazing the suggestions they give. I have seen 3 cases (students) of dramatic improvement in just 5 days! And I only started reading the books just over a week ago!

Wow! I hope God can use me to help more kids!

Cory

Recruiting New Teachers

I got the update from the board last weekend. Here is what next year is looking like.

• Kindergarten: Pending response from current teacher
• Grade 1: Filled
• Grade 2: Has an applicant
• Grade 3: Pending response from current teacher
• Grade 4: Open
• Grade 5: Open
• Grade 6: Open
• Grade 7: Open
• Grade 8: Open
• Highschool: Filled
• Highschool: Pending response from current teacher
• Highschool: Open

So I posted an add on goabroad.com and updated our web page with the latest data.

I could really use your help. Do you know of anyone who might be interested in coming down here to teach next year? If so send them to our web site at http://www.authenticwalk.com/belize/index.php

Things in Perspective

In Bible class today we were studying about the start of the American Missionary Movement with Judson's trip to Burma. Man that guy suffered a lot. He was imprisoned at one point for 3 years in terrible conditions chained with only his beaten and whipped shoulders touching the ground, no light and the stench. For 6 years he never saw one person become a Christian. Yet in the end he led a movement that God used to lead thousands to Christ.

As I read this from our textbook I could feel the cracking sensation of the sunburn on my back. Last Saturday I was out a bit too long working on the trees and burnt myself. Monday it was almost unbearable trying to get through class. My students were quite compassionate. As I read this story I thought my sufferings are small. My pain is from my own silliness and will pass in a few days (it is not that bad), his went on year after year.

Anyhow after reading this I was really impressed by how easy I got it.

PS Some time soon I need to send you pictures of our trees...

Wall of Prayer

During staff meeting last Tuesday I shared some
of the struggles I have been having.  It seems
some of the other staff are feeling the same.  In
response we took some time and prayed about
this.  In addition the teachers are getting together
after school and praying in the middle of the field
and many of you on my prayer team have expressed
your support and prayers.

In response I sense God's presence like a wall
around the school.  It is not easy for many of us
but I sense hope rising.  Please continue to pray
for us all.

Discouraged

I am hesitant to write about things like this but what is the point of
having a support team like yourself and not sharing with you the
lows instead of just the highs.

I find teaching really hard.  I think everyone is getting tired.  We are
now almost 3/4 the way through the year and both the students and
myself wish we were done.  .

Sometimes I wonder what I am doing here,  why did I leave so much?
I came to make a difference and to help those who really wanted to
grow.  At times I do not feel wanted.  My students argue with me in
class, they get angry about how I mark, they tell me I am doing it
wrong, and the class gets out of hand.  I wish I had taken some courses
in classroom management.  They are still really good kids and to the most
part stay out of trouble, I just feel worn down inside and need prayer for the
strength to press on.  I also need help knowing which things to call for the
students, which to let go, and to embrace opportunties for life-change.

Sorry for ranting and I hope I have not dishonored my students.  Maybe
the biggest prayer I need is that I will love these students with the same
love God has for them.

100 Words Per Minute

In Keyboarding class today one of my students broke 100
WPM.  That is so incredible!  I felt inspired and since I had
not tested myself for a while I did their speed test along
with them.  That one student and I raced to beat each other
and almost tied.   For the first time in my life I got 101
WPM (less 5 WPM for errors).  I never knew I was so fast...
it was only a little while ago I thought I was doing 55 WPM,
I should have figured that after typing every day for 7 years
after that test I might have gotten a little bit better :)

Now I have to figure out what I can get my student for such
a big accomplishment.  Any ideas?

The Adventures of Cory and Chris

The Adventures of Cory and Chris
January is now over. We have been to 4 countries since the new year has begun...starting in Canada, traveling through the US and Mexico on our way to Belize. And then, just the other Sunday, Chris and I took a leisurely walk through La Union, Mexico. In Blue Creek, we live literally a 1 minute drive from the Mexican border. After paying a boatman $1 Bz to travel across the river, you arrive in Mexico.

With the change in schedules for us (whereas, we used to both go to school for 7:30am [or earlier] and both leave around 5:30 or 6pm) now, since, I am not teaching full time, we have different transportation needs and so we decided to get a bike. Gas in Belize is very expensive (about $5 a gallon) and the bike only costs $4 US to fill. We think we can ride it for about 5 days or so on a full tank (which is only about 1 gallon). It is perfect for our needs. And we can resell it in the end, probably for the same amount that we bought this used bike for. Although not common in Belize, we believe in wearing helmets!

I (Cory) am volunteering these days and enjoying it. I find that I do indeed fill a need in the school for someone to come along side the teachers and provide an extra set of hands, eyes, and help in the classroom. I have spoken with the teachers from grades 1 to 5, asking their needs and have arranged to come in during certain times of the days. For example, the grade 5 class needs some help from 8:30-9:15; the grade 4 class needs help from 9:15-9:45; the grade 2 class needs help from 10-11:30; the grade 3 class needs help from 12:30-1:30; and the grade 1 class needs help from 1:30-3. It is so amazing how God has designed it so that, I can help out in so many different classes throughout the day...what a difference I feel that I am making.

Some classes just need someone to come in and read with the kids in their reading circles, freeing up the teacher to help the other kids one-on-one with their seat work (or I can do the seatwork and the teacher can do the reading circle). Some classes, need someone to take a child or two aside, providing them with some extra practice reading time. Some classes need an extra person to come along and help the students with their math work.

Today's schedule was: 8:30-9:45 with grade 4's doing math; 12:30-1 with a grade 5 student working one-on-one with his math; 1-1:30 fifteen minutes each with 2 grade 3 students who needed some one-on-one extra reading time; 1:30-2 with six or seven grade 1's helping them to understand how to count money; 2:15-3 with three grade 1 students who needed some extra reading time. This last bunch I had a lot of fun with as we read a small story a few times, then we tried to see who could read it the fastest. We will keep record and give a prize at the end of the week. (And extra points were given if you followed along while the others were doing their verbal readings). I don't know if I have ever seen kids so excited about reading...and these are the kids who are struggling!

I am also providing lunch (for a small fee to help cover the cost of the food) on Tuesdays and Fridays. This is a big venture for me as I don't really cook that well...and yet it is an opportunity to learn a new skill. So far, I am doing well with the meals and breaking even on the money collected compared with the expenses incurred. I know what is was like as a teacher, trying to figure out what to eat for lunch everyday while living in a foreign country where food is not quite the same as you are used to in your country of origin. (E.g., in Canada I would have a sandwich for lunch practically everyday. Here, it is difficult to find good sandwich meat).

That's it for now.
Cory

2000 trees planted

Last weekend Cory and I got together and planted a few thousand trees. At first we were putting them in plastic bags (to transplant later) but that was taking far too long. So we just made a garden and threw all the seeds in it and buried them. In about 4-6 weeks when they come out of the ground we can put them in bags.

The plan is the following

- 2000 mahogany
- 2000 spanish cedar
- 500 teak
- 500 maligna

We are just about finished buying 10 acres of land. I found out yesterday the guy we are buying off also moonlights as a logger so I booked him to log it with me in a couple weeks. That will be fun!

So what is the point? Well if we plant trees now then when we retire we can sell them for about $2000 each. I'll let you do the math but if it works out it should really be a great way to free us up for ministry.

God of Second Chances

I am preaching in chapel tomorrow. I have been
working on this sermon entitled "The God of Second
Chances." I want to start off with New Years and ask
what is there Christian about it? Then I want to ask
the same about Christmas which was originally a pagan
holiday. And then the cross of Easter which was an
instrument of torture.

The key is conversion. God is the one who loves to
convert things.

He took an old rugged cross that was used for torture
and used it as the symbol of love.

He took the pagan ritual of the darkest day of the year
and turned into the festival of the coming of light.

And He took the New Year and gave us all a fresh
start.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come" - 2 Cor 5:17

For me, when I was younger I used to have a temper.
Last Christmas my dad asked, "When did you finally
settle down so that I no longer had to sit on you?"

A young gangster named Nicki Cruz stood face to
face with a preacher of the gospel but then God
changed him and turned him into a preacher of the
gospel.

And then I want to turn to the students and ask,
"And what about you?" What are you now?
What do you want God to change you into?

After letting them think on that I am hoping I can
have them turn to their friends beside them and
share what they really want God to change in them
and then have them pray in circles.

It is a good question though, "If God really is the
God of second chances, what do I want a second
chance in?"