January was a busy month (what month isn't, really?), as we hosted Autumn, a friend from Grand Rapids, for three weeks of service and fun. Autumn is a senior at Calvin College, soon heading to PT school, and before we even moved here asked if she could spend January 2015 here. . .and she did!
Autumn helped sort and pack books to help the transition to the new library at NCA, helped students in Henry's 2nd grade class, shadowed physical therapists at Tesoros de Dios, assisted Ruth with programs and giving shots at House of Hope, and even braved babysitting 19 missionary kids so the parents could go on a fantastic quintuple date!
On our "days off," we went to the ocean, a crater lake, a volcano, downtown Managua. . .I think we did a pretty good job wearing Autumn (and ourselves!) out. We're so thankful for her choice to come be a part of our lives for this month and to learn more about Nicaragua. If you are interested in a short term opportunity and want a free place to crash, let us know.
(Thanks, Autumn, for some of these pictures!)
Music Class
For the last year, my role at Tesoros de Dios has been to shadow their special education teachers and assist kids with homework from 3:15-4:15 on Thursday afternoons. I found that some of the kids were already finished with their school work by 3:30, and would spend the last 45-50 minutes of their time at Tesoros waiting with their moms for the bus to take them home. With the blessing of Michelle, the director, I offered to do some "music stuff" with the kids who were finished with their school work. This has now evolved into a dedicated weekly activity for about 12 of the kids. Our "music" class now involves a mixture of music, art, and movement. . .whatever I can come up with that might work with a diverse group of kids and a leader (me) who is still learning Spanish! Favorite activities have included using a parachute to launch things into the sky, finger painting to various styles of music, and laughing at my horrible Spanish singing:)
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