30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 1--Pulperias and Bubbaloo!

Our third November in Nicaragua brings our third opportunity to take an extended time to be thankful as a family! This month, as in the past, we will do our best to daily share a picture and thought about something in our lives for which we are thankful. Some posts will be poignant and deep; other posts are sure to be simple and silly--the little pleasures in life. . .but all of these things truly are things for which we are thankful to God.

Day 1: Our Weekly Church Pulperia Run and Bubbaloo!

We arrive to Iglesia Bautista Esperanza around 8:45am to pray and set-up before the Sunday school kids arrive. After an hour of Sunday school singing, prayer, lessons, crafts, and games, we say goodbye to the Sunday school kids and have 30 minutes before the church service starts. To get us through the long morning, our family uses this downtime to walk a half block to the nearby park and pulperia (a small corner store), where we spend the big bucks (5-10 cents) on 1-2 pieces of gum for Henry, Mae, and Charlotte. And not just ordinary gum: Bubbaloo--super sugary gum filled with a hidden pocket of gooey flavored syrup! YUM! It is a little tradition that the kids have come to depend on and enjoy! After church, its a few more cents for fried greasy "enchiladas" (nothing like what you are thinking!) or plaintain chips to get us through the car ride home:)

Sunday School, Revisted

Last year at about this time, after being approached by our pastor and his wife, I committed to teaching Sunday School at Iglesia Bautista Esperanza to a group of 8-10 8-10 year-olds. I love being involved in church more than just as a pew-sitter, and this seemed to be a good opportunity to get more involved in the church we were calling home. Last year teaching Sunday School was both wonderful and stretching—I enjoyed teaching the group so much, but felt overwhelmed, mostly with the language factor of teaching the Bible story or lesson. While my Spanish was/is steadily (albeit VERY slowly) improving, and while my students were extremely forgiving, it was frustrating to NOT be the same kind of teacher I could be in my native tongue. I felt less fun, less creative, and less understandable. It was also fatiguing to teach every nearly single Sunday with no scheduled breaks and no substitutes. If we were gone, my students would join the 11-12 year old class, taught by the great team Maxwell and Carol, but it was already a large group of kids. 

As we prepared to leave last summer for our two months in MI and NM, a young man named Denis from our church joined our class as an apprentice/observer/helper, as did a young teen named José David. The idea was that Denis would be our “substitute” teacher while we were gone this summer, and José David would assist as needed.

This has turned out to be an answer to prayer that I had never even prayed. When we arrived back in Nicaragua after our time in the US, we took Denis and José David out to lunch to thank them for covering for me, and we were thrilled to find out that Denis and José David were willing (and excited!) to continue to teach Sunday School. So we made a plan: Denis would pick the theme and teach the Bible lesson, Facebook message me the scripture references during the week, and I would come with a related activity, game, and/or craft.

Denis, me, and Jose David

The “sharing of the responsibilities” is going so well! I can still serve and use my gifts coming up with creative activities, but alongside of Denis, a gifted teacher who the kids don’t have to struggle to understand as he teaches Bible lessons. Sundays are full of more joy, and less frustration. I can also miss a Sunday once in a while, for a Boy Scouts activity, illness, or to attend the English-speaking church, and someone is ready to take over!

God is good, and today I’m thankful to be part of a Sunday School team with Denis and José David.

Here's a few pics from our Sunday morning today:

Rushing out of the house in the AM always involves leaving a sink full of breakfast dishes!

Rainy season challenges:) Avoiding the mud puddles!

We did our 20 minute drive to church twice today because when we were almost there, we realized we had left behind the popcorn popper that Andrew needed for his Sunday School activity. 

Our Sunday school class (can you find Henry?), which meets from 9:00-10:00

Dennis, the master teacher

Mae is always proud to show off her own Sunday school work

As is Charlotte! 

Between Sunday School and church, we usually walk to the nearby park to buy some gum for the kids. Today, though, we had no small change so we just hung around. I got to hear what Jonathan has been learning in his piano lessons.

Danny also serves the church through music--he is a great guitar player!

Church begins at 10:30, and usually goes to about 12:00

Today, Ruth was serving in the nursery with a LOT of beautiful kids, for a very long service!

Our Sunday tradition: go out to eat after church! Air conditioning is a must!

Any guesses as to where we ate today?

Ruth Ippel, SN (School Nurse)

I love nursing because of the variety of jobs that go along with it.  This week I had a new “first” as a nurse: I subbed for the school nurse at NCA. I’ve always kind of thought I’d like to be a school nurse, mostly because then Andrew and I could blissfully enjoy free summers together, and these two days gave me a chance to give it a try. I know two days can’t give me a full picture what it is really like, and the fact that the nurse’s office is one of the few air conditioned rooms on campus probably really impacted my level of satisfaction, but I really did enjoy it.  By far the most interesting thing I did was pull a staple out of a kid’s thumb… he had an explanation, but I still don’t totally understand how it got there. The runner ups were irrigating an ear, and treating scraped armpits.  The first day, I had 36 “patients,” which made me wonder, how do schools in the US do it?  School nurses in the US have really become a thing of the past, with hours being cut and positions being replaced by health assistants or even just the school secretary.  At this relatively small school, I was busy all day!  I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the students, hearing their stories, and being the recipient of their hugs.  I don’t know if I would want to do it all the time, but I would certainly do it again.

Seeing others through the eyes of a child

Yesterday Andrew led chapel for two different groups of elementary students at NCA. His task was to cover the topic of respect. One activity he did was to have students compare two different pictures of children, assuming that the kids in chapel would highlight the obvious differences between them. His plan was then to help the kids focus on the fact that despite the differences between us, ALL are created in the Image of God--we always have that in common.

We were surprised at the contrast in the responses between the younger (PreK-2nd grade) and older (3rd-6th grade) students.  When shown the pictures, here were their observations:

PreK-2^nd: “They are both smiling/happy.”

3^rd-6^th: “One is outside, one is inside.”

PreK-2^nd: “They are both girls.”

3^rd-6^th: “One is sitting in a wheelchair, the other isn’t.”

 

PreK-2^nd: “They are all boys.”

3^rd-6^th: “One is alone, the other has lots of friends.”

PreK-2^nd: “They both have long hair.”

3^rd-6^th: “One looks like she has a disability, the other doesn’t.”

PreK-2^nd: “They are both boys”

3^rd-6^th: “One can hear, the other can’t”

As the younger children gave their answers, it warmed our hearts… all they saw were the similarities and commonalities! As the older children gave the answers that Andrew had been setting them up for, we began to wonder…

At what point to kids stop focusing on similarities and start focusing on differences?

Is focusing on differences something that our children are learning as they grow older? If so, from where?

How do these differing thought patterns affect the way they see each other and interact with each other?

Which group do I think more like? Which group should I think more like?

I fully recognize that there is beauty in appreciating and celebrating differences, but I don’t know if this is the best place to start. I think that if we could model the mindset of these young children as we meet new people and build relationships, beginning first by focusing on our similarities, it could create a better foundation for loving each other the way that Jesus taught us to love. 

A Typical Day in the Life of the SOAAR Coordinator

So, the title of this post is a bit misleading. Honestly, three weeks after beginning the SOAAR program, and I would say there isn't yet a typical day. There are wonderful days. There are busy days. There are overwhelming and discouraging days. But each day truly is a gift--I'm able to use my passion and experience at NCA in ways I never dreamed possible a year ago. God is good!

So, while I don't have a typical day yet (and probably never will), here are some things that keep me busy during the day:

1) Teaching a preschool student in my classroom (primarily communication and social skills), and helping coordinate his activities in his own classroom through intentional inclusion. That includes working closely with a classroom assistant, who works with him 1-on-1 throughout the school day. This is my biggest joy and challenge right now, and certainly takes the majority of my brainspace and energy. I'm SO thankful for this student. (daily 1.5-2 hours)

2) Teaching reading, writing, and spelling skills 1-on-1 to two elementary students. (1.25 hours)

3) Teaching a middle school study skills class, and a one-on-one high school study skills class (daily). (1.75 hours)

4) Observing students in classrooms, emailing teachers, emailing parents, scheduling IEP meetings, writing plans for students, trouble-shooting behavior and academic concerns. (minimum 1 hour)

5) Meeting daily afterschool with a middle school student to assist with homework planning, goal setting, and grade tracking. (10 min)

6) Meetings! I have a lot now. They are good and important and consuming. Ruth already rolls her eyes when I talk about the dreaded "m" word! (0-2 hours)

7) Working with a student weekly to work through social skills, anxiety, and how to navigate the playground--we may be beginning a "Circle of Friends" program for this student in particular. This student was having meltdowns about dancing for our upcoming school program; we did some social stories together and I provided some noise-blocking headphones for him to use. . .and he PARTICIPATED in the dance practice! Little accomplishments bring me HUGE joy this year. (0-1 hour)

Here are a few pictures of  my classroom space, in development of course. I'm still lacking some furniture, bulliten boards, white boards, and decorations, but we are making due in the meantime! 

Two computer stations with my middle school study skills students, and a cool mural (containing the words of Isaiah 40:31) painted by Katelyn, a CRWM volunteer

I have a mini-kitchen in my classroom (okay, I guess that just means I have a sink, but there is potential!) We have a great cross breeze and very nice fans to keep us cool during the day.

Food coloring plus diet coke bottles: great classroom art.

Sensory tools and toys

More sensory tools. . .kids LOVE the beanbags and trampoline

A push bike and a sleeping bag--classroom requirements!

Working with PreK2 (my former classroom!) on a lesson about inclusion

And we're (heading) back!

Tomorrow, we fly on a plane from Grand Rapids to Managua. We've had a PACKED summer and now we are mostly PACKED for our trip (five large suitcases, five carry-ons, and five backpacks!)--Ruth has been extra gracious as probably half of our luggage contains items for the SOAAR program!

The current state of our stuff.

We have so much to be thankful for as we conclude our time spent in the US--13 provided beds over these last 7 weeks on which to lay our heads, family and friends that go above and beyond for us while we are here, four churches that want to know how we're doing and what we're up to and support our ministry, a new brother-in-law (Amele, my sister, was married in June), a van that we were able to use during the entire month of July (please personally thank Bob and Annette Yff if you know them.. . .they need to know how thankful we are for their van!), and 3 not-always-perfect kids but kids that have been absolute troopers as we dragged  them around the country, into so many homes and churches, expecting them to recognize long-lost faces or at least act like they do!

We're all looking forward to heading home to Nicaragua. Furlough or home visit or summer vacation--whatever you might call it--is an awesome gift, but it is far from relaxing and rejuvenating (though there are moments along the way for these things). As we wrap up another summer in the US, here are some observations about this time.

1. It's home, but it isn't really home. We're so happy to be "back" and we yet we can't wait to go "back." Our hearts and heads are a little confused. And I think that is okay.

2. We get to answer the same questions all summer long. Do you still have your monkey? Tell me about the SOAAR program? What is the weather like down there?  This is a repetitive task but NOT annoying and we are SO thankful that people care enough to ask us questions about our lives. Thank you for your questions. We also want to know how you are doing. Your lives matter just as much to us! So hopefully we were able to learn a bit about how you are doing and what you're up to these days. That was always our challenge to our kids this summer. . .at each visit, they had to ask 1-2 good questions of the person we visited. "What is your favorite color?" was probably their best question--we have some room for growth in this area!

3. Summer time is spent in two primary ways: seeing people and buying/organizing/packing/moving stuff. We are SO sick of the stuff aspect at this point. But clothes shopping for 5 people for the entire year is a necessary evil, and I was just an absolute sucker when it came to buying stuff to put in my new classroom. Couldn't stop! We MUCH prefer the gatherings and meals and hang-out times with people to the stuff aspect of being in the US, but even visiting is exhausting after a while! But that's okay. . .it is worth it to us to see you!

A fun visit with Gam Gam (Ruth's mom's mom) in Cincinnati. 

4. Health stuff is crammed into the summer. While we could get medical/dental stuff done in Nicaragua, Ruth has a bit more faith in the system here. We had physicals. Kids pooped in cups. Charlotte got a needle shoved in her leg. I had two chunks of skin taken out of the back of my neck after the discovery of a suspicious mole (please pray for this. . .I get a lab report Wednesday). We bought a lot of meds to get us through the year. Henry broke a tooth in half and got the remainder pulled out. . .like a it-took-20-minutes-of-yanking-and-drilling-to-get-this-tooth-out-and-I-had-to-watch-the-whole-thing type of pulled out. We're a little anxious to see how health insurance works; we've had the same company now for two years and this is the first time we're using it! Hopefully we'll have a very healthy year.

The current state of my neck. Sorry if it grosses you out. . .I'm just thankful that I never have to see it!

Please pray for us as we transition back to ministry in Nicaragua tomorrow! We are so appreciative of you and enjoyed seeing so many of you this summer. Until June 2016!

(Did you miss a church presentation this summer? Feel free to click this link to see the pictures used in our presentation this summer.)