Wibbly Wobbly Teeth

Adventures in first grade are always looked upon with the innocence of childhood. Last week we had quite the day. Six and seven year olds are known for wibbly, wobbly teeth. Omar came up to me and showed me his loose tooth at the beginning of the day. He was excited because it was going to come out soon. After snack He was twisting it all around and it was ready to come out. Being a first grade teacher I have had a great deal of experience pulling teeth so naturally I offered my services. POP! It came right out. He was beaming a bright toothless smile.

Fedra saw all of this happen as she too was playing with her loose tooth. She was a little worried. "Miss Franklin, it is easier for Omar because he is a boy and it doesn't hurt to lose a tooth. But I am a girl and it hurts me." she said. I told her that if she changed her mind I'd be happy to pull it out for her. Twenty minutes later she was ready and POP! Out came another one.

Two teeth in one day makes the headlines in a small class of 20 first graders. :-) The next day Oscar came to school and told me that his tooth had fallen out the night before. That makes 3 teeth in one day. What a record!

End of the summer Fun!

Those of you who know me know that I like to run. Call me crazy but I find it relaxing and energizing. When we returned to Nicaragua Aimee told me about a 5k that was going to happen Aug 8th. I had not run much over the summer with all of my travels but thought it would be fun. We found out all of the race info the day before and ended up having a good sized group go with us. Races don't happen in Nicaragua very often so we have to participate when we have the chance. There were 250 racers/walkers in all.



To my surprise I was came in 3rd among the women. It was lots of fun and I even won 250 cordobas $12.50 US. Now that prize money paid for my registration for a half-marathon I'm running on Aug 22.

First Day of School

I promise to update from the summer soon. I've been busy and haven't had the time to do it just yet.



Monday was the first day of the new school year. Students arrived with lots of brand new pencils, notebooks and supplies. They were eager to get to class and play with their friends. I have a big class this year with 20 first graders. Eleven of them are in special English classes because they're level of English is really low. It will be an adventurous year that is for sure.


Please pray for a few little guys who are completely lost in the English. I want them to enjoy school and not feel so overwhelmed by it all that they don't hate coming to school.

Graduation Time

Well the 2009-2010 school year has officially ended. The year has been full of blessings, learning and much progress for my little first graders.

At NCA we continue one of our objectives as teachers is to help our students think of others before themselves. We strive to instill in them a heart of service. The elementary teachers organized a day of service activities for all of the students in first - sixth grade the last week of school. The kids did everything from sanding the playground equipment, picking up trash, washing chairs to painting a new mural on the playground.

This year I was able to attend the 6th grade graduation for my first class of first graders at NCA. This group has been very special to me during my time here in Nicaragua. I have seen them grow and mature into confident leaders and compassionate servants. What a special treat to have been able to see their growth throughout the years.





Graduating at the same time was the kindergarten class that will be moving up to first grade next Fall. They are an energetic group with lots of potential for learning, exploring and growing next year.



Two days later the senior class of 2010 graduated as well. Paola Fuentes a super responsible and incredibly gifted gal was part of this class. She is Alcides and Slieny's oldest daughter. Paola and I have worked together on teams during the past few years. It was a true honor to see her celebrate this special occasion. Paola graduated valedictorian of her class and has received many scholarships to study at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The RAIN has come!!

Yeah!! After a really dry Dry season the rains have finally come. They have washed away the brown dust cloud that has covered our world for a while. :-) The lush greenness has returned to the country I love.

Along with the green plant life we've also seen some other types of growth that come with the rain. Mold! Yep, it comes in a variety of shapes, colors and quantities. Below are a few pics of the mold that is growing on the grout between the ceramic tile in our house. We tried to get rid of it by scrubbing the floor with bleach water. That worked for all of 4 hours until the mold grew back again. Crazy eh!! I know that I was sure surprised by how quickly it grew. Oh well we'll keep trying to fight it off as best we can. :-) Until then we'll be amazed by this incredible phenomenon.

Rumors

The High Schoolers at NCA have been working on for the past three months on a Play. Rumors by Neil Simon was the play chosen. It is a hysterical play filled with corny jokes, physical humor and a funny storyline. I had the opportunity to help out with costumes and the set along with my roommate Kate. We had fun coordinating lots of random furniture pieces, housewares and clothing to bring the whole play together.

Here are some pictures of the preparations and the final product!



Kate and I went the second hand store looking for some props we got a little distracted by the bouncy exercise thingy and the SNOWBOARD in Nicaragua.





After spending 7 hours moving, painting, creating and prepping the set and the cast in 90+ degree weather we were worn out. Good thing the Wolf slippers make a good pillow.



The finished set no that is not a bottle of alcohol on the floor it is an empty bottle of sparkling cider. :-)


The cast

The evening was a success and the cast did a great job!

Road mark or Roadblock

It is hard to believe that it has been one month since my world was turned upside down with the news of my brother's death.

Road marks or milestones as some call them are those special birthdays, anniversaries and points in your life where a decision, event or life-change begins. Sometimes when you reach those milestones they can seem like a roadblock. There is a feeling of being paralyzed and unable to put one foot in front of the other in order to keep moving forward. Over time the feeling comes back and the steps become a little easier. Though each step still carries with it the memory of those who are no longer walking with you. The roadblock is dismantled and moved aside and one can continue on their journey.

In the midst of my grief God has remained faithful and always by my side. This song has helped me with the words I can't seem to come up with on my own.

Desert Song
Hillsong United

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is a God who provides

My God is the God who provides all that I have needed from hugs, prayer, financial help to go home to be with my family, friends who listen and cry with me....

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Lord as I pass through this fire I pray that you would refine me and make me to shine your love and light even brighter.

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Deuteronomy 32:39
Now see that I, even I, am He,
And there is no God besides Me;
I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

Verse 3:
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Psalm 57:2
"I will cry to the God most high, to God who accomplishes all things for me."

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

Lord use this time in my life to be a blessing to others in ways that I cannot yet know and understand.

I've updated my prayer requests on the side of my blog. Please continue to lift up in prayer the work in Nicaragua.