October 2008

Ok, so I am really bad at keeping up a blog! That is official! I have been home and moved to Montana and still haven't posted anything! So let me tell you about my last 3 months while I was in Perú!

October was a busy month. I was getting used to having 2 new kiddos in Kinder! Saúl and Lady were a handful but quickly learned the rules in the class. Saúl is quite a little boy! I miss him like crazy! He is VERY musically inclined! He loves to sing and make any kind of music with things! Whether it be drumming on the table or shaking things to a beat! He has quite the temper, but really learned how to handle it over a period of time. He is HYPER and I found out that having music on in class really helps him be calmer! Lady is VERY strong-willed! She wants it her way, but she eventually learned that I wasn't going to give into her fits. She spent A LOT of time outside of the classroom screaming to have her own way, but after a week or so of that, things changed. She realized that screaming isn't allowed in class, and neither is disobedience. They both know that they are loved at the albergue! I even had a conversation about that with Saúl one day when he was hurting himself after not getting his way. He also knows that he can forgive his mother for what she did to him....abusing him. After I left I found out that they went back with their mother. They do come back to the albergue so she can have some more counseling, and things seem to be going great! People can change when God works in their lives. I had heard that she had changed, but sometimes people put on an act to get their kids back, but I pray that she allows God to work through her and help her with her problems.

The other Kinder kids did well with the change and they like their new friends in class! Zuleica has changed a lot over the past couple months! She is learning how to express herself, which is really neat! She would go around just saying "Tia Amy" for hours! She just loves being around and helping me with anything. One Saturday she spent the afternoon with me, just helping me with whatever I was doing, whether it be laundry or working on the curriculum, or just looking at pictures on my computer! She loves to have one-on-one attention....just like most of the kids there! Ericka and Zuleica are becoming quite the friends! They laugh and play together VERY well! Paúl and Jhonatan are learning the letters of their names and the LOVE to show you them when they make them with play-dough or write them, or find them in a book! Edwin is still his crazy self! He dances and is a pistol, but I love him a lot! He still calls me "Tia Mommy" and it drives me crazy sometimes! He like to write letters also! His favorite thing to do is work with play-dough! He will make animals or letters in his name with it....and sometimes the vowels! We worked with play-dough a lot in October and November! Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!!! (I just realized that I used some of the pictures in the previous blog, but there are some new ones on here.....sorry!)

Here is Paúl praying. We pray every morning before we start class, and then before snacktime! He enjoys praying

Zuleica praying. She is so sweet with her prayers!

And then we have Edwin, the screamer when it comes to praying, but isn't it the heart that matters most when praying?

Jhonatan and Zuzu praying. He is really quite, but when I forget to pray he is the one who reminds me! What a great student!!

Here we are heading back to their houses....in a line of course!!
From left to right: Saúl, Zuleica, Lady, Ericka, Paúl, Edwin, and Jhonatan

Lady made a ball of play-dough! She loves to make shapes with play-dough!

Saúl LOVES to sing and make music. Here he is with his "microphone" singing some song that I didn't know! He is SOOO funny, and quite the cute little guy!

Here is Paúl, with his new creation! I think he wore that one for a few days until it broke....then he cried and made a new one!

Jhonatan LOVES to make jewelry. It is a good fine motor skills activity for them!

Edwin heard Tio Elias outside, and was like "OH"! If you could only see his cuteness on video!!

Even Zuleica makes jewelry! She is really good and does use the small ones sometimes!

I LOVE this picture! Lady loved going to the beach, and there was NO stopping her of getting into the water! Of course, that is me...look how I am "swimming" in my pants!!

Here is my Kinder class when we went to the beach with Miss Aly's class! It was a fun trip!
From left to right: Saúl, Paúl, Ericka, Jhonatan, Edwin, Zuleica, Lady, and Tia Amy in the back!

Ericka LOVED getting in the boat. She didn't want to get out. She actually sat in it for awhile with the fisherman, Oscar. He brought us some fish and then took Rachel, Amber and I out in it later that afternoon!

Rachel Tarvin, my friend who is a missionary near Cusco, Amber who served with Rachel for a short period, and myself out on Oscar's boat! What a fun trip!