My First True Danish Crepes this Year

I woke up this morning at 3:30am (4:30 WI time), caught up on devotions and updated my blog before heading to the little girls house for breakfast.  Oatmeal seems to be "the thing" this year, as opposed to the granola cereal I became so familiar with over the past 4 years.  We did dishes, came back to the volunteer house briefly (for a  bathroom break) and then headed back to the little girls house so that Maria could teach Kimberly how to make tortillas.  Kimberly took video snippets here & there in order to remember the process, and I took pictures of her while she jumped in and participated in making them - from start to finish.

After the tortillas were finished, we had about 1/2 hour to cool down back at the volunteer house before we needed to head back for lunch.  Dunia helped us with dishes today, which I very much appreciated.  I have been the one washing dishes so far and I feel my back is just about to give out (with me being so tall & leaning over so much).  The little girls didn't have school this afternoon, but the big girls had to return.  Doris was at lunch today (normally she's babysitting at Danis' house so that Danis can come and manage the little girls house), so I walked her to school.  I found out that this week is the week of their national exams.  They had their Spanish exam today and math is tomorrow, so the teachers will be reviewing math all afternoon.  These exams are pretty high stakes.  The students MUST get a 70% in order to continue their studies!  The educational system in many other countries should make our students much more appreciative of ours...I do not waste chances to tell my students about the educational system here or in Mexico, countries in which I've been and I am familiar with.

While at the school, I chatted with Robert about any technological needs that Emmanuel might have.  Although he said that most has been taken care of, Robert did rattle off a couple of things.  I had to ask him to just write a list for me, since I'm still using the "Technology for Dummies" book (just kidding, but I'm not well versus in technological jargon).  I'll email that list to my husband, Bob; and we'll see what happens from there!  Bob will be coming down here on Friday, August 10th.  I'm so excited for that...and so are the children & staff who know me well!!!

When I came outside the school, the medium boys who were in the yard across from the school told me that Andres was blowing up balloons for them in the yard.  I headed over to the shelter there and saw him & Joanne, and her husband Dan all blowing up balloons and making swords with them for the boys.  They were SO excited.  There were a couple of these super-sized long balloons that the sole purpose was to blow them up & let them go.  They made a silly noise as the air came out and the boys ran (almost in a stampede) after the balloon to try to catch it when it got close enough to the ground.

Joanne asked me to come with her, because her group was doing Bible studies with the kids this evening.  She thought I might be needed to translate.  I ended up  translating for Marc (the Maryland volunteer who led the church service on Sunday) about wearing the Armor of God at the little boys house, while Andres translated for the pastor who led devotions at the big boys house. 

While I was out & about this afternoon, Kimberly had headed to the medium girls house with our newest long-term volunteer, Zue, to practice her new skill of making tortillas.  She said thant the kitchen in the medium girls house was MUCH hotter than our kitchen at the little girls house.  I let her know that since last year, the 2 groups of girls had switched houses, so where she was this afternoon was actually where I was for the past 4 years, doing dishes, etc.

We had to hurry after supper to get the little girls their baths because the church service on Wednesday night is scheduled to start sometime between 4:30 and 4:45.  It was a great service about needing God's forgiveness for ourselves FIRST & FOREMOST before any other needs.  David & Lydia brought a group member named Sofia up to the front of the church.  Sofia has brain cancer and the prognosis doesn't look good according to the doctors up in the United States.  Please, as you read this, pray for her and continue to keep her in your prayers.  She is part of the Maryland group, so if I hear anything over the next bunch of months from Joanne, I will definitely let you know.

After church, I walked Doris back to the little girls house.  When I came home, I found Christina making crepes for all of us.  Now there's a story behind this...so I'll tell it here:

Earlier in the day, Christina & Amelia (our 2 Danish long-term volunteers) had a craving for bread but they didn't have any.  They asked those of us who were sitting in the living room area if any of us had some.  I seemed to be the only one who had bread.  I let them know I had bread, but that it was wheat bread...but they were more than welcome to it.  I showed them where it was and Christina wanted to pay me for it.  I refused payment, but since she insisted I joked that perhaps down the road when she made crepes for herself, she could make an extra one for me.  Well, rather than just doing this...she decided to make crepes for the entire house this evening!  YAY!  It was especially nice, because we had not really eaten a meal together with all of the female volunteers in the house.  We began in prayer (which Caroline led since she'll be leaving us on Monday), then we each named a few things that we were thankful for.  What a special time shared by all!