Gators!

This morning I was feeling just about 100% after having been sick the past two days.  Noah and I went to the medium boys yard to get them ready for breakfast and walk to the 'comedor' with them, while Alina headed to the baby house.  She's been going there independently for over a week now, working with our neighbors the Miller family.  After breakfast in the comedor, we headed to the yard because the medium boys would be outside playing all morning.  The morning started off cool, so I had long sleeves on - more due to not wanting to get bitten by mosquitoes but also because of the morning temperatures.  After and hour and 1/2 of being in the yard, I took Noah to the store to get some breakfast.  This would be the first hearty thing I've eaten since getting sick.  They had burritos filled with ground beef and potatoes.  This really filled me up for the day!

We headed back to the yard and Noah played with the boys while I sat in the shade until the sun came around front of the building, then I headed back to my room to get some water and put my long-sleeve shirt away.  Back in the kitchen was Darryl's wife, Jenny and we ended up chatting about LIFE and it unexpected turns and how God works through those turns.  Our chat took us all the way up until lunch!...but it was a healthy chat.

After lunch, the medium boys wanted to watch Batman vs. Superman again (since they missed the last hour of the movie last night).  They had to clean their rooms and the rec room first, a normal Saturday afternoon chore but I believe that their desire to watch the movie through to the end helped the speed in which they got their chores done because normally they don't finish as quickly.  They ended up missing the last 7 minutes or so of the movie (Superman's funeral) because it was time to head to supper.  At supper they invited us once again to watch a movie after supper, so Noah and I headed back that way.  They had gotten the Scorch Trials lent to them.  Again, they were sent to bed before the movie ended, but were pretty excited to watch something new.  As Noah and I walked back to our room, Esperanza's husband (Armando) stopped in his gator to give us a ride back.  The male staff here have gators to more quickly and easily get around with their equipment and helpers from house to farm to work area, etc.  This was my FIRST ride ever in a gator in the 9 years I've been here!  Of course Noah decided to put a damper on that and told me that he got a ride in a gator last week (hahaha), but when we pulled up, Alina looked shocked and a little disappointed that she has not yet gotten a ride in a gator.

Alina and Noah wrapped up the night by playing a game of Skipbo with the Miller children before coming in and locking the doors and heading to bed.  Today was our last complete Saturday here.  I've told them to cherish each of these last 7 days (the last Saturday, the last Sunday, etc) because it'll be a year before we'll be able to come back.

Movie Night with the Medium Boys

Since today is Friday, it began with BIG circle where all of the children gather into a circle for morning devotions slightly in front of our room (more in front of the medium girls house which is right next to us).  Since my stomach was still very weak from being super sick yesterday, I just sat on the porch steps outside our room while Alina and Noah went to participate with the children.

I was sweating all morning, which was a good sign because yesterday while my body had the fever all day I wasn't sweating at all.  I was still hot, but found out later that it wasn't just me...it was actually a hot day outside.  I stayed in all morning and Noah stayed with me (again), although he was getting pretty restless today with having to be in and not moving about with the children.  I decided to try to walk with him down to the 'comedor' so that he could eat lunch with the children like he normally does, but by the time we got down there (I had to walk extremely slow), there was no more to eat.  We chatted with a few children, but I felt my temperature rise again, so we headed back to our room.  I sent Noah with some money to the tienda to get lunch for the both of us.  He came back extremely happy that they had his 'favorite' meal...tostadas - which are toasted tortillas with a combination of warm chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and thousand island dressing on top.  They were delicious!

Noah giving the 'thumbs up' on his tostadas

After we ate, I rested for about an hour and then decided I had to try to get out and get some fresh air and sun.  I saw that the medium boys were in the yard, so Noah and I walked down there.  I had a huge bottle of water, of course.  On the way down to the yard, Lourdes (Wade's wife) was walking with her children and stopped me to check on me.  I've only been sick a day, but I guess word travels fast!  She reminded me that they have the clinic if I'm sick, so I let her know that in the States they recommend waiting a fever out 24 hours to see if it drops, and since I was actually feeling better today than yesterday, I figured I'd see if it was actually going away.  I thanked her for being concerned because that truly means a lot!  So many of the children throughout the rest of the day too had asked if I was feeling better.

Noah played in the yard with the medium boys while I sat in the shade and chatted with the older children (teenagers) that were in charge.  They had 'ensenanza' (afternoon devotions) right there in the yard before heading to supper.  Noah ate supper with the boys this time and Miguel and Rudy checked with Santos (the man who is in charge of the medium boys house) to see if they could have movie night with us tonight.  Santos said the medium boys were behaved all week - perhaps because they were told that we had movies - so it would be fine.  They told us that the boys were going to finish supper quickly and run home to shower and we could come around 4:25pm to have movie night.

When I headed to the house, Noah stopped by Darryl who was assembling his saxophone.  He asked Darryl a few questions and said he was going to hang out there for one song.  Because I was moving so slowly, I knew that Noah would be able to catch up to me.  I could hear Darryl play almost all the way to the medium boys house.  What a treat for Noah who was right in front of him!

When we got to the medium boys house, all of the boys were anxiously awaiting us at their bedroom doors.  As soon as we got there, Santos sent the boys into the rec room to watch the movie.  They decided on Batman vs. Superman...and we had a blast!  It was all in Spanish, so I'm sure Noah will want to watch the movie with his dad again (but this time in English) when we get back home.

When we got back to our room, Alina had some exciting news from the baby house...she got to see a baby take her first steps today!  So all in all, it was a good day for each of us.

My Turn to Get Sick

Yep, it happened.  I spiked a fever during the night and it lasted all day today.  I was in bed the entire time.  I felt horrible for Noah who loves to get out and run...he needed to stay in with me.  But he was an AWESOME nurse!  He was genuinely worried for me.  I don't think I was awake longer than an hour or two the entire day, and I could feel my temperature rise and fall throughout the day.

Noah did tell me in the late afternoon that a family was moving into the room next to us, a husband, wife and daughter.  He said the husband claimed to know me, which seemed to make Noah confused.  Later I found it that it was Darryl from Maryland and his wife.  Darryl has some awesome talent on the saxophone, and I believe that he's given the kids here music lessons over the years too.  It's nice to have others around us that we know fairly well!

Alina did get to go back to the baby house today and work today.  Glad that her infection is on the way out!

The Tut-Tut

After medium boys circle devotions and breakfast, I went to check on Alina.  She's now been on antibiotics for 3 days for her strep throat, and this appears to be the last day that she'll need to stay indoors.  She's getting her appetite back and is up and walking around, but still looks pretty weak.  I gathered my materials to teach calculus for the day and then Noah and I headed down to the classroom to teach a little bit about area under the curve (Profe Ramon wanted me to give some exposure to this topic, but not to go too in depth since it wouldn't be on their test on Monday), and then give them time to review for the test.  Robert (the high school principal) came in and watched the introduction to area under the curve for a little bit.  Profe Ramon had gotten special permission for math class to be extended today for the 2 highest grades due to the rigor of the tests, class went from 8:30-11:45am.  He was working with Bachillerato I and I was working with Bachillerato II.

The students got their review after recess.  They're not used to being allowed to working in groups, so this was interesting as they worked on the review I had prepared for them to get them ready for Monday's big exam.

Review questions I had made up for the students to prepare for Monday's test

Students working in groups on the review

A group of students working on their review for the exam

When class was done at 11:45, we headed back to our room to check on Alina - who was up and walking around.  She complained a little about getting bored and wanted to into town with us, but I wasn't ready to let her walk all the way into town just yet.  Noah and I headed into town with quite a few volunteers.  We split up as a group almost right away because Noah and I decided to stop at Glenda's for some tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and avocados.  We only had to go to 1 grocery store, but also had to make a stop at the TIGO store to have them check out what was wrong with my phone.  It turned out that the battery just needed a charge...apparently the phone charger will not charge a battery that is "completely" dead. We also had to stop at the CLARO store to purchase some extra time (or GB) for the modem as I was almost out.  It's probably from posting so many pictures to my blog this year!  We also stopped at the bakery to get a few 'Tres Leches' cakes.  I gave one to the security guard out front of the orphanage when we got back, and the other two went Coco and Claudia who were celebrating their birthdays.

Because my body began to feel a little bit weak in town, I decided that Noah and I would take a Tut-tut back.  I didn't think to get a picture at the time, so I am including a picture that I found on the internet so that those who don't know what these vehicles are have a better idea.  This is Guaimaca's version of a taxi.  As I walked from the front gate of the orphanage to our room (which is still quite a hike), I could feel my temperature rising.

Tut-tut

I went to church with Alina and Noah, but could feel myself getting more ill by the minute.  We did buy a package to call home this evening since Alina was feeling better.  The packages to call home are about $1.25 for a 1/2 hour, which is pretty awesome!  We got to talk to Bob, Kaylyn and Jaden.  Alina got a little emotional on the phone, but I'm guessing she's still pretty weak from having been sick twice now down here.  Her clothes are beginning to fall off of her.  When we said our goodbyes on the phone, we locked the door to our room and went to bed.

In Need of Shoes

This morning began as most others, with a trip to the medium boys house for circle (devotional time).  Then we walked with the boys to the 'comedor' and then once again I needed to get back to our room to finalize the preparations for teaching calculus for the day.  When I got to the school, I decided that I could no longer watch some of the medium boys walk around in their current shoes without making some sort of effort to get them new shoes.  These boys need shoes.  So click HERE to see my efforts in trying to help the boys get new shoes.

An example of some of our medium boys shoes

After the medium boys got into their classrooms, I headed to the high school once again to teach calculus.  The lesson went fairly well.  The boys who had been gone all last week due to being up in the mountains planting trees are starting to catch on.

When calculus was over, Noah and I headed back to our room for a little bit to check on Alina, and then walked with the boys to lunch.  We spent the afternoon with the medium boys in the yard out front of the school.  Noah played soccer once again with them, and then when school let out we went with the boys to supper.

God is Good - El Arco Iris

This morning Noah and I headed to the medium boys house without Alina.  She said her throat was hurting and she was burning up with a fever.  When I used Noah's flashlight to check her throat, I saw a lot of white on her tonsils (which my aunt Linda had told me years ago was a good indicator of strep throat).  We did circle with the boys and then walked with them to breakfast and stayed until breakfast was over.  I spoke with LaShawn (one of the clinic nurses) about Alina's symptoms and she said to bring her over at 8am, when the clinic would be open for the girls.  I headed back to the house and gave Alina some ibuprofen at 7am and worked a little bit on the calculus lesson I would be teaching today.  As I was working on the lessons, Rachel (the oldest daughter from the family staying next to us) came home from the baby house with similar symptoms, but not yet a fever.  I decided to take both girls to the clinic.  Alina's temperature was 101.8 degrees, and it was confirmed that she has strep throat, so she was put on a 5-day antibiotic.  LaShawn told her that she would have to rest for 48 hours, drink lots of fluid and let the antibiotics kick in...no working.  Rachel also has strep, but didn't have the fever yet.

I dropped off Alina back at our room and made sure she took the 1st two pills and some food to go along with it before gathering up the calculus materials and heading to the high school.  The high school girls were just lining up to head in to class (the boys were already in the classroom) when I arrived.  Profe Ramon let me know that I'd have the class to myself today since another teacher was absent, so he'd have to cover her class.  I finished up indefinite integrals and then wrapped up the hour and a half lesson with the definite integrals.  I have now officially covered all of the topics that are on the exam.  Profe Ramon also wants me to take some time out of each day this week to cover the remaining topics in the book, but mostly wants me to work on reviewing for the exam with the students and then catching the boys up to speed since they missed all of last week due to planting trees up in the mountains.

When class was done, I chatted with Profe Ramon during recess and he asked if I could work through the 2 exams that would be given next Monday so that he could have someone 'double-check' his answer key.  This is something that we do in our math department as well...having a second eye checking for a possible error (or errors) we've made in making an answer key for a test definitely helps.  I'm not sure why an answer key was not provided with these tests which are required to be taken by the Honduran government educational branch.  This was actually a blessing to me, not only because I'm nerdy and enjoy working through math problems, but because I could be back in my room monitoring Alina, especially since LaShawn said that if her temperature went much above 102, we'd need to consider an injection to get it down due to the hot climates down here not helping keep her body cool.  I spent most of the afternoon working through the 2 tests, but was able to get them finished before school ended at 3pm, and returned them to Profe Ramon.  He was very thankful for my help in working through them.  We did discover some incorrect answers on the test itself, again made by the country of Honduras, not Profe Ramon.

Noah and I headed to the medium boys house after school to listen to 'ensenanza' and then walk with the boys to supper.  Noah now sits by Rudy and the bigger boys in the house.  He says it helps him to eat a little faster because they talk less.  I bought Alina some Gatorades from the 'tienda' at the recommendation of LaShawn and made sure she drank an entire one, since she hadn't been drinking much more than 1/2 of a glass of water all day.  She was sleeping, but we wanted to be sure to get the fluids down as well.

When Noah came back to the house, he was carrying 4 movies that I had asked Selvin to pick up in town for me for the medium boys...I can't wait to watch them with the boys this weekend (the boys who are in charge of the house who know about them are excited too)!  We'll keep you posted on that when we watch them.

Noah noticed that the small boys were down at the 'cancha' playing soccer and asked if he could go.  I took a book down to read while he was playing.  When I finished a chapter I looked up and saw the beginnings of a rainbow.  Of course it was one of those rare instances that I had forgotten to bring my camera, so since I also saw some gray clouds coming (perhaps rain, might destroy my book), I figured I'd run the book back to my room and grab the camera and hopefully the rainbow would still be there.  When I got back the entire rainbow had formed above the church (rather than just the fragment I had seen earlier).  Here's the photo I got:

What a WAY to end the night!  God is Good!!!

Basketball in Honduras

This morning we went to church and the Pastor from Guaimaca was preaching.  It was a good sermon on loving and serving your enemies.  When church was finished we headed to the medium boys house to spend the morning.  The boys were watching the Avengers.  Once again, we watched a bit of the movie, but Noah didn't get to see the ending because it was time to head for lunch.  Noah ate lunch with the boys while Alina and I headed to the store.

Noah and Alina with Michell

After lunch, we headed back to the boys house and they watched a bit of a mermaid movie (not sure what it was called since we got there late, but around 1:30pm they headed to the gym to spend the rest of the afternoon before supper playing soccer.  Rudy brought down a basketball for Alina to dribble around.  When we went into the 'comedor' (dining hall) for supper, I made sure I measured the last 3 big boys, and now I can officially say that all of the children here are measured!!!

After supper we headed to the gym to play some basketball with the medium girls.  Alina did fall down pretty hard on the cement floor and hurt her tailbone a little bit, so praying that it's nothing serious.  When the girls needed to head home for the evening, we headed home also, folded some laundry and turned in for the night.  It was a very relaxing Sunday.

Alina (with the ball) and Noah defending her