Had the best "teacher moment" of my teaching career yesterday! When it came time to say our class prayer before heading off for lunch, one of my boys volunteered to pray. I was was a little hesitant because I never know what is going to come out of his mouth, but I gave him permission. He began his prayer thanking God for various things. He included, "thank you for our teacher, and that she shows us that she loves us." 

Praising God that the love I do have for my students is stronger and more visible than other feelings or emotions that I might show!

Yesterday, my fifth graders led the whole chapel service! The theme of chapel this year is "deliverance." The class chose the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. They led prayers, bible verses, and songs, and they performed a skit. I was so proud of them for working together to pull it off! They did a great job!

At the end of the day yesterday, the class had a party to celebrate their good behavior during their Specials (PE, music, art, computers, and Spanish). We enjoyed some yummy snacks and played board games! It was a fun day if fifth grade!

It's hard to believe that I have already spent three months here in Bolivia! Time has gone by so quickly. This has been the longest length of time that I have ever been away from home, and it just doesn't seem real at times. I still find myself as I am walking to and from school that I am amazed over my current whereabouts. I continue to praise God for allowing me to have this opportunity. The feeling of peace and knowing that I am where I am supposed to be continues to be present.

During the last three months, I have drawn a few conclusions:

• God provides for our needs, even when we aren't quite sure what we need.
• Living with less "stuff" is less stressful. 
• Having a smaller closet (and less shoes to choose from) makes life a little less complicated.
• When baking is your stress reliever and you have your own kitchen, it challenges you in the area of self-control.
• Having little tiny ants in your house forces you to keep your house super clean.
• In order to prevent little sand piles from accumulating on your floors, sweeping and dusting at least twice a week is a must when living in a windy and dusty city. 
• Being a teacher challenges you to give up control over many different things throughout a day.
• Learning a new language is a very humbling experience. 
• There is no concept of personal space when riding in a public bus.
• Avoid open-air meat markets if you have a weak stomach.
• One must be very flexible with time when living in Bolivia. 
• And...I am still not fully cutout for HOT weather!

I have been asked what I miss most about home, and there really hasn't been anything that I have found to be missing in my life. This has gone to show me how much I can do without and still find joy and happiness in life. What I do miss most are my family and friends back home. It's my relationships with the people who have invested into my life that make me miss home the most. There have been some down days, but God has put people in my life here in Bolivia to help fill that void. After I realized how blessed I am with the new friendships that I have made, it has helped me look at life with a more positive perspective. I still have moments every now and again where I get homesick, but I am learning to lean on God in new ways because He is always there and never leaves my side.  

I have to say that I am extremely thankful for technology and having the resources to be able to stay in touch with everyone back home. I can't thank you enough for your prayers, support, and encouragement! 

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for the Learning Center. The secondary students are struggling spiritually. Pray for revival in their hearts and that their faith would be renewed. Also, there are some teaching positions that need to be filled. Pray for willing and qualified teachers to be found to finish the school year.
• Sickness seems to be going around the school right now. Please pray for good health for the teachers and students.

Praise:

• Dad and Jessalyn are coming to Bolivia for Christmas and New Years!!

Last Friday and Saturday, the WGM women missionaries had a mini-retreat, where we were able to get away and go to a hotel for a night. During this time, our Regional Directors, Ron and Bonnie Gouge, were in town for their routine visit. Bonnie led us in a study of Psalm 31, where we discussed the application of God as our fortress and our rock of refuge in our lives, as women serving in Bolivia. We had a wonderful time learning from one another's life experiences and perspectives, and we were able to enjoy the amenities of the hotel as well! :) 

We finished up our first reading unit, which was an author study of Andrew Clements. Students created character trading cards for their final project. Our next unit will be historical fiction!

I was finally able to integrate more technology into our classroom! We used the app and website called "Plickers" to help us review for our science test on life cycles. Each student had a card that was unique to them. Based on how they rotate their card, they choose the answer A, B, C, or D to answer the multiple choice question. I then scanned their answers using my iPad and the results were displayed on the board. It was a fun way to mix up instruction!

Wednesday was "Awards Chapel". Ms. Kamiya, our principal, handed out awards for perfect and outstanding attendance, outstanding homework, and honor roll. Fourteen of my seventeen students made the honor roll! Fifth grade also tied with sixth grade for having the best behavior during Specials! So that means we will get to have a time of celebration this next week!

It was a very exciting day today! I received four more cards in the mail, had my first slice of Papa John's pizza here in Bolivia, and I cleaned up an old sewing machine. Mail days are amazing days! The pizza tasted just like it would in the States, only now better since I haven't had it in a long time! I figured since I am going to be here for another 7.5 months that I should use some of my free time and finally learn how to sew. Looks like I am going fabric shopping this weekend!

I have the coolest students! Almost all of my students participated in "Twin Day" today!

This weekend I had the privilege of spending my time building relationships. On Friday, Liz and Kristin (both teachers at the Learning Center) came over to my apartment. We made tacos and had peach crisp and then talked for the next three hours until we realized it was midnight! We have enjoyed exploring the city together during our free time. So thankful for these two women and their friendships. 

I thought I had agreed to an afternoon of cooking and baking with two of my students and their mothers on Saturday, but once I arrived, I realized I had misunderstood. I actually ended up spending all day with three of my students and their families. We had lunch, watched movies, played volleyball, went to the Plaza Principal, ate at a restaurant for dinner, and had popsicles for dessert! My students got me to go into a 5D simulator where we had a thrilling roller coaster adventure and ran in to some dinosaurs as well. These families were so kind and treated me like one of the family. I loved getting to know them and share about my life. It was fun getting to practice my Spanish, too! I look forward to more get-togethers with them!

Today, I finished the last step to my visa process! After two months, I am officially finished with running around the city signing papers, getting fingerprinted, and waiting in lines. 

In order to stay and teach here in Bolivia for ten months, I had to first apply for a work visa before I even left the United States. This allowed me to enter the country. Then once I arrived, I had to meet with an immigration lawyer, who helped me with the long term visa process. We started this process back in August and have just finished, two months later.

The people working at the various government buildings are not the most efficient workers. They also only take a certain number of people each day, so if you are not within the daily quota, then you have to return and try again the next day. In spite of all of the hassles and negative things that I heard about the visa process, my experience was quite unusual. The process normally takes much longer than two months to complete. I have heard it taking up to four months in one case. Places that usually take hours of waiting in line, I just stepped right up to the counter. Even our timing of arriving at some of the offices put us ahead of big groups of people coming through too.

The only way I can describe my visa experience is that God was looking out for me. 
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I now have a two year work visa and my carnet (Bolivian ID card)! My visa allows me to stay for the remainder of the school year and my lawyer went after a second year just in case something comes up. The perks of having a carnet now is that I am eligible to get the native Bolivian discounts at various places!

To top this special day off, I took a taxi all by myself! Making progress in settling in to my life in Bolivia!

I received more letters from home last week! Mail days are seriously the best days. I can't express how much I appreciate the love and encouragement!

My students must think that I am not getting enough to eat. Last week, I received a box of chocolates, sonso (mashed yucca and cheese), and zucchini/raisin bread. I have some pretty awesome students!