From Rosemary

We have  now been in Nicaragua for a week, sometimes it feels like a day and other times like a month. I have been teaching six teenagers for six days, and I have been both surprised and excited about how much I am enjoying it. Every day brings new challenges, but it has been stretching me to be a better teacher and learner. 

My plan for this summer is to have a discovering God summer. We began with plants and will hopefully end with the universe. Everyday we begin with the Word, and it has been such a wonderful thing to be able to see God's will in 2 Kings. God has been showing me how he rewards faithfulness, but that all men are sinful without the love of Christ. 

Today we learned about the different parts of a flower. Here are some pictures. 

Having an outdoor classroom is nice, but it does have its mishaps. I have been attacked by flying whiteboards, books and sometimes even stools. My students are always helpful, and even when I get something wrong, they are quick to correct, but we just laugh it off and move on. My classroom has two boys and four girls. Moses is 17 and Timo is 13. Hazel is 14 and Hope and the twins, Lola and Johanna, are 13. Being an elementary education major, teaching teenagers has been interesting, but also very enjoyable. We laugh a lot and we just enjoy learning together. I have been able to use my creative ideas to make learning not as monotonous, and they have been teaching me math. Here are some  pictures of our classroom. 

Getting crazy before math class. 

working hard on decimals 

  Every day they write in their journals and we read The Magicians Elephant aloud. I read this book last semester, but by reading it with older students it has really opened my eyes to the wonderful truths that it teaches. One thing that stood out to me is how people can get stuck with one thing their entire lives. If we open up to God's plan for our life and remain open to all possibilities we will can truly be free to do what the Lord has for us.