Firsts...

First first...Well rainy season is here with a bang...it is raining so hard that we can hardly hear each other speak. And the lightning and thunder is really amazing. Today we had lightning and thunder all afternoon as well, with no rain. It seems to build up all day and then around sundown (which is at 6:00) it dumps. 

Look at these rain clouds!

Second first...Yesterday we had our first team leave and I did either 8 or 10 loads of laundry...I lost count. :) And as I was hanging it out on the line, I contemplated the fact that this team was only 11 people...by June 7th every bed will be full and we will have around 115 people here. What will the laundry be like when they leave? I'm grateful that I'm able to start small and build up to it.

Third first...We had our first dinner in our little house tonight...hotdogs on a Forman grill that Sue's mom loaned us, and plantain chips. It was one step up from camping...and we were very glad that we weren't camping as the rain is coming down in torrents. We don't have a stove yet or a real refrigerator...we have a loaner mini-frig from Mike and Sue... so we need to be creative with food. We actually won't be eating much down here once the teams are here in full-force.

Dan is driving all over the place which gives us a sense of freedom and not such a burden on Mike and Sue. We decided that the Nica drivers were really very tolerant compared to the Asian countries that we have drive in. When we drive, we either take a long van or a tank-like ambulance...it's pretty funny.

Brinson  brought home two little fawns...he's hoping to take them out to Ruby Ranch once they get a little bigger.

Dan is helping Timo launch his boat. They are making one for him to play with and one that will be the model for the real thing.

still waiting for the rains...

We were wrong! The rains haven't begun yet. We had two false starts and only hot, hot, hot temps so far. We do have some big thunder clouds building up, even as I write, but our hopes have been dashed so many times that we are afraid to get too excited. 

The first team comes in tonight and rain is forcast for the next several days...so as Murphy's Law would have it, it will probably rain...even tho' it hasn't for all the previous forcasts of rain.

We've been busy getting ready for the teams coming...washing shower curtains, moving furniture around and "Handyman Dan" has found work as well. :) There is always something that needs fixing.

Our biggest news is that we've rented a house just down the road from the Buzbees...a 10 minute walk. There are a couple of weeks when they are maxed out with people so we thought we would find a place to stay and give others our apartment. It reminds us so much of our little pink house in Thailand, but not as big. So far we have beds, curtains and a coffeemaker... the important stuff. :) We have rented it for a year so that we can keep coming back and forth...and when we aren't here, others can use it.

Our front door...

As you come down the entrance...

Rosemary working on the tiny kitchen

It has been such a blessing being here...and feels so much like home, even after only 2 weeks.

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. 

Rain!!

It's raining!! The first real one of the year. The younger girls went in swimming and we ran in the drops...they say that we'll be able to see a difference in a couple of days. Now, the second day, we are waiting for an afternoon storm to come. They say that we will see the effects of the rain in a couple of days...I have a before pic, so I'll post that and the after later.

Here's Timo and Dan's first day of boat-model making...two more happy boaters, you will not find!

This is one half of the model catamaran...it will be beautiful!

Mother's Day is celebrated in Nicaragua at the end of May, so we get to be special today and again on the 30th. I came at the right time.

Hope all you mother's have a great day...

We've Arrived!

The Buzbee Compound 

We arrived in Managua at the Buzbee's beautiful compound without a single hitch...although the rains haven't arrived, we are happy to beat them here. There is such celebration when they do come that it will be fun to be here then.

The first night Dan and Michael got on the topic of sailing and boat-building so it's no surprise that Timo and Dan have started to build a small version of what could be...

Rosemary spent two days sitting in on the homeschooling class that Chris Barber has been doing and on the second day took over. Six kids from 13 to 16 is a handful, but she is doing a great job. She says that it is such a great opportunity to be stretched and challenged in a whole host of areas. Each kid has there own strengths and weaknesses and Rosemary is looking forward to being able to encourage them in both areas.

Today Donna went to the preschool/after-school program with Chris Farrington and got to help out with the 4-yr. olds. What precious kids. Here are some pix of the kids she met...

Morning Song...

Lining up for the foreign lady to take our picture :)