Capacitación

Tuesday I started the training to teach reading and writing in Spanish. It was very interesting. They developed a curriculum specifically for the population I will teach. It is based on phonetics, which works perfectly for the Spanish language. I learned that my boss is the person who created the program. I think it's great and can see how it should work really well. It's practical and gets straight into the things they need to know.

I almost didn't receive the training Tuesday because some man, a head honcho I am sure, was in town from Sweden. I think he used to be my boss's boss when she worked developing this curriculum. He came into the room where I was learning and said that he had heard all about me. He said that really it would be best if people from within the community are the ones to give this class because missionaries always burn out and leave the people hanging. He said that happens all of the time in the jail communities they serve, so they started training the inmates instead of sending someone in from the outside. I am sure he is right, but it wasn't too encouraging.

I left the training with all of the materials and resources I need to start the class. If I have any questions the people who taught me are really sweet and will help in any way they can. I feel confident I am set up for success as a teacher of reading and writing in Spanish. I was wishing the class could start right away, instead of waiting until after Semana Santa.

My mechanic and I spent the afternoon looking for tires for my truck. Half of Honduras have the same exact vehicle, but my mechanic spent all day Monday and we spent half of Tuesday looking for tires. They don't seem to exist here.

I ended up buying a different size than the manufacturer's specs. But the mechanic said they would work. They didn't have them in stock, but I got a good price ($300 for all four instead of $500-600 which is what we had seen at all of the other shops). Friday I went back and got them put on the truck.

I asked Fany on Friday morning if she thought the tire shop would be packed with people buying tires for their Semana Santa trips. She laughed and said, "No Mary Lynn. Nobody here thinks about their tires until they are on the side of the road with a flat." She was right. There was no line at the tire shop.

Tuesday afternoon I found the banana bread lady. I asked how her father is doing. She said she missed four days of work, but it was not because of her father. It was because her 16 year old daughter keeps passing out every day at school. She took her daughter to the hospital and they said she needs to see a specialist. There is nothing they can do without the specialist. However, there are no appointments with the specialist until July!

I asked if she considered going to a different hospital. She said yes, she would go on Friday to a different hospital because her daughter is passing out every single day. She believes and was told it is something neurological. I told her I would pray. The girl's name is Gisell.