My ducks

Let me quickly summarize the past week.  Friday was kind of a crappy day for me.  I was discouraged but also grateful to have a new stove.  Saturday was busy.  I had choir practice, then went to the gym.  I did a lot of praying and reading the bible that night about the situation that was causing my frustration.

Sunday people had plans to help me resolve the situation, but for some reason, it didn't feel right.  I explained that I was in prayer and that it felt like bad timing so they said fine.

That day was the first time that I really did not feel like being alone.  Normally I spend so much time alone that people who don't know me well get a little worried.  Wanting to socialize was a new feeling, but I knew it was also a healthy one at that moment.  So I called my neighbors/landlords and asked if I could use the internet from their house.  They said sure.  I confessed to Hermida that I was feeling like I wanted to be around people so she invited me to eat with them.

They had family visit and we spent the whole afternoon and evening together.  In the end we went to my house.  Hermida and I had tea while Carlos hooked up my new stove.  It was a really nice day.  There are a lot of great people in my life in Honduras, and God really blessed me with my living situation.  When my landlords tell me they want me to feel at home in their house, they really mean it.  I know I can always count on them.

Monday much of what has been bothering me resolved itself in a way I never imagined.  I didn't have to do or say anything.  God worked it out perfectly!  Yay!!

This week has been great!  Sunday at church Samuel asked me to help out with the sports part of the Plentiful Life Program.  So you understand, the Breakfast Program is one part of the Plentiful Life Program.  Samuel already had a group of 15 boys playing soccer as the sports division of the Plentiful Life Program.  Starting this week the kids have 3 months off from school so Samuel arranged for other kids to do more sports.  So now I am serving in the sports division too.  I absolutely love it!

I told Samuel a few months ago that I taught swimming for a long time, so he asked me to help out with the swimming classes.  But then it seemed like he didn't really need me anymore.  I was disappointed.  I had been really, really excited for this opportunity.  I saw it as God's plan for me.  I started teaching kids to swim when I was 13.  When I was 16 I officially became a lifeguard and taught swimming lessons every day all summer at a lake near my home.  Swimming has always been a big part of my life.  I am not the world's best preschool teacher, but I do know how to teach kids to swim.  To me, it felt like there was finally an opportunity for me to share/serve in a way which I am very competent.  Now it has all come to fruition.

The only hitch is that I have to get up very, very early every morning to be at the church at 7:15 a.m.  I hate getting up early.  But so far I have been so excited I barely sleep, so waking up has not been a problem.  Everyone says I look exhausted, but I feel great.

More importantly, the kids are having a blast!  There are 2 coaches who are really in charge once we get to the pool.  One of them is the most amazing teacher I have ever seen.  When the kids first arrived most were afraid to get into the pool.  Imagine...  They come from homes with no running water.  They are accustomed to bathing with a pail of water.  Submersion is a new experience for them.  They have every reason to be scared.  But within an hour and half this coach taught a group of about 10 kids to swim and even to dive!    He is really incredible.

The first day he said they would be swimming all four strokes by January.  I thought he was exaggerating at the time.  Now I am sure he is not.  He is a super good motivator and he makes everything really fun.  He learns all of their names and makes up sweet nicknames for some.  He runs a very tight ship, but keeps things positive too.  I really admire his approach, style, demeanor and knowledge.  I am grateful he is the teacher of the kids I love.

The kids and their coach!

Stretching.
The first day the kids had noodles wrapped below their chest and tied back with a strip of rubber from a tire.  What a great way for them to float with lots of room to move around!

It's chilly at 8 a.m. this time of year in Honduras.
Cristofer modeled a new look I had not seen at a pool before.

As you can see, we have a lot of great stuff going on!  I feel so blessed to be part of it - to see the smiles, to watch them learn and grow, and have so much fun while they are at it.  Every day their coach tells them he is proud of them.  I do too.  We talk about the fact that God loves them very much and God wants them to have these opportunities to learn and have fun.  This is only the first week.  It will be amazing to see what they are doing by January!

First day of class

Beautiful girls

Cindy leaned so quickly!  She always wears a smile.  So fun to see!

Little ducks on their first day at the pool

So, that is what I have been up to lately.  I don't have photos of the girls soccer team or the boys soccer team.  Next week we will have a tennis team too.  The kids from Los Pinos are getting out and experiencing the world around them.  They are getting a taste (literally) of "diving in" and achieving success.  If they are as successful in life as they are in the swimming pool, Honduras has a bright future!