"It is by GRACE you have been saved!"

"But because of His great LOVE for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - It is by grace you have been saved," -Ephesians 2:4-5 And what a loving God we do have! Throughout my time here God has showed me His love in countless ways. Whether it be a safe trip on the chicken bus, a hug from the students, an understanding ear in my Spanish speaking, or a beautiful sunset from the Chiquito rooftop, God's love never fails to shine through!

Some of the students working hard at drawing fruits!

Used the timer to get a shot of me with the students, luckily the had the patience
to wait for the picture to take in this one :)

I have finally gotten into more of a routine here, spending every morning teaching in the schools and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon helping out in El Yahlu. Tuesday and Thursday I am then able to spend time at the house resting, hanging out with the family, and preparing what to teach which is always a blessing! This week the main English lessons I taught were fruits, vegetables, and colors. The students love when I take out my camera, maybe a little too much because it's difficult to get any good pictures! But here are a couple of the students learning, playing, and laughing at me a lot as well!

Playing a game with colors in English

In one class that is especially hyper I had the students run to the end of the field
and back just to get their energy out.

The second graders are learning "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,"
the flutes have come in handy to make their learning more interesting!

In El Yahlu I am just there as a helping hand, but I love going to just see how God is working there. It's hard to see the children without shoes and with ripped clothes, but their love and joy is overwhelming. They are willing and excited to learn and even more willing and excited when we play them in basketball. Those games have been quite exciting! All of my years of practice and games come in handy and my "perfect" form almost always produces a swish ;) 

Praying before the lesson in El Yahlu

This little boy has captured my heart. He has a difficult time walking, needs help in almost all he does, and has a smile as big as the sun! You know you want to be a special education teacher when you go to a different country and the ones that grab your heart the most are the ones with clear disabilities and beautiful smiles :)

The weekends I have been blessed enough to see more and more of Guatemala each weekend. This past weekend we headed to Guatemala City to see the "White House" of Guatemala, which is actually a green house but is the same concept. I really enjoyed the time there learning and seeing more than I ever thought I would! I even got the opportunity to walk around the beautiful university that Oscar studied at! This weekend we'll go to another part of this beautiful country. 

Making tomales, a food traditionally eaten at Christmas

In front of the "White House" of Guatemala

God has been teaching me a lot through all of these experiences, but the most important is to always rely on His strength and not my own. Whether it be in controlling a class that doesn't understand my Spanish or in looking out of the bus window to a straight down drop or in trying to communicate whether I will be walking in a protest tomorrow or walking in a demonstration of peace (know worries it's just a walk for peace) relying on the God is what I'm learning to do. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight," -Proverbs 3:5-6