A New Mercy:
"His Mercies are NEW every morning" is what keeps coming to my  mind as I reflect over this past week. It is amazing to me that as Christians who are following the path that the Lord has laid out for us, we can rest in knowing every day brings new mercies and new blessings. With every "New" thing there are uncertainties, excitements, unfamiliarities, fears, as well as new hopes in the new opportunities. I've felt every one of those emotions as I met and....barely scratched the surface of meeting and learning my 6 new little ones. What a wonderful New Mercy of the Lord they represent to me of the Lords continued sufficiency and grace in my being in Chile. In six mini sized, wide eyed little ones, I see the reminder of how I made it through 1 semester already....and have been given the opportunity to experience it all over again!
 But with a whole new bunch of faces who have already brought joy to my heart. Their names are Susan, Ming-Zhe, Gabriel (Boy) Aaron, Amaro ( Boy). 3 Chilean and 3 Asian.

4/5 year olds are known for the cute things they say, which is one of the many reasons I love teaching this age group, and often mention that to people when I hear the emphasis question " How do you do it?!" :)

Well in this "cute" situation we read 1 Fish 2 Fish Red Fish Blue Fish ( I have found that Dr. Suess books transcend language barriers, and its made me love them even more than before) and had just finished it  when
The conversation went like this...

Me:"Friends where do fish live??"
Kiddos:"The water"
Me:"Right!! Good Job!"
Me:"Do we live in the water?"
Kiddos:"NOOOOOOO" giggles
Me:"Well where do we live?"
Kiddo: " In the Grass!!"

Ming-Zhe enjoying the Traffic light cookies we made on a day we were learning about Road Safety

Susan reeeeeeeally loved that icing!!

My new Tueday/Thursday Teacher Aid Liz. Her children attend the school and she and her husband are missionaries here in Chile

Susan was trying to offer a yummy cookie to Amaro, who was currently very unhappy at me for waking him up from his ( 1 hour) nap. He likes to sleep his mommy later told me!

This picture cracks me up because it captures their relationship. Gabriel has taken little Aaron under his wing and just loves that little man. I havent figured out yet if Aaron enjoys it.....

Playing Red Light, Green Light After eating our Cookies! They clearly loved it. Oh and Gabriel is holding Aarons hand....

My youngest munchkin Aaron. He is a VERY old 3.

Always tuckered out,bless their hearts. Learning in a different language, double the work!

How fearfully and wonderfully made we truly are, and the childrens alertness and ability to retain knowledge and grasp so much at such a young age, always speaks to their Creator, and is so neat to watch.



A cultural observation I wanted to share is how the South American people, but more importantly the youth respect and honor their elderly.
I cannot name all the times I have been on a crowded metro with 29823023 people vying for the same seat and searching for that little space that is not yet inhabited by 2928823 other people. Ah yes, this is just a part of the way of life here. Crowded, every man for himself...public transportion! However, the exception to that norm is the elderly...and rightly so.
 I have seen numerous young 14+ year old boys stand up as soon as an elderly women entered into the metro or bus as if second nature, without a blink. I have even witnessed a boy who looked about 16 or 17  lean over and tell a women in her 40's and unaware due to intently reading her book, that there was an elderly woman who had entered, to which the woman got up and offered her the seat .
Another cynario where this respect was shown happened while I was sitting in church. As in any church, at any given moment there will be someone sneezing, coughing, or making some bodily noise that can easily disrupt ones attention to the message, leading one to glance their way in hopes the glance makes a difference.. We all know what I am talking about right? Well I began hearing a horrible coughing sound  coming from somewhere in the front of the church, and as it continued...off..... and on, I began searching the crowd trying to find the culprit.  Not intending to offer assistance, just to offer a glance.....
 Well, as I was sitting there searching the crowd.., I saw my friend say to one of the younger boys " Go get her water." And He did! The young man ( 16ish) jumped up, and came back with water and walked right up and gave it to the older woman. Two young people lent a helping hand when one was needed, and so often I feel other places can be overlooked and tuned out. Yes, I felt convicted.

Just a very cool thing to watch, as well as something I truly appreciate, and admire... whether its offering a seat, or fetching a glass of water this culture has got the "Care for the elderly" thing down pretty pat.

A Suprising Treat!

On saturday I decided to take a new missionary friend out to see the city, never knowing we would litterely stumble upon a HUGE festival! These pictures were taken as we watched the parade of music and native dancing and costumes for hours!! It was a treat to see....

Thankful for all of your prayers and support! It means the world to me!