I'm now 3.5 months into life in Guatemala, and I love it! I wake up each morning and look out the window and can't help but thank the Lord for bringing me here. Yes, I'd like to be closer to Villa Nueva, but the truth is I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be and I'm doing doing exactly what I've always wanted to do--teaching and serving as a missionary at the same time.
I love my students and there's no way anyone could deny that! And the beautiful thing is that my students love me! (They tell me it all the time! :) Sure we have some tough days in the classroom, but even when I have to move a clip, my students know it's because I love them and have high expectations for them. First year teaching is going so much better than I imagined it would!
I've also finally moved out of my host family's house. I've been ready to be on my own for about 2 months now, but couldn't find an apartment for the kinder and 5th grade teachers and myself. The kinder teacher and I finally settled on a temp. place that's really quite like dorm living. We have a big room though with our own balcony! We'll be here for a month and then on Dec. 15th we'll finally move into our very own apartment!!! We just went Friday to check out the place and it's GREAT! 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, fully furnished...and it even has a fireplace!!! And it's cheaper than what I was paying to stay with a host family.
I haven't had a migraine in 2 weeks!!! Seems like a funny thing to celebrate, but even on my preventitive medication I was having approx. 2-4 migraines a week! And let me just say that teaching with a migraine is tough! 2 weeks ago I cut bread out of my diet almost completely b/c I read the yeast can be a migraine trigger, and while I miss the fresh bread from the local bakery, I love the freedom of NOT having migraines all the time!
So there it is...a brief summary of some of the ways God has blessed me and answered prayers in recent days. I really am overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness here and I'm so grateful for the friends I've made.
