Random kid photos

Okay... I have alot of photos of our kids, and just have to share them.

Miss Lucy and some of her 3 year old class.

One of the toddlers that likes to open the door and hide himself in the cupboard if no one is watching.

More 3 year olds and the fun of coloring and washing the board.

"Lunch" (snack) immediately after lunch ("comida" - food)

3 year olds "sleeping" during one of our following directions songs.

Puzzle play ("rompercabezas" - literally -"head breakers")

Hard at work with clay

Enjoy!  More later!

Happy Anniversary Youth Choir!

On Pentecost Sunday, the youth choir turned three years old!  Started by another missionary three years ago, I became involved in November when she was no longer able to keep directing.  We have ample help with adults, teens, and kids ranging from 5-18.  In honor of the anniversary, we held a potluck in the church meeting room.  We had a wonderful turn out, and, as a bonus, got to celebrate Juan Pablo's 5th birthday (he is in the first row center just right of the cake with someone's arm around him).  So, the Church's birthday, the Holy Spirit, our anniversary, and Juan Pablo's birthday all in one day.  What a great day to celebrate!  

We supplied the cake, while the parish supplied the beans, tortillas, and agua de jamica.  The families each brought a guisada, a cooked dish: tinga, rice, potatoes, and other yummy creations.  One of my favorite parts was getting to meet the families, and being able to thank them for their children and the time they spent getting their children to choir. Overall, it was a great time of celebrating and a time of fellowship.

Most of the choir in front of a mural painted by Marcos, the guy
in red on the extreme right of the picture.  The mural displays part of the
history of Santa Fe, the area where the church building is.

English help

We had some people stop by the other day that we did not know.  We heard a knock on the door and had no idea who they were when we looked out the window.  They were looking for another missionary that lived here almost two years ago.  They wanted help with their niece's english homework.  She had a big test the next day and they wanted us to fill in all the blanks in her study sheet so that she could turn it in and study from it that night.  Emma and I were not sure of this, and many times tried to get the aunt to see that we did not want to do the niece's homework for her.  No, it was okay, she answered, they had another copy of the homework, and the niece would rewrite it in her own handwriting before turning it in.  No, but... The niece had piles of homework to do.... and we were not getting anywhere with the aunt, so, with uneasiness, we did the homework. (Not as easy as it sounds. It was on some kind of passive voice, something we are told never to use in English. :)  We gave it to the the aunts, and they were out the door, telling us that if we wanted cooking lessons to come on over and they would teach us.
      A couple days later these same two aunts and the girl and another boy were back at our door.  This time, with the aunt's famous Jello mold made from fruit juice, pectin, and peaches (it was very good!).  The girl thanked us, as well as the aunts, and again they invited us to come over and learn how to cook.  I still am not sure about the homework assignment, and did not want to start a precedent for doing everyone's English homework, but, I am glad that we got to meet that family, and opened the door that night.

More than Music Time

Emma and I give music classes three days a week, four 20-30 minute classes a day to 2-5 year old classes.  Our first class starts at 10am, and the last ends at around 1:30pm.  In between we have a bit of hang-out time with the kids and teachers, or time to fine tune our plans for the next class.  Then, after our last class, we have about an hour and a half to hang out with the kids and teachers before we go home.

Israel ready to play, with my guitar and "cinta" (guitar strap).

A couple months ago, I started working with kids individually after my last music class, giving guitar lessons  and private music therapy sessions.  It started out because of Israel. 

There had been a couple kids with home/behavior issues I had been hoping to work with in music therapy.  But these were also the same kids that wanted nothing, or little, to do with the music classes Emma and I were already giving.  So, how do you do music therapy with a kid that does not seem motivated by music?

Enter Israel.

Israel is 4 year old in love with the guitar.  He was always asking me questions about my guitar, and especially the exact name of the store where he could buy a guitar strap ("cinta" to him) just like mine.  He wanted to tell his grandma the name of the store so that she could buy him one.  Then he learned if he asked, he could play my guitar.  Then, one day, with much excitement, he brought in his guitar.  More decorative than anything else, he sat down with me one day after class and we had a jam session.  Him playing with nearly perfect rhythm and so much gusto, singing at the top of his lungs "Feliz Navidad," complete with hand-stops (though in odd places).  Just like I had when we taught the kids the song in December.  

Soon, there were a bunch of kids around us wanting to know, "What are you doing?" and "Can I/we play with you too?"  Among them was the little boy I had been praying most to work with.  We will talk about him in another story.  So, now I have between 4-6 kids that I work with after the end of the school day.  Only 2 or 3 a day, and then afterwards we have about a half hour each day or more where I read to the kids or have them read for me/the other kids.  I am getting to know more about the kids' home life/interests through the songs we make up together and having some fun while trying to work through some of the issues in each of their lives.  

Another one of my students :)