It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

We had our Christmas party last night with Aaron's 11th graders. There were about 25 students here in our apartment, with a lot of food! Aaron grilled hotdogs and marinated chicken, while I prepared the corn and baked beans. The funny comment of the night was "What are these?", referring to the baked beans. You would be surprised by the number of them who had never had barbecue baked beans before!!! They have probably had every other kind, but not those! For the most part, I believe that they enjoyed them!
Aaron planned some games for them, including Dirty Santa. Aaron got a desk calendar by the TV show The Office. I got a really pretty scarf, which I was really happy about! The girls could have taken it from me, but they were scared that I would be upset! (Well, I did announce that they would fail Sociology if they took it from me-oops)

We have four and a half days left of school until Christmas break. We have a lot going on this week, so I am sure it will pass quickly! (Not to mention celebrating 2 wonderful years of marriage on Tuesday, December 16!)

Please be praying for us on Saturday as we travel into Atlanta where we will pick up our car from Alex and Maggie.
Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

The Blog

Thank you for being patient with me this year. Sometimes I click on our blog site just to see if "someone magically" posted something for me!! I have no excuse for not writing this semester, but I also haven't had time for many extra things either. Basketball season just ended for Aaron and me, and we are pretty thankful. Aaron started soccer this week, however. I am done with my coaching duties this year!

Many things have happened since I last posted. We visited a city named Ceiba in October with our friends Ben and Joy, and it was such a beautiful trip. We went snorkeling there at some islands called Cayos Cachinos. That was amazingly gorgeous!!

For Thanksgiving, Mark Fleenor flew down for a short visit. We went all over the city and got a lot of Christmas shopping done. We put up our Christmas tree, along with all the decorations inside and out! Our apartment looks very festive. Polo particularly hates the window display I made this year because it covers the entire window sill that he loves to lounge on. Oh well!

We only have two more weeks of school left before we fly back for Christmas holidays. We are looking forward to time with family and friends, and as always, we are looking forward to the yummy food while we are there!

The pictures are from our trip to Ceiba. We were at Cayos Cachinos in a few and a great restaurant called Mango Tango in the others.

Hello Again

Ok, so I know I am REALLY late for an update this time. All I can say is I am sorry. As you probably assumed, our summer went by so very fast with only a few days of not doing anything. It was a great summer, don't get me wrong, but we are so glad to be back at our home in Honduras. Neither one of us liked living out of suitcases for 2 months. The time with family and friends was fantastic, and our trip to RYM with the students from Honduras could not have gone smoother. We are already thinking of how we could do it next year...seeing that all 13 students want to go again, along with probably another 15-20 of the next class.

Now that we are back in Honduras, and school is now in its 4th week, I will tell you some of the changes we encountered upon returning. First of all, there are many new teachers here, but we are providentially still waiting on 2-3 more teachers. We have a new couple living next door to us who are around our age. Their names are Ben and Joy. We all get along really well, and I am so thankful Aaron has a good male friend!

Another change was that Aaron had to pick up another class: Sociology. For those of you who know Aaron well, this is PERFECT for him! Aaron teaching the study of people could not be better! He is actually getting to teach his beloved 11th grade class again, which he is excited about doing. This is a good change for Aaron, however, this means A LOT more work for him and fewer planning periods. He is doing great so far and I am so proud of how he has stepped up to the challenge!!

Another change this year was that my aid, Karla, did not return to Pinares this year. In God's perfect timing and will, she was offered a better job at a different school that she could not turn down. I have been so extremely sad about this change, not because my new aid is not wonderful, but because my best friend here in Honduras is not in my classroom anymore. Please be in prayer for her and her children.

Now I can update what has been going on this weekend!! My birthday was on Thursday, and I felt so special at school! First of all, one of my student's mom is a baker, and she sent me a rather large and delicious cake that morning. We enjoyed that as a class at snack time that morning...just to start loading them up with sugar! ;) Aaron brought me flowers and a coke that morning while I was teaching. At lunch time, 2 mothers came and surprised me with cupcakes and sandwiches...just to seal the deal with the amount of sugar my students were getting that day! It was a fun day at school, and my kids were really cute!!
That night, Aaron took me to my favorite Pizza place with our closest friends and Karla! The food was so delicious!!!! Aaron also picked up my favorite dessert here: Flan!! When I got home, Aaron gave me a card to explain my gift from him...Friday night we were to spend the night at Honduras Maya Hotel in the city, go out to dinner, have the yummy breakfast buffet the next morning, get massages, and spend some time at the pool!!!!! It was ALL so amazing. On Saturday, Aaron surprised me with getting my nails done with Karla and going out to dinner with her as well--just the 2 of us so we can have some time together. This was so fun, and I loved having the time with her!
Karla drove me home, seeing that Aaron had gone on up the mountain to watch football. When I got home, Aaron came and got our suitcase out of the car and I was so excited to see him. The three of us were going to have Flan together, or so I had planned. Little did I know that almost 20 11th graders were hiding in our living room with the lights off waiting to surprise me with a party!!! They literally scared me to the point of screaming!! Aaron had planned it all, and I had NO clue that anything else was going to happen! He got me really good! He had been planning this for almost 2 weeks with the kids, and he called Karla to take me some places so that he could set everything up! He was not planning on watching football at all! He left the hotel and went to pick up a pinata and a cake. The party was so much fun and they all loved seeing my face!

I must say, I have never celebrated my birthday for 3 days in a row, but Aaron really went above and beyond! He was so very thoughtful about every little detail! The only thing I wish could have been different was having our families here. We both miss that aspect of living there. It wasn't until last year that neither of us were able to see our family on our birthdays. It's part of living overseas, but I know it is harder on our moms than it is on us!

Summer has begun!

We have jumped straight into summer since we flew in from Honduras! The first week we were here we simply relaxed and tried to recover from our over night flight-which was fine, by the way. We took a day trip that week to Greenville, South Carolina to visit part of the Halbert extended family and to pick up a truck we borrowed to move Maggie's things to Nashville. I was excited to meet Aaron's aunt, uncle, and cousin on that side for the first time. We had a great visit with them all!

The next week, we headed to Chicago a few days early to spend time with Shannon Baugh and her family. We also went downtown on Wednesday with some friends from Honduras. Alex and Maggie's wedding was on Saturday morning, and it was a beautiful ceremony. We also took a little detour on the way home to visit the campus of Notre Dame. There are some pictures from our trip in Chicago above. The last one is a picture of all but one of the kindergarten teachers and aids that I work with. This picture was taken at graduation.

This week, we are preparing for RYM. The students from Honduras are coming in Sunday night and we leave for Florida on Monday. We are so looking forward to them coming and we are praying that they will have a safe and fun trip while here.

A Year Finished

Wow, time has flown since we got back into Honduras. I am so sorry that I have not updated lately. I came back and was forced into full swing! Now, we are packing up things and getting ready to head back to the States on Wednesday. We will be flying with Spirit Airlines, and we will depart from San Pedro Sula at 1 am. This is the other part of our round-trip ticket that we purchased for January. We saved a lot of money, but we will most likely not be flying with Spirit anymore. They did not send our luggage with us last time and we waited for 5 days until we got it back. You may have noticed the time we are departing on Wednesday. This is another downer for Spirit:"late night flights." Maybe I am completely different from most women, but I do not cope well with flying at hours such as those. Especially when the flights were 2-3 hours behind for no reason and our luggage did not show up. I am already praying for patience while I am awake and sleep while I am on the plane.

We will be in Knoxville for the first week and then off to Chicago where Alex, Aaron's brother, is getting married. We will be staying with Shannon Baugh for a couple of nights while we are there, and we are so excited to see where they live! Soon after we return from Chicago, we will head to Atlanta where we will pick up 13 students who attend the school here in Honduras. We will be taking them to RYM- Florida that week. Please be praying for safety for all of us, as well as for all of our hearts as we go study God's Word and fellowship with many other believers. After RYM, we will take the kids (9th and 10th graders) to Knoxville to visit the church, a few colleges, go to Gatlinburg, and meet a few families from the church. We will also take them to Six Flags in Atlanta the day before they fly out. They will be here a total of 10 days. I think Aaron and I are more excited about them coming than they are. It is a great group of kids coming!

Yet another blog!

Rachel told me that I needed to post on our blog that I now have my own blog. The point of my blog is to show people some of the pictures I have been taking recently. I hope that yall will be willing to take a look. Also, please give me feedback on them. If you think they look fake or horrible please let me know. The link is www.aaronhalbert.blogspot.com

Hope yall enjoy them.

Aaron

A Welcome That Humbled My Heart

I would never have expected such a warm and excited welcome back from the school yesterday. I arrived here just in time to visit my classroom before the end of the day. My moms gathered together food from my favorite restaurant here, dessert, fruit, and flowers!!I have not had to cook for 2 nights because there was so much food!! Also, my kids almost knocked me down when they saw me, and they have all had questions that are so innocent and sweet: "Did your sister really die?" "Is Catherine in heaven now?" They all truly cared, and wanted to hear it from MY mouth.

Last night brought tears and sadness that have not come since Catherine died. I believe my whole family is experiencing the same thing I am: REALITY. Being back here where I have my normal responsibilities of a wife, teacher, and home-keeper, reminded me that it really happened. My sister is really not going to be in MS when I get back. Yesterday was the first time to leave the country knowing that I will not be coming back for an emergency for my sister. In three more weeks, I will be going back to the States, and knowing for the first time that I will not arrive to see Catherine in Tchula or Jackson. I can only explain the feeling this way- it hurts. My heart hurts even as I write this, because I desperately want to "wake up from this nightmare."

God's will is perfect, and I believe that with all my heart. However, with our fallible human minds and hearts, we naturally think about the things that we will miss out on or they will miss out on because they are not here. It is hard to not think about those things. It is so difficult to deal with the pain, but thankfully we are not alone as believers. Our ONLY comfort and joy is Jesus Christ, and without Him we have no hope. I am constantly reminded of the joy that my family and I can have as believers knowing where Catherine is and knowing the God who took her as our Savior. I cannot imagine what the pain would be like if we did not have Him as our Refuge. Praise be to God!

The Following Days

I never realized how hard it is on families after they lose a loved one and the services are over. I had heard that it was hard once everyone leaves and goes on with their lives. There is nothing wrong with people moving on, because life must go on. However, these two days after the services have been so sad for all of us. We have things to do in the house that we did not have time for before, but we don't WANT to do them now. The more we do to clean up around here, the more realistic it is that Catherine is not here with us anymore. Catherine was such a great sister and friend to me, that I find myself thinking of things I need to tell her. There are things that I just want to talk to her about...for no real reason. I think about the fun times we had together and how many times we laughed and were silly together. That does not compare to the happiness she is experiencing now in heaven. Now, we are not only awaiting the day we will see our Savior, but we are also looking forward to spending eternity with all believers, especially our family members.

And Can It Be

I wil not write much, but today is a special and hard day because Catherine has gone to be with her Savior. The three of us girls (Mama, Emily, and me) were singing hymns to calm Catherine. We were singing the 4th verse of "And Can It Be" when we noticed that she changed. The words that we finished only moments before she passed were "The chains fell off, I rose, went forth and followed Thee...". Isn't it wonderful that the Lord came and took her home when we were singing praises to HIM!!! She had a peaceful passing, for which we are so thankful.
The next few days will be harder than we can imagine right now, so please pray for us all. Also, praise our Lord Jesus Christ for His grace and mercy because Catherine is in His presence!

Preparing to Leave, Once Again

As I sit here and think of all I have to accoplish before Monday, it is hard not to be overwhelmed. I have so much work to do in the classroom and here at the apartment to get ready for company this weekend. Mr. Halbert and Alex are coming, and we are greatly looking forward to the visit!! I have been so humbled this week to see how perfectly God's plan for me has fell into place. Never would I have imagined that the school would allow me to leave for whatever amount of time I needed! Over the last two weeks, my heart has been heavy with emotions that I myself cannot even express. The Lord knows my thoughts, desires, struggles, and feelings in a deeper way than I do. I have been very blessed with wonderful support here at school, and through my wonderful husband. He will not be able to travel with me for this trip, which is extremely sad for us. He has more responsibility to be here during this time.
Please be in prayer that my flight on Monday will be on time and that my connection in Houston will go smoothly. I don't mind flying by myself, but it is definitely kind of lonely. I am very thankful to be going, and I cannot complain about my circumstances at all! Thank you for your prayers!

Crown Him With Many Crowns

This is one of Cat's favorite songs, as well as the bridal procession at my parents' wedding.

Crown Him with Many Crowns

1. Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake, my soul and sing Of Him
Who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.

2. Crown Him the Lord of love,
Behold His hands and side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His wond'ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

3. Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o'er the grave,
Who rose victorious to the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high
, Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.

4. Crown Him the Lord of heav'n,
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit through Him giv'n
From yonder glorious throne,
To Thee be endless praise
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days
Adored and magnified.

5. Crown Him the Lord of years,
The Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise shall never never fail
Throughout eternity.

Short Week

This week was extremely short because of the holiday (Day of the Americas) on Monday and the massive strike yesterday. Prices here have been going up consistently since Christmas, and there were lots of companies that went on strike yesterday to try to lower those prices. We all stayed up here on the mountain where we were sure we would be safe. We will see if prices actually do go down. I had been noticing that I could not seem to keep my grocery bill down lately, even though I was buying fewer and fewer items!! So, I am hoping that everything will get back to normal.

We have a "youth group" event tonight that we will attend since I started a bible study. Everyone from the high school, especially those involved in small bible studies here, are invited to this every Friday night. I am looking forward to going because I don't know what to expect. By the way, you can be praying for my 9th grade girls in the bible study. There are six of them. I have started it by reading the book Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This is a somewhat modern fiction novel about the book of Hosea from the Bible. It is very specific about God's unconditional love and grace inspite of our unworthiness. This is a very important life lesson for any teenager to learn. Anyway, I use this simply as a base/starter for each Thursday meeting. It has been fun for me to study the Bible more to give these girls all I can find on each subject of the week. If you have not read any of Francine Rivers' books, I highly recommend them. They are easy reads, but still substantial. I just have to remind myself that it is Biblical FICTION, and I have to take some things with discernment. She is a great writer, though.

Relampago-2008

Today was Relampago for the high school. Aaron is a class advisor for the 10th grade, and this is one of their fundraisers for the year. He was very busy, but it was a great success. Basically, their are three other schools that come and play a soccer tournament. They sold drinks, pizza, snow cones, cotton candy, and other Honduran favorites. I took my class for about an hour and a half, and they had a blast!! I enjoyed taking them, but I am exhausted. I can't imagine how tired Aaron must feel--he is still cleaning up and it is 5:45!
We do not have classes on Monday for Labor Day. I am very excited because I finally get a long weekend that we are not traveling!!! Our plan is to relax and save our money. We could have gone to El Salvador for pretty cheap, but after our trip two weeks ago, we decided it was best to stay here. I may go get a pedicure, and I am very excited. They are dirt cheap here. :)
I hope that you will have a wonderful weekend. I also hope that you will excuse us for the late update. The time has flown by without me realizing how long it has been. Also, we have been trying to figure out a new template for our blog. Hence, the many changes you have seen the last day or so. Thank you for your patience with me and your prayers for our family!! God bless!!

Jackson

We are getting things together so we can leave tomorrow morning on an early flight. We are now in Jackson, even though Mama, Daddy, and Cat are still in Tchula. It was so hard to leave early, but it is so inconceivable to wake up and drive down here and get to the airport by 5 am.

These two weeks have flown by. I cannot even describe to you how much it feels like we have just been here a week. It was so good that we came, though. I am so thankful for our time with my family. Please continue to pray for Cat.

Ra-Ra and Cat

Oh, how much I have loved spending time with my sister!! The more time I spend with her, the more sad I become because I realize that this trip is passing so quickly. This first week is flying by!! We have had a lot of fun together, but I have realized more that it is such a blessing that I came home. My sister needed me and I needed my sister, and my heart rejoices and breaks at the same time as we sit and talk.
Something that I have to share is about last night when I slept with Cat in her bed. Mama has started to do this so that she can be right there where Cat needs her. So, last night I was privileged to sleep with Cat. She likes the TV to stay on during the night, but that causes her to wake up a good bit during the night. Each time she did this, Cat would reach over and either pat my arm, leg, or head and tell me she loved me. Several other times, she would hold out her hand waiting for me to take it. We would then fall asleep, hand in hand, until the next time the TV woke her. This made for a long night, but a special one at the same time. Cat has become more "touchy-feely", and she is very open about her feelings. This has been a treasure to my heart!!

Jackson, Mississippi

Well, now that we are here, I will tell all of you about our spring break trip. We are now sitting in the hospital with Catherine. Our original plan was to just come for our week break, but since we heard about the severity of Cat's situation we decided to extend it and make it two weeks. So, when we walked in, Cat just looked at us with big eyes and asked us "What are you doing here?" She is so happy that we are staying for two weeks, and we are looking forward to the time we get with her!
Our plan is to just spend as much time with family as we can. We have a few "American" products that we will pick up before we leave, but that is our only plan. We are just so thankful that the Lord provided a way for us to come home and visit.

Bagope-High School Retreat

Aaron and I attended the High School Retreat this past weekend at Bagope. It was about a 3 1/2 hour drive, and there were about 70 or 80 high school students that attended. Aaron stayed with some 9th grade boys and I stayed with some 9th grade girls. I have not had the chance to spend a lot of quality time with high school students since I am in the elementary all day, so this was a wonderful opportunity for me to get to know these girls. All of the students were able to see the competitive sides of Aaron and myself. He and I were on different teams for the games, and YES, my team won!!! I was so excited!

The Lord truly blessed this past weekend. Before the retreat, the girls I stayed with told Aaron that I "was intimidating because I don't talk very much and they never know what I am thinking." I was able to share my testimony with them and have a few heart-to-heart talks with them. By the end of the weekend, they were sitting by me, hugging me, and wanting me with them most of the time. They told Aaron that I wasn't intimidating anymore, and that I was "way cooler" than him! I am thinking about starting a Bible study for these girls. They like me and respect me, for some odd reason, and I think the Lord has opened that door for me for a reason.

Aaron was able to show some of his talents this weekend by entertaining a little. He organized some really fun games when the rain would not stop outside. (It rained ALL day and night Saturday) Several leaders came up to me and complimented him on his ability to entertain. His experience in youth group came in handy this weekend!

We are very glad to be home now. We went to sleep VERY early last night. This week is extremely busy because Spring Break is next week. I am working on report cards and grades, and we have meetings two nights this week. This week will fly by, and we are so ready for next week!

Asking All to Pray

If you have not already, please check my sister's Caring Bridge site and pray every moment the Lord lays Catherine on your heart.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/catherinehutton

Beautiful Hymns

"From the depths of woe I raise to thee The voice of lamentation; Lord, turn a gracious ear to me And hear my supplication: If thou iniquities does mark, Our secret sins and misdeeds dark, O who shall stand before thee? ...Therefore my trust is in the Lord, And not in mine own merit; On him my soul shall rest, His Word Upholds my fainting spirit: His promised mercy is my fort, My comfort and my sweet support; I wait for it with patience."

"Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, That calls me from a world of care, And bids me at my Father's throne, Make all my wants and wishes known! In seasons of distress and grief, My sould has often found relief, And oft escaped the tempter's snare, By thy return, sweet hour of prayer. Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, Thy wings shall my petition bear To him, whose truth and faithfulness Engage the waiting soul to bless: And since he bids me seek his face, Believe his Word, and trust his grace, I'll cast on him my every care, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer."

These quotes are taken from old hymns that have been very dear to my heart. They have reminded me that the God we serve has a perfect plan for our lives that we ourselves cannot understand. Lately, I have been amazed at the comforting peace that comes when we trust in Him. Our sinful nature causes us to doubt, but who can doubt such a powerful and glorious God?

Three Weeks until Semana Santa!

If you are wondering what Semana Santa is, it is just Spring Break. Ours here is the week before Easter, and we are planning a very relaxing trip. It should be fun! We have three weeks to go, and we are all counting down! I don't think I realized how much teachers like the breaks too when I was growing up. I had this idea that they loved going to school! HA! I like to go to school, but I LOVE my days off! And, it is not only me-that goes for every teacher here!

I was out today due to stomach issues early this morning. I really thought that I was getting another stomach bug, but this one did not turn into that. I managed to sleep almost all day today, and that helped. I will be going back tomorrow! Polo really enjoyed me being at home today-he slept next to me the whole time! :)

Last week, a tragedy happened to a teacher here at the school. She was just hired about 2 and a half weeks before, so not many people knew her-she was Honduran, so none of the American teachers could talk to her if they didn't know Spanish. She was brutally murdered, along with her husband, last Wednesday morning. Their 12 year old daughter survived without much physical harm. It seems that the family had a 15 year old adopted son who had a terrible anger problem. We can't fully know all the details, but he killed his parents after an explosion. I know there were other deaths involved, one or two of the mom's brothers, I think. So, please remember the Nolasco family in your prayers.

We hope you have a wonderful week!

Isn't It Ironic?

It's funny to look at my last post, seeing that the last two days have been rainy and a little cool. Oh, well!! It IS Honduras!

Today was the 100th day of school, and my kindergarteners and I were able to dress up like we were 100 years of age. I am kicking myself right now because I did not have our camera with me at all today. Some of my kids were ADORABLE!! I had one little boy (Mrs. Halbert-he is your favorite) who looked more like a homeless man by the end of the day after his "makeup" had worn off. Another little boy came with a grey mustache and actual spray-painted grey hair. We did all sorts of things today with the number 100. It was a lot of fun, but by the end of the day I felt as tired as a 100 year old kindergarten teacher would feel!!!

February- dry, sunny, and beautiful!

Yes, the rains have pretty much stopped. It rained the other night and that was the first time in a long time. The rainy season brings at least one good rain every day or night. Now, the sun is getting more intense and there is already a lot of dust, which will only increase! It is still very cool in the early morning, but starts to warm up around 10 or 11 in the morning. We are usually still in the clouds in the morning, so once they move through, the sun comes out. It has been very nice but strange that it is February and so warm!

Things are moving right along in school. We had another group of 9th graders over for dinner on Thursday night, and it was very successful. I realized how much food a family goes through with 4 teenage boys!!! (A LOT) Aaron is enjoying the time that we have with these kids in our home. It is a nice change of scenery for him to hang out with them, and they also get to know me. They all wonder what kind of person I am because Aaron is so outgoing. They have quickly realized that I am not at all like him, but we create a good balance.

Kindergarten is going well. I was observed this week by my principal. It went very well, for which I am so thankful. I have a fantastic class, and they were perfect during the lesson!! He commended me on my classroom management, and I kind of chuckled under my breath. It is only by God's grace that I have been blessed with an overall obedient class. Overall, my class is very intelligent and I am able to speak honestly with them about their behavior. I only have one or two kids who are not ALWAYS very sorry for their bad behavior. I can only pray that I will have a class next year that is somewhat close to my class this year. I wouldn't mind teaching forever with classes like mine!

Some people you can pray for: 1) A child at the school is going through some pretty difficult things mentally and emotionally. Please pray with me that the Lord would save him at an early age and that he would find his security in only the Lord.
2) A friend of mine is going through some really rough financial situations. Please pray that the Lord would provide for her every need and to take away her worry. She has two boys.
Thank you and God bless!! ~The Halberts

Time Flies!

Time has flown by, and I did not realize it had been this long since an update.

The weekend after we got back, we drove to San Pedro (about 4 hours there) to pick up our luggage. Our friends Day, Leslie, and Laura went with us just for the ride. That was nice to make the trip not quite so boring. I would have slept much more if they were not in the car! Thankfully, our luggage was there when we got there. It was all about to be put on a bus to send here, so it was wonderful that we got there when we did!! You can't always trust that noone will bother your things on a bus when the owners are not present.

The second week of school was better because we had gotten a little more rest and felt more refreshed. My students are not supposed to speak Spanish anymore, so those first two weeks were pretty quiet! :) They are learning more and more, and it is adorable to watch them try! It is Spanglish more than English right now.

Aaron got back into the routine pretty quickly and has had soccer practice twice a week. We are starting a new thing tonight for all the 9th graders. Every Thursday night, we will have 4 of them over for dinner. This is a good way for them to get to know me and get to know Aaron better outside of school. I only know a few of his students, but most of them know who I am. They are so excited about coming to our home and seeing how we are here.

Thank you for being patient with us about updating our blog. You may not think so, but things are very busy around here. I have been so busy keeping up with Catherine's site that I kind of forgot about mine! We thank you for praying for us!!

Henry Forrest Flemming

We were very sad to hear last night that my grandfather passed away in his sleep. I am so thankful that we were able to see him over the holidays. He was a special part of the Flemming family. Aaron and I had just walked in our door to hear the phone ring, and his Dad had called to relay the message from my family. One of the first thoughts that came to mind was "How can I get back for the funeral?" The funeral is tomorrow, and seeing that my luggage is still lost somewhere between Ft. Lauderdale and Honduras, there is no possible way to make it there. My heart aches to know that I will not be there for all the family, but I know the Lord will give them all the comfort they need.

Please be in prayer for the family today and tomorrow as visitation will be tonight and the burial tomorrow. Jan-Jan (Janice Flemming) is doing as well as to be expected, after losing her husband. Please pray for her as things are very busy now and things will sink in more as everything slows down. Her five childern will be taking good care of her!

More to come later, but I wanted everyone to be able to pray. God's timing is perfect, even though we wish that we could be there for everyone.