Teacher's Day

Today is "Dia del Maestro" in Ecuador.

And my SWEET,

BEAUTIFUL,

GOOFY, 

FUN,  

HAPPY,

AWESOME students...

made it a very special day for me. I will never get tired of the sweet notes for "Miss Anslee", "Miss Ensle", "Miss Esley", "Miss Ansee" or even "Miss Engly". Despite getting sick for a bit, it has been a wonderful day.

Cleaning Up

This weekend, I got some very cute help cleaning up my apartment. Would you agree?









The pile of muddy shoes by the door wasn't helping the cleanliness of the apartment, though.



Totally worth it though.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Easter 2012

Our Easter Sunday was:

wet and rainy.

full of laughter and crafts that had nothing to do with Easter.

a bible story reading day.

happy and silly.

a day to be THANKFUL for.

What was yours like?

This Morning

This morning. Worst morning ever.

 Is it OK to feel homesick sometimes? Because this morning I have been feeling it A LOT. I will post more about the month of March (MA group!) and my SWEET friend Grace Payton who came to stay with me for a week (1D fans forever), but right now I just feel like missing my family, my country, my friends. I miss my mom, I miss my dad, I miss Bronwyn, Garrett, Carys, Anderson and Giovanni. I miss spending birthdays with family. I miss not having to go to the store and buy groceries myself, and not having to make my own meals (I know I sound spoiled right now - I just miss my mom's food!). I miss not having to deal with health problems and going to the doctor alone. I miss talking with my sisters, watching movies with my brothers and hanging out with friends at home. I miss BRAZIL. I miss Portuguese. I miss arroz com feijao. I miss my friends, I miss my church. I miss my church family. This morning, I have been missing a lot of things. When I woke up I cried and felt awful. I also had this awful feeling like I am not making a difference in the lives of anyone here at all. I know it is the devil that brings out those feelings in me, but today it just hit me hard - and I wasn't prepared for it.  I talked to my mom a bit on facebook about what I was feeling - how I wasn't sure if I would EVER know if I made an impact here or not, if this was a good decision or not, if I have been helpful in the lives of these kids or not. And she sent me this video. I would encourage you to watch it, because it was VERY inspiring to me.

Many of the men who built those cathedrals would never see their work finished - and they KNEW that. However, they didn't let that thought keep them from their job, from what they were called to do. They kept on working - many of them until they died. This video was an eye-opener for me. What kind of person would I be if I just got up and left this place - with only 6 weeks to go? Would that be fulfilling what God called me to do here? He didn't put 3 and a half months on my heart. He put 5 months on my heart. He put May 22nd on my heart, not April 22nd. He will give me the strength to finish these 6 weeks - and to finish STRONG. My dad always says that when you are running a race you must finish strong. That goes for ANYTHING in our lives - our job, our relationships, a simple task we set out to do. I pray that I will finish the work God has called me to do, and that I will finish with my whole heart dedicated to LOVING these kids. I will pray for the you to learn from that video and endure whatever hardships you are going through - and know that God will give you the strength to finish strong. Could you pray for me as well? 

ANDERSON'S BIRTHDAY!

Hey Andy - I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE 8 ALREADY. I am sorry I couldn't get the video up until today!! I hope you have an AWESOME birthday party. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU SOON!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!

BB's 21 :)

hey beebs. you're 21 today. WHAT?!?

2. MORE. MONTHS.

WHAT? TWO MORE MONTHS?

 Today is March 22nd. I leave Ecuador on May 22nd. So many mixed emotions. I will be happy to see my family, excited about college, excited about not having to teach anymore, happy to see my cute brothers and sisters, happy to be in Brazil, happy to see friends in Brazil, happy to just relax for two months.

 At the same time.....
I will bawl. I will feel like a piece of my heart is being ripped out of me. How can I tell this? Because today I was looking at a picture of my baby (Anthony) smiling with Matias (my cute tough guy), Adan (my big boy) and Luis (the perfect big brother), and teared up because I just LOVE them. Because I woke up early after a sleepover with Cati (my BFF that likes to talk about boys with me) and Leonela (my quiet, beautiful, crazy one) and just about cried because I just LOVE them. It is a love I have never felt before, because it is not a love towards my family nor towards my friends. It is not a small love, it is not a  meaningless love. It is one of the most powerful loves I have ever felt. It is a love towards my sweet boys and beautiful girls. It is a happy love, it is a silly love, it is a crying-on-shoulders love, it is a making silly faces love, it is a walking up the hill hand in hand everyday kind of love. It is a BIG love. It is an IMPORTANT love. And it is a love that has brought me closer to God than anything else in my entire life has. These kids have changed me in the past 3 months.

 I cant wait for May 22nd to get here. But at the same time, I am dreading it. I have talked with Anthony several times about him coming back with me, and every time I wish it was something I could really do. Is just bring that boy back with me. I have had several dreams about adopting one of these kids. Because let me just tell you, EVERYTHING has been worth it. All of the days I have cried, missed my life in Brazil, missed my dad's hugs, missed my mom's cooking, missed playing with my brothers and sisters, missed grandparent's, aunts, uncles and cousins, gotten in trouble, felt useless, felt lonely or discouraged... It has ALL been worth it just to get to know these kids and be in their lives for a short period of time.

 Please pray for me as I face the next two months, and thank you so much for your support and prayers during the past 3 months! Pray for me not to cry like a baby on May 22nd :)