Day 134

Prayer day this morning. Went well. So much rain today! I loved it. This afternoon we went to the airport to pick up a girl who is visiting for a week. Then we went into Old San Juan to see the lights. It was pretty fun. We eat dinner at my favorite pizza place so I ordered extra food to go because I can't cook. I'm pretty tired, walking all afternoon. I also think I'm getting sick, just in time for Christmas yay!

Day 133

We played the bells this morning. It was in some fine arts building. We were only a small part of the performance so we had to set up or tables with the bells and everything in the hall outside of the banquet/concert room. Then when it was our turn we picked up the tables and carried them into place. We played our two songs, picked up our tables and left. I think we did good. Everyone seemed to like us. After school Leo and I went to the beach. I saw some of the biggest waves I have ever seen in person. It was great. Leo spent the whole time hiding in the shallow water. In his defense he is still injured from the last time we went to the beach. There were a couple waves that were easily a two story building coming at me, crazy huge waves. I was legitimately scared. I was on the top of one of them looking towards the beach and it felt like I was about to fall out of a cloud, awesome.

Day 132

Today we video taped the kids singing a few Christmas songs. Betsy makes a DVD with them. After bells we loaded all the bell equipment into the van for tomorrow. We are playing a couple song tomorrow inside of a bigger performance. So I don't when the set up and take down is going to happen. We have all these tables that need to go up then foam pads go on those then there are two table clothes for each table. That's a lot to do. It sounds like a pretty simple gig though, should be fun.

Day 131



This is my nephew Elijah
Born about a week before I left for PR

Saul and I relocated some plants today, he enjoyed that. I was attacked by some strange breed of giant ants. After school Betsy and I went to the beach because there were some costal flood warnings in the area and I hoped that meant big waves. Well they were pretty big, right before we left a wave came that was a least fifteen feet. Betsy was of course too scared to go in any deeper than her knees accept for a few quick instances. I'm sure she still enjoyed watching me get tossed around by the waves. I know I enjoyed it. I'm only here for another fourteen days and only like seven of those will be spent with the kids. It doesn't really feel like Christmas in Puerto Rico. I mean there are lights and everything and everyone is singing Christmas song, but I guess I'm just used to California. I hope my sister knows that I'm going to teach her child Sign Language. Children can Sign before they can talk so it gives them a jump on their communication skills.

Day 130

I feel like Angela lived here. 

I moved! I'm in the other building now. We have a group coming next week that has far more girls than boys so my dorm was needed for all the girls. So I moved all my stuff over and Leo and I cleaned the dorm. Kind of cool being in a new room. I got stuck in the creepy room though. There are all these posters of babies. As I type there are three babies peeking at me from inside three green buckets. Who puts babies in buckets anyway. Where I'm from that's child abuse. There was another one with three babies lined up in pots looking like sunflowers. How am I supposed to change with them staring at me. Nope, I took them down so fast. Anyway after school we drove to San Juan to see the movie "Courageous". Not a bad movie. Usually movies of its kind are low budget and poorly mad but I really enjoyed this one. Take into consideration though that I have seen few movies that I couldn't find a reason to enjoy.

Day 129

Well, its today again. That keeps happening. I mentioned last night that it hasn't rained in a few days. My bad because its been raining all day. Don't tell all the people that hate rain but I like it, shh. It was placed in front of my face today that my time on this patch of land is screeching to a halt. So tonight I slip into a coma of mixed emotions. Is there a Visine for that? There are so many things to look forward to at home, but there are so many things to morn before I can. Friends, places, faces, feelings, food, a need, a usefulness I've never before had. I sit and watch these kids tell me about all the people who visit, then leave. One after the other. Connection formed, connection broken. Just like that, again and again. I'm not special, I'm the next connection. Made then broken. A single serving friend, teacher, worker. God did his work, through me or not. He will continue it after I'm gone. I'm thankful I could be a part of it, if only for a short while. And I'm thankful for those who continue to do God's work with these children when no one else will. "Never support an experience which does not have God as its Source and faith in God as its result."-Oswald Chambers

Day 128

I accomplished nothing today, but that's what Sundays are for. Church was really good. We brought Adrianna to night church so Betsy translated the sermon into Sign Language which I understand so much better than Spanish. I really want to find a deaf church in California that I can go to. Sign Language is a great language to preach in. It's great for story telling and it adds so much emotion.