January
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."
—Proverbs 17:17
Anna, Lety, Angelika, and Matthias surprised me with a cake that one of our students and her mom made for me! I felt very blessed to celebrate my birthday with them. They made me feel very appreciated and loved. I feel so blessed that I am surrounded by people who I can be myself and can openly talk about God, and can be vulnerable in front of.
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The day ended in an unexpected way. On the way home, we found a dog in the middle of the street. She was wandering, seemed lost and we did not want her to get hit by a car. We decided to take her home since she had no collar. She stayed in our house for the rest of the night. She was such a gentle dog. She did not complain or bark, she willingly hopped in the back of our car.
We named her Maka (: such a cutie! We called Uncle Joey (our school principal) and he found out that the dog did not live too far away from us. The dog's real name is actually "Houdini" because she likes to escape a lot! Praise God that she was able to be returned to her owner the next day.
Mrs. Ferro and the kids surprised me with a birthday banner signed with all of their names! I loved it. You can see in the group hug photo how they are almost taller than me haha!
This is Lola Demi! She is 95 years old, and I had the privilege to spend time with her. Her daughter traveled to another state, so I offered to look after her one Friday afternoon until the evening. When I arrived at her house, I expected her to be inside in her bed. Instead, she was cutting branches from a Moringa Tree and she planned to cook it for our dinner! Funny because I thought I would be the one taking care of her, but she was still taking care of me! I helped plucked the moringa leaves, and she cooked them for me. It was so good! There's nothing like a Filipino grandma telling you to "Eat more! Eat more!" I had a great time with her and even found out that she is the grandma of one of my friends from Southern Adventist University. A small world indeed!
Look how strong she is! She looks good for her age too. It was a fun night. Being with her reminded me of my late grandma, whom I have been missing a lot lately. I believe God allowed us to spend time together for that reason. He knew exactly what has been on my heart and mind, and who I had been missing so much.
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Recently, our school said goodbye to a family of four brothers. Sadly, the parents decided to pull them out of the school due to family reasons. They are now attending another school, and I hope the seeds about God's love they obtained from Mauna Loa School will grow in their hearts and that they will never forget how much they are loved by Jesus. They are the sweetest brothers that I have ever met. It was hard to say goodbye to them. My tears definitely fell a lot the day they left. One episode when they left was while their car door was closing, one of them turned back his head and his tears were falling! It was heartbreaking! I was not ready for them to leave so suddenly. What shocked me the most was how much of an impact those brothers had on their classmates. Even though they may not know it, I believe that their presence was an act of ministry. I see how the young children had so much love for the brothers.
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The next week without them in kindergarten class, one of my students prayed for them His specific prayer was that God keeps them safe, they may come back, and that they may be able to enjoy their new school. Personally, the brothers' ministry to me is how they really took care of each other. Two of them were in kindergarten and first grade in my class. I saw how much they loved each other and stood up for each other as a sibling and a friend. I can say that the brothers taught us how to treat each other with respect and kindness. It has been an honor getting to know them, and teaching them. My prayer is that my ministry was able to touch their hearts and that they always know that there is a God above that loves them.
January Bloopers
kindergarten girl & kindergarten boy having a conversation:
girl: I have a little brother
boy: Yea, but is he a little guy or is he grown?
girl: Eh.. he's just a little kid.
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kindergarten boy & 1st grade girl:
boy: Why do you have a banana on your head?
girl: It's called a bandana...
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preschool teacher & preschool girl
the teacher: Are you reading to Miss Zarate?
girl: Yes, but I don't know the words!
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preschool girl talking to me: "You be my baby. You have to say goo goo ga ga!"
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January In Summary
During the month of January, I reflected on the past year. I thanked God for giving me another year of life, and for everything that He has done to bring me to where I am now. I learned that the people you surround yourself with matter! My prayer is that the Lord continues to help me be of good courage, to strengthen my heart, and overwhelm me and those around me with His love.