Friday, February 15, 2013

YA ESTA!

We're open!!! Last Sunday we had our opening of the school and threw a fiesta for what felt like half of our pueblo! We had our construction workers and their families, the new little students and their families, just lots and lots of families. This is a photo of the path that leads from the houses to the school. You can't see the details in the cement but Glen, our dear friend brought cement stamps of vines and flowers, hummingbirds and butterflies. These border the whole sidewalk. Our local painters will be painting them so that it really stands out.
Here are Jack and June Bower from Kansas. June has graciously given of her time and talent to train Jacklyn and I with the Montessori method of teaching. She not only has given time to us but other schools in San Lucas (where Will and I volunteer in the parish hospital), but she also travels to little pueblos in surrounding areas. She has energy! The school is named after Harriet Schrontz, a dear woman who passed away recently. She was a patient of Will's and had a heart for children. This school is dedicated to her and she will leave a legacy to children who otherwise would not have the opportunity to have such a good education.

We had a local marimba band play their wonderful music during the fiesta. This a a family that has a restaurant in Panajachel. This really created a nice atmosphere for the fiesta and the people of our town enjoyed eating outside and enjoying the beautiful view of the lake. And the food....we did not kill the 'fatted calf' but the fatted pig. I don't know all the details and don't even want to think about them, but we hired a local woman to come and do her dastardly deed. She brought a big cauldron and butchered it here on the property. We borrowed a smoker from some local gringos in Panajachel and Glen and our friend Bo spent the night smoking pounds and pounds of pig meat. They still can't get the smoke out of their nostrils, I'm sure of it :) Glen didn't go to bed until 3:00 a.m. on Sunday....We love ya, Glen! Bo too! Added to that was rice, salad, tortillas and plastic tubs of fruit, fruit and more fruit. Felipa and Candaleria (Juan's wife and mother) cooked all of it. We could not have pulled this off without community effort. From the funds we received to all the local men who worked day in and day out, it was a labor of love for the children.

Will and I were able to share our hearts with the community, especially those parents who have allowed us to teach their children during the week in the afternoon. Most of the men are out working during the day and mothers are busy at home, so it was an opportunity to speak to the family as a whole. Our friends, Nate and Mayra Bacon came and blessed the opening of the school. It's a wonderful thing that Nate is fluent in Spanish, he could speak from his heart with no stuttering. Unlike myself.....
 
And ofcourse we have a few pics of two of our students!
 
 
 
This is the actual first level of the school where we will be holding classes. We also have a second level and I will try to remember to blog those pics too. The murals upstairs are beautiful!
 
It was an incredible day for Will and I. To see the children running towards me on the sidewalk with their families, this was a gift that was beyond words. Each child is a stewardship from God and I do take it seriously.  And at the same time, I am not forgetting the children that I and Jacklyn teach in the afternoons. It's been hard trying to maintain our afternoon schedule with the training during the day with June. Anyway, the photos are just a small view of what we experienced that day. If you think of us, please pray that Jacklyn and I will be okay once June leaves. We are both somewhat nervous as this method of teaching is new. I've enjoyed being trained and have such a long way to go to understand it all but I believe we're as ready as we are going to be in such a short period of time!