On the job

Uh oh, these posts are getting fewer and farther between. Don't worry folks! I will keep on posting ;-). I guess my main excuse for not writing is having a job. So, I guess maybe I will write about that. (You may notice that I will leave out details, mainly because things have to be confidential for the protection of the kids I work with.)

I have been working for about six weeks at an alternative school for kids with developmental disabilities. I am a teacher's assistant in a classroom of kids with severe to extreme disabilities, ages 17-21. All of the kids are funded one-on-one, so there are 7 kids in our class and 7 TA's. I am really enjoying working there, but it certainly has its challenges.

Hard thing:
-The turbulent history of many of the kids at the school. It really affects who they are today - especially in the case of the main girl I work with, who gets very angry sometimes. Like most of the kids in our classroom, she is non-verbal. So, what would you do if you were super angry and couldn't tell anyone? She hits and punches quite often. On the positive side, it has given me the opportunity to improve my reflexes ;-).

Good thing:
-When I first started working at this school, I really prayed for this girl - that somehow God would show His mighty love to her in His own way. In the past month, she has become a great deal more gentle with me. She still hits some because she still gets impatient or upset, but those times seem to be fewer. Another staff pointed out that she seems to be a lot more playful now too. I am so grateful for this change - to God be all the glory.

Fun thing:
-Dancing. I've never been a big fan of dancing, I guess I was always too embarrassed. I never even danced alone in my room, as people say they do. But the kids in our class love music, and dancing. I love the fact that I won't even realize there is music on in the classroom until I notice the students doing their little dances to the music, and I even enjoy dancing with them ;-).

I would love for you to pray for the kids we work with. Also, please pray the staff to have strength, wisdom, patience, and joy ;-). I am so grateful that God has put me in this place for now - I am learning a lot and it feels more like something I just do and not a job (if that makes sense). More updates to come!

News from (drumroll please) . . . Oaxaca!

Big news! Jo Ellen has returned to Oaxaca. Yay!

As you might recall, she had planned an earlier return but, due to medical issues and leading a U.S. missions group in a different part of the country, she was not able to return until the end of February. I am glad she is back and was anxious to find out how she found things upon her return. I will share part of her e-mail with you to give you a little update on Oaxaca as well. Enjoy! :-)

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I am really back in Oaxaca. I had a beautiful view of Orizaba almost the entire way home. Yesterday I went to check out the Zocalo. The Zocalo itself is all cleaned up--no graffiti, fountains are running, very clean, etc... All the hotels, restaurants, stores were open and cleaned up. A few stores had been permanently closed (a fabric store near Terra Nova, for instance). Banks and large businesses had totally cleaned their facades and repainted but small stores just painted over the graffiti…

At first glance things seem totally back to normal – and I think that is what a casual tourist would see. However, if you look close, you can see subtle (and some not so subtle) things that tell of the conflict this past fall. There are way more police present near the Zocalo--and they are all carrying long sticks. There are also portable street blockers that they could push into place and lock together (thereby making them permanent) in minutes.

APPO and the teachers are still very much in the news, but in reference to "repairing the damage APPO did", etc. There have been two strikes since I returned -- a taxi driver strike and a University employee strike. There is supposed to be another mega march this coming Thursday. Good old Oaxaca land of protests.

I came back to another cat! There is a yellow cat that has taken up residence. And the weird thing is that Henry(Jo Ellen's first cat) is fine with the cat. They even eat out of the same dish. I don't know if there was a big fight at one time and they came to a peace agreement or what...

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So there you go, another day in the life :-).
Please continue to pray for Oaxaca and Jo Ellen as she resettles.
Please also keep Cindy in your prayers as she continues to deal with medical issues here in the States.

P.S. To those who are still struggling with it, it is "Wah-ha-kah", "Wah-ha-kah", Oaxaca! ;-)

Deep Thoughts

Hmmm... I did a lot of reflecting today and I think I'm fresh out of deep thoughts ;-), so I will share with you this collection of quotes that I enjoyed (supposedly they are things from those display boards in front of church's). Hope you enjoy them too!

The best way to have the last word is to apologize.

Be thankful for stumbles, for they prevent falls.

If you think meek is weak, try being meek for a week.

God sends you flowers every Spring. Thank Him.

You cannot do a kindness too soon,
for you never know how soon it will be too late.

Are you living or existing?

Don’t put a question mark where God put a period.

God may say “wait,” but He never says “worry.”

If your knees are knocking, kneel on them.

A mousetrap always provides free cheese.

We stand tallest when we stoop to help others.

Without Him, we can’t. Without us, He won’t.

Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.

Everyone has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

Don’t pray for a light load, pray for a strong back.

Fear knocked. Faith answered. No one was there.

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

If a man can be found faithful in hard places,
he can usually be trusted in high places.

Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.

Character is doing what’s right when no one’s looking.

If your words are soft and sweet,
they won’t be as hard to swallow if you have to eat them.

For a healthy heart, exercise your faith.

Don’t wait for people to be friendly, show them how.

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, God calls a butterfly.

In case of doubt, always lean on the side of mercy.

Some people grin and bear it; others smile and do it.

Make others happy where ever you go, not whenever you go.

Keep your head and your heart pointed in the right direction
and you won’t have to worry about your feet.