Update 3/3: Christmas Concerts

Christmas Concerts:

Conducting the 7th-9th grade band.

I survived my first Christmas concerts as band director! 

My kids did a decent job…I must admit I was nervous about how it would sound. Thursday evening, after just two combined practices, the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th grade bands played together for the concert, which put a twist on things. The 7^th grade struggled to get one song ready, the 8^th graders could play if they focused long enough to do so, and the 9^th graders are a small group whose positive attitudes far outweigh their musical skills as a whole group. The whole band started out the concert with “Do You Hear What I Hear?”.  Later, the 9^th graders (4 flutes, 2 clarinets and 4 trumpets) played “What Child Is This?” which I arranged for that specific combination of instruments. The 8^th and 9^th also played “Carol of the Bells,” a song they really like. Along with the band, the guitars, bells, strings, and choir performed.

My roommates and I are wondering, "Where did baby Jesus go??"

Friday evening was the elementary concert, and I conducted the 6^th grade band. We played “Joy to the World” three times to give each of the drummers a chance to play. 

Susanna, the strings and choir teacher, and I with the city lights of Tegucigalpa behind us.

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'" ~Luke 2:13-14

Update 2/3: AFE

AFE:
Amore Fe y Esperanza (Love, Faith and Hope): http://afehonduras.drupalgardens.com/

 

Handing out a gift and a hug to a young boy. 

In November we were able to bless the children who attend the AFE school. These students come from the shanty towns surrounding the dump outside of Tegucigalpa, known as the dump community.
A teacher from Pinares coordinated with AFE the names and ages of the students and we each chose a name and filled up shoe boxes with gifts, (a towel, soap, school supplies, a few fun things) much like what Operation Christmas Child does.
We loaded up a bus Saturday morning and headed to AFE. When we arrived, the children were all waiting for us, seated in a large multi-purpose room. We gave them each a plate of snacks and then handed out the gifts. They were so happy to be receiving a present and almost all of them gave each of us a hug as they left.

The children excitedly opening their gifts.
Hardened faces were transformed with smiles!

A little about AFE: AFE teaches children up to 11^th grade, has a nursery for small children, and a small health clinic as well. The harsh reality of where these children come from is absolutely stunning. Standing on the grounds of AFE you can look up and see the ominous ridge on the hill above us that constitutes the way of life for too many people. These people, adults and children alike, sort through the dump day after day in hopes of finding enough garbage to sell to recyclers in order to possibly make a few dollars each day. There is no shade from the heat of the day, food is scavenged from the garbage and most of the “good” garbage has already been taken by the dump truck drivers who scrounge through the garbage even before it is taken up to the dump. You may think that students would be lined up to get into this school, but that is not the case. These people don’t want to leave the “comfort” of the dump for the unknown of the school, and families need the meager income that each child can bring in. Those students who do make it until graduation are not supported by their family or community because they are thought of as lazy for not having a job. The cycle of poverty is certainly not one easily broken.

This website shows some pictures and a little information on dump workers’ lives:  http://www.micahcentral.org/dumplife.htm

This is the view of the dump from AFE. It extends a long ways along this ridge.
The buzzards show where the fresh dump of the day is at. 

"No, this is the kind of fasting I [the Lord] want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help." ~Isaiah 58:6-7 nlt

Update 1/3: Thanksgiving in El Salvador

Since Thanksgiving I have done a myriad of wonderful things, and now that I am sitting on my couch in Ohio eating my mom's chex mix with my dog beside me with the Christmas tree all lit up, I finally have found time to write about all of them.

Thanksgiving Break:

A group of 10 teachers trekked to El Salvador to spend a few days on the beach of the Pacific Ocean. It was absolutely gorgeous, not to mention relaxing, and a wonderful opportunity to soak in God's beauty. 

We spent a lot of time on the beach, and we mostly had it to ourselves.

Some of what we did:

-played in the black sand
-jumped in the ginormous ocean waves
-watched the little crabs scuttle back and forth
-collected wave-polished rocks
-read in the sunshine
-swam in the pool
-walked along the beach
-made a campfire after watching the sun go down
-looked at the clear stars 
-drank fresh coconut water after the neighbor boy shimmied up a tree with his machete to get the coconuts
-walked down the dirt road beside sugar cane fields and very simple houses and got attacked by a goose 

Our beach house and the view we had

The house we rented was somewhat....interesting....

-We made our Thanksgiving meal on a gas camping stove with one low heat setting and it took 3 hours, but it was worth it! (Mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, chicken, stuffing, and oreo pie.) We only had 2 skillets and a large pot that were usable, and had to keep our food in a dorm sized fridge.

-The sink only drained where it was supposed to 80% of the time and the rest ended up on the floor, which made doing dishes a little soggy for the feet.
-One of the toilets leaked onto the floor of the main room.
-At night a bat would fly in and out of our house because the main room was open all the way through.
-There were ants trying to carry away any hint of food we tried to prepare.
-One night a stray dog came through and ate our bread.
-The next morning the boy who was our “go-to/guard” asked if we wanted some “pan Frances,” which we thought would be French bread, so we said sure we would take some since the dog had eaten ours, and he came back with 6 packaged muffins. So much for bread. And literal translations. 

Beautiful sunset over the Pacific.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." ~Psalm 19:1