Back to the books!

It's that time again... School has officially begun!

Unfortunately, although WE are all ready, the classroom is not. Each day the workers come and give it their best, but we aren't there yet. So as of right now (and however long the building is going to take), our classroom has and will be at the Mission of Hope guesthouse.

When I first understood that our classroom building was delayed, I felt quite discouraged because that left us with only 2 options: The empty downstairs apartment, or outdoors at the guesthouse. I quickly ruled out the apartment since, although it is a low-traffic area, with 9 kids it would easily become cramped and stuffy - not the best combination in 90-degree weather. However, although the guesthouse porch is breezy and spacious, it's certainly not the most ideal of places. There are plenty of distractions considering it's the 'base' for all of the Haitian guesthouse staffers. Needless to say, I was worried that these first days were going to turn into a parade of interruptions - Not the most ideal way to start the year.

However, praise be to God, it has been a GREAT week thus far. First of all, I have cream of the crop students. They listen, cooperate, and have maintained enthusiasm and optimism about the year ahead despite the slow start. The fact that they already know each other has been a great blessing for me to facilitate teamwork, and it's been quite entertaining for the older ones to see how the Loulous respond to their new school activities.

And despite our lack of 'classroom', the Lord has been very gracious. There are no teams scheduled for at least another two weeks, and even the Haitian cooks and staff who pass through the guesthouse area have been thoughtful and quiet. I can say without hesitation that the biggest culprit for distraction has been Mango the cat - Nothing a vacant guest room can't fix! :)

Thank you again for your prayers for my students and I this week. I have truly felt the support and peace even amidst the chaos. Please continue to pray for the builders and all those working on our classroom this week - that there would be no setbacks, and that in the meantime the kids and I can make productive use of our time.

Here's a sneak peek!

And then there were 9...

Our porch classroom