5 Words

Betty ( A glimpse into midlife) is a friend of mine who lives here in the Chaco of Paraguay. She has assigned me these five words. for my post today.

Here are the five words.

1. Paraguay
2. Tomorrow
3. Spring
4. Grandchildren
5. Home school


Paraguay




I can barely beleive I have been here for over a year already. At times I still feel so new here. When we had to leave Venezuela under such difficult circumstances, I did not know if I would be able to adapt and accept living somewhere else. I am so thankful that I am enjoying my life here in Paraguay more than I thought I would.

We have had some wonderful ministry opportunities since arriving, I know this is where we are to be. My husband has been teaching and preaching in two different churches and we have seen blessings in both. We have had several seminars presenting materials on how to have a successful marriage. We have been invited to do these seminars for some large corporations who wish to offer help to their executives. Clint also has had such an open door into the Air Force for teaching and counseling the officers of the Paraguayan Air Force.

Last week he was invited to lecture to a class of future chaplains of the National Police and Armed Forces of Paraguay. This will be the first group of non Catholics allowed to fill the position of chaplaincy.

So far, Paraguayans have only been kind and hospitable towards us. We are learning to not only love the country but also the people. And the food!


TOMORROW

Tomorrow is Wednesday. Wednesday is a day for making sure we are not falling behind with Jayde's home school classes. I also start to plan my Sunday School lesson and craft so that I have time to go out and get any supplies I might need.

Clint spends most of the day in study for his upcoming sermons and will have a deacons meeting at the church in the evening. Often, the men will request I send a chocolate cake. :)


SPRING

It is Spring here in Paraguay. My orchids are blooming! The city of Asuncion is very pretty this time of the year. I think it is one of the prettiest cities I have seen because there is still quite a bit of greenery in the city. Right now all the Lapacho trees are in bloom. Most are pink, but some are yellow and a few are white. It reminds me of the Cherry Blossoms of DC.

It is weird to be in the Southern Hemisphere where the seasons still feel reversed for me. Thanksgiving is in the Spring! Christmas is in the Summer. Easter is in the Fall, and the Fourth of July is in the Winter!


Grandchildren

I miss mine! I have two grand daughters, Elena is four, and Abby is two. My third grand child will be born this March. It would be nice to have a boy, but we will be thrilled, what ever may be.
Grand children are very special. I always heard people say that, but now I know it is true! Or maybe just mine are so special?

My daughter and her family are having a year furlough in the USA and will be back next winter (your summer) I can't wait! I miss Elena knocking on the door saying, "Coco (grandpa in Ye'kwana) Aicha (grandma in Ye'kwana) I'm here!" And Abby walking straight to the kitchen looking for the jello she loves!




Home school





Because of where we have lived, I have chosen to home school all my children. Three have graduated and gone on to college and all have done well. I never realized how much I would enjoy home schooling.

The early elementary years were the hardest for me. Perhaps because I had so many young ones all at the same time, perhaps because we lived in the jungle and had no running water and other amenities at the time. Or perhaps because it seemed that one of us was always down with malaria or dengue.

The middle years were so much fun! We did a lot of unit studies together and used a literature based curriculum which we all enjoyed.

By the time the children reach high School, they have needed very little input from me. I do the lesson plans, grade the tests and papers and am available as a sounding board for discussions or any questions they may have, but I do very little lecturing. They tend to lecture me by this point!

Jewel was my most challenging student because of her dyslexia. I am so proud of her, in spite of her challenges she has always managed to stay at or above grade level. She is an avid reader. She spells better in Spanish than English. This is her first semester in college and she is keeping her grades in the 90% -100% range, so far.

My youngest daughter, the only child still at home, is in the 9th grade. We are finishing up our last quarter of the year and will have our summer vacation in December. I know, I know. It's weird!

We are finishing up World History , Biology, English Grammar and Composition,
Geometry, Bible, and English Literature.

Those are my five words from Betty! Anyone who wishes to do the meme, just let me know in the comments and I will assign you five words!