~ by Denise

Hello! We just walked down to the post office, on a muddy street in the cool breeze-and it was worth the trip. The CEF Spanish materials have arrived along with chocolate from Israel! Thank you Martha for the curriculum! Now we will be able to do the VBS for the children and have them understand what we're saying without a translator for most of the club.
Thank you David Sandretto for the Splendid treat from Israel! We shared one chocolate with the lady at the post office. She was very interested to look at the writing saying, "Oh, now that's from Israel, yah?" (In the strong Caribbean accent we've grown used to but still can't understand fluently)
The Weber's are coming! They left early this morning at 3am and will hopefully be here eating dinner with us tonight! That is, if they make all their connecting flights and still make it in time to catch the commuter flight or ferry to Utila.
We all talked with my mom through Skype this morning for about an hour and a half with the best connection we've had with her dail-up. The girls and I enjoyed talking to you Mom! We love you! Skype is great, and free! More of you could download it and visit voice to voice with us! hint, hint..... (http://skype.com/go/downloadnow )
Mom found out for me that ALERT Academy will allow Trixie to come camping with us! Now we will be able to register for family camp and join our friends in October at Big Sandy, TX. My girls have looked forward to going this year since we left camp last year. We're all glad we're able to bring our newly added (Dec'07) family member with us; in April she made it clear at Cedar Hill Park that she loves camping...and swimming.
The girls and I were talking about preparation for guests being different here. In the States we would be cleaning the house and making everything look nice but, the best we can do is sweep the floor and make sure all the dishes are washed. There are no bedspreads for bedmaking, and dust comes inside quickly with all doors and windows always open. We look at our frigde and we see today's and tomorrow's food because nothing keeps much longer than two days. We've learned a lot by living here and are excited to bring home some of the new ideas.
One of my favorite "new ideas"is an awesome bicycle cart lots of people use around here. I'm taking pics of it and hoping to have one built for me when I get home. I saw someone carrying a huge refrigerator on the front of this type of bicycle cart! It's awesome! I can just see me going shopping and to parks loaded down with sports equipment and coolers....all on a bicycle! Also, if Mom wants to go on bike rides, but doesn't want to pedal, she can sit on a chair in my cart and knit while I pedal her around! What do you think , Mom? FUN, FUN!
I've worked on our school schedule for this next year, we all are ready to start up our studies along with Speech and Debate. Amanda, Bonnie and Andi are preparing their speeches for competition since the tournaments will be beginning not long after we return home. Bonnie and Amanda have both of their Expos. speeches influenced by our trip here. Stephanie, now graduated and not competing in Speech & Debate, has thought of several messages she'll be preparing for the ministry she wants to have for young ladies. She now wishes she had brought with her-- the Bright Lights curriculum (a Biblical training for shaping young women for God) . She'll be wanting to start a group up once her schedule of CLEP studies, film opportunities, and possibly a j-job and d-driver's-licence get lined up. The adventure never stops! I plan to do a lot of my final planning during family camp. I'll be taking the materials to camp with me. It's okay to mix work and fun.
We are now done with the Spanish curriculum! All eighteen lessons are behind us ,except for the homework we have from it!) and now it's all practice and review. I do NOT like subjunctivo! Homework will be writing and different assignments from our new teacher. Amanda and Bonnie will still have Alma but, Andrea, Stephanie and I will be changing teachers. Last night we had Diana and Alma(our 2 teachers) over for dinner and played question games in spanish and listened to spanish worship songs on YouTube; it was fun. Andrea's favorite song was "Estè es deseo"(This is My Desire). Bonnie, Amanda, and I rain out it the rain to go buy strawberry cookies for the occasion. After they left we walked down to the beach together, the stars were beautiful, and the tide high. ......'but Im holdin'on" ..........(sorry, couldn't resist! Remember that song? )
Well, now we're just sitting in front of the fan getting some spanish homework done just in case the Webers arrive and we won't FEEL like doing homework! I think I'll put a big strawberry cake into the oven too- ¡por mi cumpleaño! (birthday) The strawberry is a compromise for Amanda who does not like chocolate. But the cake will have chocolate frosting! My Honduran friends, Jose and Diana want to come and bring dinner for my birthday! Pasteles! Yum! Kinda like runzas (sp?) but with beef and potatoes inside the bread and fried. We've only tried the chicken & carrots inside, but Diana wants us to have something new. When I find something I like, I could eat it all the time and not try anything new.....but it'll be good, I'm sure. Diana's quite a cook!
(by the way, Diana is the one I may have posted about earlier who goes to our church and had the 4th surgery on a growth on her chest that keeps growing back. It's back again already! Now the doctor said he's not going to see her anymore and that she'll have to go to La Ceiba for treatment. They're having to save up about $25,000Limperas -about $1250. USD to be able to be treated. Their problem is that their source of income is a food stand on the street, and if she doesn't work, no pay. Her husband Jose works the stand with her- that's their family business. Anyway, keep them in your prayers that God provides enough for her to get quick treatment. )
It's about noon now. We'll keep you 'posted' on how the rest of the day goes.'
Thank you Mom, Mariylin and Dad, Deanna, Aunt Becky and Uncle Ed, Ann Marie and the Orr family for your sweet birthday wishes for me!
Blessings to you all!
Denise and the Four Little Women