Random Stuff I've Been Thinking About

S and J dressed up as Joseph and Mary during Las Posadas

Swimming with J at the beach is particularly fun because the second she floats out of reach and realizes she is on her own, she immediately screams your name for you to help her. Although there is a certain amount of panic, she always smiles and laughs almost sheepishly through it. After simply telling her a couple times that "I'm here", she finds her bearings, paddles back to me, and grabs on like her life depends on it. She never drops the smile.

I wonder if God ever looks at me with the same eyes that I am looking at J with throughout this interaction. First, I think it usually takes me longer than J to realize when I've floated too far away from home base. Second, I know I don't always (or even ususally) respond the way J does by immediately calling out for help from the One who I know is always there to save me. Lastly, I'm absolutely positive I don't always smile through whatever I may be going through the way J smiles and laughs through it.

I like to think that I'm at least getting a little better at, like J, always paddling back to my Stronghold. I'm working on being more like J.

Christmas party

pet monkey (not ours)

As is the case with most new and exciting things, you eventually find yourself out of the honeymoon phase and settled into some sort of normalcy. I think I am currently somewhere in this transition. I had been reflecting on this mostly with regards to some long - let's call it extreme babysitting - days and how tired I have been at various times over the last month. On the morning of December 23rd however, I reflected differently.

While being taught by house 1 how to make tamales from scratch, we ran out of banana leaves to wrap the tamales in. I was walking with machete in hand on my way to a grove of real life banana trees to cut leaves that would go straight over the fire and then to wrap up the tamales when I thought to myself: this is a pretty damn cool new normal.

Teddy, looking like the definition of the "cool uncle", during karaoke at the New Year's Eve party

M is 80-plus years old, been on mission for essentially the last 16 years, and is easily top 5 all-time funniest people to walk the earth. Kind of person that just seems like a Guardian Angel walking among us. After missionary community dinner, we stopped for ice cream. M and I stayed in the car and absolutely jammed to Time to Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli. My parents love that song. It was a much-appreciated taste of home during a Holiday season that, although amazing, definitely feels different without snow or the squad back home.

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The kids have been on break from school for the last month, which means more time for shenanigans. Enjoy some photos of the shenanigans.

beach cereal with the fellas

"Cornflake de colores", as the boys call fruit loops, are a treat around the holidays

guys bein' dudes

For winter school, I have the four youngest boys a couple hours per week - we're not learning much in the classroom

Our Lady of Guadalupe Vigil

If you've never heard the song La Guadalupana you should give it a listen

coffee date with Mariela !

Always fun spending some time with our professional staff outside of the Finca

exotic birds

Guacamayas, or Scarlet Macaws

Las Posadas in Mojaguay

Las Posadas is a nine-day Latin American tradition reenacting Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem

guys bein' dudes again

Teddy singing Beastie Boys while watching videos of dump trucks with S and Y

baby bunnies

The bunny population outside of the Convenet increased by 2

pet monkey pt 2

Abu (the monkey) enjoying a merienda before stealing some alcohol to wash it down