Today is July 4, 2013. A day of celebrations in the US. Here in Valle, it is a regular day and raining! A rain that is needed so much. Praise God for the rainy season. Some people have not had water for a while since they get their water from the mountains, and their source had dried up. Can you imagine not having a faucet or even a well? We Americans have it all! We take so much for granted. Living here makes one think about such things. I have heard many accuse North Americans of being selfish, materialistic, and self centered. It really bothers me to hear them say those things, because I see the same things here! People's hearts are the same from whatever country they are from! God has blessed the US, and will bless any other country that follows him. He will also stop those blessings when people turn away from him. I think we are beginning to see that in the US. How sad! It breaks my heart to see our country going down the path that it is on.
So the last month was really busy. I was able to go to IL the second week of June for a week. What a time my daughter and I had! We went shopping!! I needed dress clothes and some new shoes. Boy, did God bless! A couple of times, my son-in-law and I went. Great fun! I was able to spend some time with my brother, and I was able to visit with a cousin that I hadn't seen in probably 30 years or more. We had a wonderful time sharing about kids, grand-kids, great-grandkids, etc. Well, I'm the only one in the last category! And to figure out some family history. What a puzzle. My great-grandfather deserted the Army during the Civil War and changed his name. When the President granted amnesty, he was going to change his name back to the original. Well, by this time he had married and had children. When he made his intentions known, one of his sons said that he was born with a certain name, and he wasn't going to change it, so Great-grandpa didn't either. That is the story I have heard from childhood, right or wrong! And then my Grandpa married four times and had children by all his wives except one, so trying to figure out what uncle belonged to which wife, and who were half brothers/sisters was a problem. I still don't think I know who belongs to who! And at this time it really doesn't matter in the scope of things. But it's interesting.
A couple of days after returning here, a group from KS came to minister. What a great time I had visiting with my pastor and the others that I had met previously. It was a great team, and I hope they come back. They ministered to the kids at the school, and also did some much needed painting. Thank you so much! One of our ladies that came had sponsored one of my former students for years. They were able to meet each other and to spend some time visiting with the help of an interpreter. What an answered prayer it was for Mary. Praise God! She was also able to meet her new sponsored child before leaving HN. God is so good. When we follow his leading, he always answers the prayers of our hearts. Nothing is overlooked or forgotten by him. And tomorrow a group of young people, 20-23, are coming for a week or so. That's a lot at one time!
We have had this week off from school! Yeah!! It has been a time of rest, planning the next nine weeks, and figuring grades for the last nine weeks. We have been told that a student cannot fail, and they have to have 70% to pass. It used to be 60%. If they don't earn it, you give it. How stupid! Just as our educational system has deteriorated in the states, so it goes for a country that follows us. We lost so many good teachers when No Child Left Behind became law, and now what? At the school where I teach, education is not very important to most of my students and their families. The few that do care are a blessing to teach! Most kids do not do their homework or study, and that's in the regular classes, not just the English class. I hate lies! And when you pass a child that does not do his part, and I'm not talking about kids that have difficulty learning, what are we teaching them? They know. And we wonder why God isn't pouring out blessings even when we sing the songs, raise our hands, and attend church, and proclaim to be Christians. But then most governments are anti-Christian even when they speak his name. My prayer is that this government will see the idiocy of this rule and change it. We're already required to re-give the failed exam and give the best score of the two. I did that last week. I had given the test and answers before the first exam. The students just had to study it, and it was material that we talked about everyday. Well, did most of them pass? No. Did they pass the second? Of course! So if they could pass the second, they could have passed the first. So if a person knows he has so many chances to do something before the very last chance, how many do you think the average person will do? Exactly! Good ole human nature, which is really not so good! You have just heard a teacher's frustration with an ungodly system. I wonder if I need to retire again, and just teach those that come and really want to learn.
Freedom. What a great thing to possess. I'm so thankful for the freedom that Jesus brought to us. Freedom to worship him in Spirit and truth. Have a blessed Day of Independence!
