Reflections on Recent Days

Having married a woman 12 years my junior and of far greater intellect, as well as in far better physical condition means she can ply her skills as an incredible wordsmith late at night while I meet with the congregation at the corner of Sheets and Bedside. So, instead of trying to share with you more info than a single post could carry, or try to catch up and make sense of what is happening here I am just going to throw out a few reflections of what I have been up to lately:

My kingdom for a horse: The bottom line of the matter is that that we successfully handed out parasite medication to about 60 children, screened the vision of about 50 people, read books, blew soap bubbles and enjoyed a community of extremely poor who are so isolated that medical care is rare, fresh food is what is raised in the community. If you read in Sheila’s post (Los Chaguites, Part 3) where I paid a kid to let me ride his horse back to the military truck the cost was about $5US. Truth be told I would have paid a lot more. Either way, I knew I was going back on the horse, either sitting up as tall as my short body can sit, or draped over saddle with buzzards circling overhead.

Monkeys and Interns: Lately I have made several visits to Chimboraso, home to several troops of howler monkeys. They banter back and forth across the valley where the community sits with this deep, ominous, howl. We distributed about 20 pairs of glasses to the 50 or so folks we screened, treated for intestinal parasites and shared books, much as we did in Los Chaguites. As we returned to Jinotega, the truck carrying the interns stopped ahead of me in the road and they got out, pointing into the trees. We pulled up behind them where we stopped to see what excitement was ensuing. High above us there were howler monkeys flying from branch to branch, stopping occasionally to point back at the interns. The interns would make low growling noises and the monkeys would respond. At one point I even spotted one of the interns picking nits out of the hair of another. Our interns are incredibly talented and very intelligent. Generally, they are hard workers. We are blessed that, in their own special, charming way, they reflect the monkeys of the canopy. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.

Grace in Numbers: God is good, all the time. After three weeks of guest workers that ranged in number from 35 to almost 70, God set a respite as we have only had 3 ladies from Johnson City, TN and 3 educators from New York State here to work and learn. It has been a chance to have a few days of shorter hours, more intimate conversations, and a more relaxed feel to getting people in place for the work to be accomplished that day. When we have large groups I rarely get the chance to visit with any of their members. This week has afforded me the opportunity to chat…and sleep. God is good all the time.

Kids with Cameras: My adopted school, Santa Ines, is a small school of about 30 children. Next week I plan to take my two pawn shop cameras to loan for a week to two students recommended by their teacher. It will be part reward for behavior, part social experiment, and part “A week in the life of…” This should prove interesting results, or maybe a lesson learned about technology in hands of children in a developing nation. The children you see in the top left-hand corner of the blog page are Santa Ines children sporting the glasses they received last October.

New Church-San Ramon

great job translating, intern David!

I mentioned last week, that while the Olive Branch group was here working in the mobile clinic, that there had been about 2 dozen baptisms. Well, this Sunday the brand new congregation centered in San Ramon had their first worship assembly, and many of us Mision Para Cristo residents got to attend.

It was so special to be part of a group so newly alive! It was great to hear the preacher Sr. Bernadino explaining step by step each of the activities we would be engaging in as we met together as a family of God. Not every new believer could be there--as several of them had walked more than 15 kilometers to the mobile clinic. So already this young congregation was making plans to go visit and study together in the surrounding villages so that all the new believers could be "fed".

In the pictures, can you see the cardboard barrel that is being used as a table to hold the bread and juice for the Lord's Supper? This is one of the best parts, to me. These are the barrels that "the soup mix" came in. One of the first contacts Mision Para Cristo had with this region, was delivering and distributing this food aid. In a sense, these symbols of communing with Christ and other believers are resting upon another symbol (for those who had to unload these 300 lb. barrels) of compassion.

I have heard some people putting down these kinds of assistance--and certainly, we can all agree that feeding people for a few days does not solve the fundamental issues of poverty and hunger. Jesus even said, "The poor you will always have with you..." But he was also "...full of compassion and mercy". And here is a visible example of how showing others His compassion can solve the most important issues--those that lead to an eternal life. This congregation of new believers is literally sitting atop a foundation of compassion. Compassion of those who send money for food relief, compassion of medical providers and their supporters who impacted this town so profoundly, and the compassion of our Savior who  desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Los Chaguites Part 3

what a horse! 

 Yes, as a matter of fact, Jonathan is a genius. We hadn't been in town long when he started asking every adult he saw if they knew someone who had horses they would hire out to us to get back.  Eventually 2 horses were procured and the hilarious task of trying to load up books, auto-refractor and generator commenced. The soldiers were very grateful. As they were strapping the auto-refractor onto the horse Jonathan patted it laughingly and whispered to one soldier "doce mil dolares en un caballo."  (12 thousand dollars on a horse) the soldier asked "US dollars?" and Jonathan nodded and shook his head smiling. That soldier kept at least one hand on the machine the entire rest of the day.

Ah yes--the rest of the day. 

trail out of the village

Now that we had the horses to haul the heavy stuff, things should've been a breeze. But the road out was long and steep. That's really the whole rest of the story: the road out was long and steep.  




It was too difficult a trail for me. For several of us. We were definitely in over our heads. I began the walk out praying only, "Don't let it rain until we get out of here." A few ravines later I was praying, "Just help us all get out of here."

did I mention steep?

I had to laugh at my pride just a few hours ago on the downhill side--the romantic picture of myself adventuring off into the jungle--gone. Nothing left but sweat and shaky legs. "...pride goes before the fall."

On the way in, I had proudly toted the water bottle--now I counted the steps until I could trade that load with someone else. "...bear one another's burdens."

 I'd top one long steep rise hoping it might lead to a flat piece of ground just for a bit--only to see another longer hill waiting. Staring at the steep path in front of me it seemed like it was just impossible. "I will lift up my eyes from whence comes my help."


The hour and the gathering dark clouds had me convinced that the road we were on was going to become a river at any moment--which encouraged all of us to move right along as quickly as we were able--but the rains never came. Not even one drop. I think it is the only day since I have been in Nicaragua that it didn't rain at least once. "...the winds and the waves will obey His will."

 I had to stop and rest a lot. I didn't want to. I wanted to walk on and be done with this. But I just couldn't go on without stopping. I had to wait. It didn't matter how inconvenienced my army escort was, or how embarrassed I was to stop--I had to wait until I could go on. "Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength..they will walk and not faint."

I was particularly worried about Jonathan. After one especially long hill, it was clear he had forgotten how to breathe. I wasn't exactly afraid--but I also didn't know what the solution was going to be--because I wasn't sure how he was going to go on all the kilometers that lay ahead of us. He soldiered on, and about half an hour later a boy came down the mountain leading two horses. Jonathan offered to pay him to let him ride out.

The horse must've understood, because he ran off. Seriously.

Eventually, the kid caught the horse, a price was agreed, and Jonathan mounted up. He wasn't exactly thrilled to ride off and leave us trudging along, but it was a good decision and I was proud of him for thinking rationally instead of emotionally. "Humble yourself in the sight of God and he will lift you up."

Now as the afternoon got later, we began to see people walking down into Los Chaguites from the city. Men leading horses, mothers with babies, old women with sacks on their heads.  People who make this walk every day. We'd ask: "How far to the army truck?" and they would whisper to each other then to us say: "Oh--no muy lejos." (not far). "..encouraging each other all the more as you see the day approaching."

At one point, I was separated from the group ahead and behind me, and was sitting down to take a break. An elderly couple came along and asked if I was o.k. (I was dripping sweat, breathing hard, and my face was so red it was almost maroon.) I assured them I was just resting, that I was from a very flat place where we did not have mountains to walk on. The woman offered me a piece of bread. I offered her some water (wish they'd drunk it all--it was getting awfully heavy). And then she just sat on the rock beside me. Didn't say much else--just sat with me. It was the most beautiful gift of friendship. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

All in all, it took around 3 hours to get out. That 3 hours was so hard, and so wonderful, and so exhausting, and so beautiful...I never want to do it again, and I would go again tomorrow.

When I was a little girl full of "why's?" I remember asking my mom why I had to study a memory verse when we had stacks of bibles all over our house. "Isn't the bible the most printed book? I can probably find one if I need to know this verse."

Yea--she made me practice it anyway. And those verses walked with me on this long steep road. They didn't make the walk any easier--they just made it beautiful in the midst of suffering. 

I don't know what long steep roads still await me--and I don't know what long steep road you may find ahead of you--but I know where you can go to find words that will give you just enough hope and strength to make it over one more ridge. And you just never know what God has waiting for you over that next rise.

"El es todopoderoso, El es grande y majestuoso. El es fuerte, invincible. Y no hay nadie como Tu. "
"He is almighty, He is grand and majestic. He is strong, invincible. And God, there's nobody like you."

Wanna see some great pictures of this day and other Nicaraguan adventures this week? Check out my hiking buddy's website at Go Christian Go!

  

Los Chaguites Part 2

are all the parts still here?

...We arrive. This is definitely the most impoverished town I have seen. The houses are all very poor--I don't see any types of business at all--not even the "sell chips out your back window" kind of stores.  One of the biggest cues to me about the poverty of this village is that I can recognize every child from photos I've seen from Jonathan's previous visits--they all have on exactly the same clothes.


There is a well for the town, which is now only pumping mud. Since it is now the rainy season people collect water--but it came too late for their crops. There is no electricity anywhere in town, nor any motorized vehicles.  As we walked into the village, everyone began following us to the school to see what we were up to. Kids ran along the road in front of us and grandmothers holding babies peeked out of doorways. It was definitely like we had walked down the mountain and back in time.


We meet briefly with the teacher at the school, and begin setting up.  The school is among the newest and nicest I've seen in Nicaragua so far--a very shocking contrast to the rest of the village.

so hungry to read!

huevos verde con jamon

Soon we are screening eyes, reading books aloud to non-readers, sharing books with kids who rarely if ever had had a book to read just for fun, are administering anti-parasite medication, blowing bubbles, tickling and teasing and talking with the people of the town who have all come to the school for this exciting afternoon.



The hardest part of any mission day is having to close the doors when there are people you either don't have time to serve or have run out of resources for. It's tough to tell someone, "No, I'm sorry, we only have enough medicine for the children and the very elderly..." or "We can't wait for your mother to come for the eye screening--we have to pack up."

But time was weighing heavily on our minds. We knew that the hike out was going to be MUCH more difficult and lengthy than the hike in, and already dark clouds were blowing overhead. This is after all, the rainy season in a tropical country. It rains most every afternoon here. And what we just hiked down looked an awful lot like a river bed....

line up for parasite meds. can you see pajama girl?

hmm...lemme see if I remember how to do this

about half the crowd is on the other side of the camera watching how it works

Wanna see some great pictures of this day and other Nicaraguan adventures this week? Check out my hiking buddy's website at Go Christian Go!

Los Chaguites Part 1

OK--This is it: I had a big adventure.
I've been here almost 3 weeks, and everyone agreed I was going to be allowed to go out on a workday! The plan was for about 10 women, Jonathan, Edwin, and 6 soldiers to take a truck to the remote village of Los Chaguites. This is the place Jonathan visited before that was in such extreme need due to their well drying up and the crops failing. Jonathan and others from MPC have been there several times in the dry season delivering food, and meeting with the leaders of the community. Our goal today was to bring the mobile library to their school, do a mobile eye screening, and administer anti-parasite medications.

it's even bigger in real life

they had to throw down a ladder for me to climb in

The end of the story is that all of those goals were accomplished. But nothing else that day happened as planned. 

Jonathan had arranged with the army to have them transport us in a 6 wheel drive vehicle, which they assured him "...doesn't even need roads--it makes it's own road." If you have never climbed into a 1940's era 6-wheel drive Russian army transport that must be push started by 5 army personnel--well, then I guess you weren't with us on the road to Los Chaguites.

riding "shotgun" for real

It's 9 am--and it is a beautiful, romantic adventure. I can't believe that I am really bumping along in this dinosaur of a vehicle ducking palm fronds that slap as we barrel past. The sun is shining, the mountains are all around us, the views are breathtaking. The other ladies in the back of the truck are laughing and shouting to each other over the ROAR of the truck. There was a moment as we rode along that I was thinking--"When I am an old woman I will remember this day in perfect detail." It was just one of those snippets of life that hardly seems real.

rear window

As we continued up the mountain, we see a steady stream of horses and hikers coming out of "the bush". They are carrying bundles of firewood and  burlap sacks up on shoulders in to Jinotega to sell for what would amount to a dollar or less. Ladies are squealing with every big bump, and I can't imagine hiking this road every day to make a few cents.

We were expecting bad roads. That's why we were with the army. But as we topped one rise, it became clear that the road was completely gone.  The soldiers got out and proceeded to hike on around the bend checking out the terrain. Jonathan and Edwin join them for a bunch of consultations.

They return to report that the road is truly impassable and the terrain will not allow any alternate path. Several of the local travelers stop to join in the meeting. They report that we are about a 30 minute walk from the village. The soldiers volunteer to carry our equipment if we want to go on. After a little discussion and a unanimous vote we decided to lace up our boots, and travel on.

Yea---I know. You can smell the adventure coming, can't you?

carrying the autorefractor

totally full of gas--it must weigh 175 pounds

So we set off walking cheerily, knowing it will likely take us 45 minutes at least--as we expected to walk slower than the locals. I have a 50 ft power cord wrapped around me like a bandolier and a 2 gallon bottle of water on one shoulder. I feel so strong and--well--cool stepping along through this beautiful jungle-y mountain. 
True to their word, the soldiers hoisted up our gear and led the way. In words, that doesn't sound so impressive. But have you ever seen a guy pick up a generator full of gasoline and carry it up a mountain on his back?!?  I was completely amazed...and really wishing I had packed more chicken in their lunch boxes.

Well, the road got longer as we walked. The view was incredible, but the boxes and water bottles got heavier.  We started taking more breaks for "photos" but spirits were still basically high. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. Although it is beginning to dawn on us that so far the hike has been almost all downhill--and has been over an hour--so we've clearly been misinformed about our location--and at some point we'll have to walk back...

Wanna see some great pictures of this day and other Nicaraguan adventures this week? Check out my hiking buddy's website at Go Christian Go!

Plentiful Harvest

Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

For as long as I can remember, my mom has been quoting these verses at me when I complained about having to fill the ice cube trays, or mop the kitchen. I know these verses, and have quoted them at whine-y kids myself, at times--but until this week I didn't really get it.

This week at the Mision, we had almost 70 visiting workers from Olive Branch Ministries and the Southern New Mexico area. That's 70 folks to cook and clean up after, 70 sets of towels and sheets to wash, 70 x 7 questions asked and items to be fetched for someone (always from upstairs if you are downstairs, of course.)

I don't say this in a complaining voice--that is why I came here, and this is the work I signed up to do. But until this week, I didn't understand how important this work is.

It took the "closed system" of living in the mision for me to see it.

Most of the 70 who came to work were running mobile medical clinics, and others were working on ongoing school construction. Nicaraguan translators, project leaders, and evangelists always accompanied the work teams. As the crowds gathered to access the medical services, the local Nicaraguan team would visit with them. Some signed up for Bible studies. Soon there was a baptism. Then another. And more. 

By the end of the week hundreds of physical needs had been addressed and more than 20 had accepted Christ and been baptized. Now a new church is being planted in that town, and the local ministers are busy at work on plans to help these "seedlings" grow strong in faith.

doesn't the baptistry look like a coffin? fitting, huh?

If I didn't wash the dishes, and make the beds, the medical providers couldn't have come to work. If the doctors hadn't come, no crowds would have gathered. If there were no crowds the evangelists would never have met the people God had prepared to receive His message.

1st Corinthians 3 says; "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; 

Maybe in my life right now the verse would read: "Jonathan put gas in the van, Marina cooked the chicken, Sheila made the coffee, Luis preached the gospel, Estella mopped the floor, Dr. Patti examined the patients, but God changes hearts. All of us have one purpose, for we are co-workers in God's service."

And you are too. Today your work may seem to go unnoticed, it may not feel exciting or important--but it may be exactly the link in the chain that helps complete God's purposes. 

We are co-workers in God's service. 

And I can't wait for the company party!

Sheila's secret recipe

1 pair of wet shoes

1 tropical country where nothing dries

1 gas oven and the perfectly logical plan to dry shoes inside it

Turn on gas and immediately turn off. Insert shoes.

Become distracted by other tasks and turn oven back on to preheat for a cake (do not remove shoes)

Bake 40 minutes

Add 8 people wandering around mission looking for the "electrical fire smell"

Stir in one electrician called by landlord

Mix vigorously with comments such as "no, my power's fine in here" until the source of the smell is discovered.

Remove from oven when shoes have completely melted onto bottom of oven.

Serves the entire mission staff with plenty of laughter.

"Chayla sirve los zapatos por el almuerza. Es un recita especial de America del Norte."

An upside-down day.

Yep. It got to me today. I'm sure you can identify--that day when some teeny-tiny bump in the road completely derailed you.

For me, it was pineapple upside down cake.
We currently have 68 to cook and clean for, and I was super excited to trade laundering sheets for baking cakes this afternoon--but those cakes ended up turning me upside down.

I was working on financial spreadsheets for groceries while the cakes baked. Someone came in with receipts and cash just as I was checking the cakes. That's when I somehow dropped the money down into the base of the oven. In a panic that I had just incinerated the grocery money-- I turned off the gas, yanked the half done cakes out of the oven,  and started dis-assembling the stove.
Also crying.
Yep. Me. Crying.

As it turns out, the money wasn't even warm, the cakes turned out just fine, and I laughed at how silly it all was. It was just that moment when it all hits you. All the noise and trash and lack of privacy and 18 hour days and new relationships and foreign language and lack of routine and and mosquitos and muddy towels and insecurities all come tumbling at you at once and turn you upside down.

And upside down is the trouble.

Sitting on the floor of the kitchen, tears in my eyes, with cash and cake and oven parts all around me--I thought, "My worth is not about cake-baking or spreadsheets. I am not more or less if I succeed or fail. I am worth what my God has paid for me, and that value will not change based on what I do wrong or right today."

I so often get things upside down.
I  try to start at the bottom with what "I can handle" and leave "just the hard parts" for God.
Upside down.
I try to start at the bottom and build my identity out of what I accomplish. Out of all the "ers" that I am, (teacher, sister, worker, leader, daughter...) and see God's ownership of me as just one part.
Upside down.
I try to build relationships around God instead of through Him.
Upside down.
I wait until the last minute to call on Him--instead of letting Him walk with me the whole time.
Upside down.

Now--it would be a better story if that one thought on the kitchen floor turned me right side up instantly. Which it didn't. Knowing something and feeling it are two different things.  But after some hugs from Jonathan and a walk in the cool afternoon air,  I did find myself right side up again.
And, after all, at the end of the day there was pineapple cake--which can set plenty of things right.

Well look at that #5 Light switches

Grrr!! These crazy light switches!

I know, I know...and deep in my heart I am grateful that I live in a place with electricity. But tonight I am just aggravated that after 11 days I still can't figure out how to turn on the lights!

Our apartment has a living room/office, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. This switch, which  you may be able to tell, is about 8 inches off the floor in the bedroom--and turns on the light in the bathroom.

I think.

The switch in the living room turns on the light in the kitchen.
And you NEVER touch the switch in the kitchen. It turns off the lights in the landlord's dining room.

Yes, for real.

In some of the "big" ways, I think I am finding my place here.  I see the beginings of some relationships with my Nicaraguan sisters and co-workers. I am finding (a few!) areas of competency, and am feeling less shocked by how different every inch of this place is.

But the "little" ways can trip you up. Just when I think I'm getting my feet solidly under me, I turn off the light in the bathroom.....
sigh---
You don't see that every day.
(and neither do I, since it's dark and I can't find the switch)

Well, look at that #4 Mamones

Currently in season: mamones.

A bunch this size, you can buy on the street for what amounts to around 5 or 10 cents.

I thought they were tiny limes, and in fact one of their names (they have about a million names) is related to lime--and there is a tangy-ness to them that is vaguely lime-like. But that is where the similarity ends.

Inside is a fruit--well--the pit to a fruit with a teensy bit of sticky gushy stringy slimy delicious pulp clinging to the pit.
It is completely impossible to
remove this fruity pulp with your
fingers, or a kitchen implement.
You've just got to suck it off the pit.
(I hear that's where their Nicaraguan
name "mamones" comes from.)

The mushy slippery fruity stuff is good. Kind of like a cross between peeled grapes, cantelope and lime. It's super intense in flavor. So sweet you can hardly stand it and sour enough to pucker your cheeks all at once.



The leathery skin is just dying to pop open. You can just give it a little bite, and it neatly splits in half. The fruit pulp looks kind of salmon-y beige and the pit inside takes up almost all of the space. You need to eat a whole bundle to get any substance. I was told that the pit is edible too. But the lady who told me that also spit her seed out--so I wasn't gonna chance it.

the light colored stuff in the middle is the pit

It's a great "snacky" kind of fruit, because you can chew and suck the pulp off the pit for a good long while. It is really stuck on there!


Mamones: weird and delicious.
You don't see that every day!
(Well, I guess I do. At least in June.)

Well look at that! #3 Giant carrots

One of my duties here will be helping with menu/grocery shopping organization. Each morning we meet to discuss what is available in the markets and how much is needed for the size groups we have. This week we've been cooking for between 40 and 70. The volumes are usually things like 30 pounds of potatoes, 4 dozen mangoes...so imagine my surprise when the head cook recommended we buy 5 carrots. I asked, "Is 5 pounds enough for the whole salad?" She said, "No--not 5 pounds just 5 carrots." Then I saw the carrots. 

this is a pen, a potato, and two carrots

I thought they were big yams when I saw them. It sure makes the peeling go fast!
Now, my Dad has grown some big ol carrots before. Sometimes a plant would be overlooked during picking and sit and grow large through the fall--and by the time we ate the giant carrots they were woody and flat tasting. But these are just as sweet as the teeny tiny ones.

You don't see that every day! (well, I guess I do.)

yes, there were bigger ones than these

Well, look at that! #2 Frankenstein Coffeepot Showerhead

So for the next few days I'd like to share some little something that is either new to me or at least unusual in the US.

Today: The Frankenstein Coffeepot Shower 

nope, dunno what that hang-y down part does

This particular shower-head is in fact new from the box. That's because I caught the last one on fire. 


Here's how it works: We have running water at the mission. (non-potable and cold only) This nifty device lets you have a warm shower. Water collects in the reservoir and heats up then drips (kind of like a coffee pot) ideally it mixes with the regular cold water streaming by. Achieving this balance requires quite some practice I'm told.

Evidently--if the reservoir turns bright orange and steam is blasting out the little holes you should run before you are electrocuted. So, now I know about that, and we have a new shower head. 

You don't see that every day! (well, I guess I do.)

Well, look at that! #1 Hangers

So for the next few days I'd like to share some little something that is either new to me or at least unusual in the US.

First up? Hangers:

Yes, handmade and made of all found and recycled materials. You buy a bundle from the guy on the street who makes them. I would tell you the price but I haven't learned to convert cordobas into dollars in my head yet.

That's what I believe my Papa would've called "bailing wire engineering".

You don't see that every day!
(well, I guess I do.)

Children's Day

We just got back from Matagalpa the other big mountain town. Very hilly curvy roads. All well paved highway--but just the difficulty of the terrain makes the ride tough on your toosh.

The group from the Hwy Church in Arkansas, and the group from Fort Worth Christian and most all the full time Nicaraguan workers spent the day to make a "children's day". Rotation stations with games and crafts a bible skit...but mainly just hanging out with kids and playing. It was sponsored by the churches in Matagalpa (4) who are having a unity service tomorrow. They are very excited about the unity service--but I was excited about today. We call worship time "service" but today taking care of at least 300 kids was really service, and definitely required unity.

It was neat to see folks (here, particularly) give kids priority attention--that seems to be rare when churches gather. I think it was beautiful that the first point of connection for these congregations was a) showing love to their kids and the kids in their community and b) working. There is such power in work! More than meetings, more than pot-luck suppers, more than sitting in a building together--I am convinced working together is the real heart of fellowship. I think nothing could prepare this body better to truly worship in unity tomorrow morning--than their work together today.

Also--did I mention there were like a ka-jillion people there?!?! I think Jonathan and I are fairly practiced and comfortable with big groups of kids--but--whew!

there are plenty more people--but I ran out of lens space

Sheila's First Day

Today I.....