90+ Days!

So, this past Friday, October 12th was my 90th day in Honduras! I can't believe that I've already been here for so long! The only reason I know that it's been 90 days is because I had to go to immigration last Wednesday in order to get my visa renewed. I wasn't really looking forward to it because I'd heard some horror stories about it, but it really wasn't that bad. The lady at the window in the line we got in even spoke English which made things a lot easier!! The only bad thing that happened was at first we asked for 60 days, but when we got in the line to pay, they had the price for 30 days. Thankfully someone in our group noticed before we paid and we were able to go back and explain the problem. Anyways, now I can legally be in the country for another 60 days. It's also weird to think about that I'll be home on furlough in less than 60 days. It will be sad to leave here after spending everyday with the kids and teachers, but it will be a nice break and good to see friends and family! I'll be home from November 23-January 2nd in case you were wondering :). I'd love to see any of you that I can during that time and share a little about what's going on here and catch up with you on what's going on there.

These last few weeks have been busy, but fun. Honestly, they have all kind of run together, so I can't really think of what I need to tell you guys about. I had my first Spanish phone call today, and it was successful! I was able to understand pretty much everything that was said, and I'm pretty sure the person I was talking to was able to understand what I was trying to say. That was exciting! I just need more practice speaking Spanish. All but a few of the kids here are bilingual, so I don't get a lot of opportunities to practice. There are several of the teachers and houseparents, though, that know little to no English, so it's good to occasionally practice with them.

OK...I was debating on whether or not I should include this or not yet, but I've decided that some of you probably already know and it's exciting, so I should tell you :). I've committed to stay here for another year! So, I'll be here for the 2008-2009 school year as well. I'd been thinking and praying about it a lot and I feel like God isn't calling me elsewhere right now, so I feel like I should stay. It sounds like right now, a lot of the teachers are planning to stay, so that is exciting! It's kind of funny. No one is being really open about whether or not they are staying or where they are in the decision making process. It's good though, so we won't be staying just because someone else is, or for the wrong reasons.

I'm working on a September/October Newsletter that should be finished soon, so you'll here more details then. I apologize for that delay. I've been slowly getting some of my pictures organized so I can include some new ones on there.

Here are some prayer requests as usual:
1. Pray for the health and safety of everyone involved with the ministry. Several people have been sick recently and 2 of the girls have hurt their ankle/leg. Also, we've had a lot of rain lately, so the road that we take down the mountain is really really muddy and hard to drive on. There are tons of holes and it is very slick and easy to get stuck in. Today one of the teachers got stuck when driving to school from the city, so someone had to go help them out. You can be praying for a safe commute to and from the ranch.
2. Pray for wisdom and guidance as many people are trying to decide about whether or not to stay for another year. It's a hard decision to make, especially this early.
3. Please continue to pray for patience and energy as i teach. I love it, but some days are hard :).

Thanks, as always for the prayers and financial support! Love y'all!