Attacked

I taught the rest of the day yesterday (Tuesday) and arrived back at camp pretty exhausted. There were a lot of ups and downs to the day. I could really see some of my students progressing and lighting up when I praised their work, but I was also frustrated with the lack of classroom management and how I felt that I sometimes wasn't in control of the classroom. When I returned to camp and did devotions I was drawn to the verse 2 Corinthians 4:1, "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." I can not lose heart with all of the negatives that I see. I am take the negatives, learn from them, and focus on the positives.

After a delicious spaghetti dinner with the best cheddar biscuits I have ever had in my life, we returned to lesson planning. Liz, Rachel, and I took a quick break and headed out to the basketball court to watch the stars. By this time it was pitch black outside and as we walked to the basketball court (just a few hundred yards from our cabin) with our flash lights we made a quick comment on how creepy it was, seeing that the basketball court is not too far away from the forest. Putting our worries aside we lied down on our towels and gazed at the night sky. I have never seen more stars (Yes, Dad, they even beat the stars on our trip in New York). As we were relaxing we were startled by voices. Turning around we saw two little boys walking towards us. They were looking for Clarissa so we directed them to the cafeteria, before they left that asked us if we were scared of being out at night. We hesitantly replied with a no, we weren't that far from the cabin. The boys made a comment that they were surprised that we weren't scared of anything running out of the woods and then left. That comment sure didn't help our imaginations. Shortly after they left we heard what sounded like a large pack of dogs attacking something by the woods. We were a little disheartened but were too in awe of the stars to move just yet. A few short minutes later we found ourselves being charged by two dogs growling ferociously and barking madly! I don't even remember standing up because we all jumped to our feet quickly and yielded our weapons out of instinct. Liz and Rachel grabbed their flashlights and I was left with my Pringles can. We yelled, what I am sure was a rather pathetic battle cry and shined the light in their eyes. The dogs quickly retreated and we made our way back to the cabin in record time. We all said that the one thought that flashed through our minds was, "No way am I going all the way to Belize to be killed by dogs/rabies." We were pretty shocked that the same dogs that don't move when we walk by them during the day would try to attack us later at night. We have learned our lesson! No being out at night without a flashlight, a Pringles can, and your best battle cry. Haha. Looking back it was a great time!

This week is flying by and we will be done teaching before we know it, but we still need your prayers! God has done a lot during our time here. He has drawn us into community with each other, he has humbled our hearts, he has made us better teachers, and he continues to make us more culturally responsive. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!