Chickens, Goats, and Raccoons OH MY!!!

I am living in a great place. And I love and appreciate my landlords very much. We've often laughed about the situation that I find myself in. The family that I rent from owns various kinds of animals including chickens, bunnies, and a goat. (They did have a raccoon in the fall. That is a story in and of itself) I have never been around so many different kinds of animals. So, you can imagine the adjustment this has been for me.
I will share a story about the goat that happened recently. One day the family's goat, Billy was just hanging out around the outside of the garage like normal. I had a girlfriend come over for a visit/walk through the neighborhood. We began walking down the long driveway only to be followed by the goat. Then, the goat started to run towards us. I was somewhat alarmed. As we approached the road, he really picked up speed and excitement. I thought, he is so excited to have all this complete freedom. I was nervous that he would be hit by a car. I hoped he would turn around and go back towards the garage, however, he just kept following us like a pet dog down the street. He started bucking/raring up. I have no idea what this meant, but I was scared. I screamed and ran to cling to my friend. Just then, the kids came running out of the house and came to rein in the goat. Just in time. Then, we went for a nice walk through the neighborhood sans the goat.

How 'Bout them Titans!!

I really thought the Bears had them, but they did it again! They won! 9-0 Undefeated!!! That's awesome. I have so enjoyed watching this team win week after week! It's been fun. I hope they have continued success!!!

Who are you rooting for??

Chickens, Goats, Raccoons...Oh My!!

I am living in a great place. And I love and appreciate my landlords very much. We've often laughed about the situation that I find myself in. The family that I rent from owns various kinds of animals including chickens, bunnies, and a goat. (They did have a raccoon in the fall. That is a story in and of itself) I have never been around so many different kinds of animals. So, you can imagine the adjustment this has been for me.
I will share a story about the goat that happened recently. One day the family's goat, Billy was just hanging out around the outside of the garage like normal. I had a girlfriend come over for a visit/walk through the neighborhood. We began walking down the long driveway only to be followed by the goat. Then, the goat started to run towards us. I was somewhat alarmed. As we approached the road, he really picked up speed and excitement. I thought, he is so excited to have all this complete freedom. I was nervous that he would be hit by a car. I hoped he would turn around and go back towards the garage, however, he just kept following us like a pet dog down the street. He started bucking/raring up. I have no idea what this meant, but I was scared. I screamed and ran to cling to my friend. Just then, the kids came running out of the house and came to rein in the goat. Just in time. Then, we went for a nice walk through the neighborhood sans the goat.

6 Random Things

I've been tagged!
Good ole' Casey Chambers tagged me and now I must share some random things to the world!

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Random things most people may not know about Shauna:

1. I had cosmetic eye surgery when I was 4. I'm so thankful. It was not surgery to correct my vision, but rather to make my right eye look like it should.

2. I don't like hotdogs/corndogs, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin pie.(People tell me I'm not American).

3. I once ran into a volleyball net in high school while running laps in P.E. It scared me and I fell to the ground. The whole class came over to check on me. Many were laughing. Some fell to the floor in laughter. I didn't really know what happened. It was all so quick and ridiculous. It was embarrassing to say the least. Needless to say, I don't have an athletic bone in my body.

4. In high school, I worked at a franchise restaurant called,New York Burrito and also at a car dealership. Fun times!!

5. I sat next to BIG Jack Johnson on my flight from Amsterdam to Memphis! It was interesting!!

6. In Moldova, I fell off the curb into the road- hitting the pavement face-first. Luckily, I was fine and there wasn't a car coming!! There were however, lots of laughs from myself and my friends who witnessed the fall. I'm not very graceful!!


Well, I hope you enjoyed these random facts.

Hmmm..... now to tag some others:

Liz

Patty

Elsbeth

Sara

Justin

Joni

Last Day of School

We finished our school work on the first Friday of June. We didn't have our official last day of school until the following Friday though. On this last day, we exchanged gifts and I gave the girls certificates and notes. My Dutch friend, Alida came over with her students(also missionary kids)to teach my students and I about Holland. We learned many interesting things including information about: the royal family, the money, the national anthem, and so much more. It was so much fun! The girls wanted to play a soccer game: Holland vs. U.S. It worked out great because there are 3 American girls and 3 Dutch girls. They had fun,but Holland won!
Here are some pictures from our fun day:

Dina showing us what the Euro from Holland looks like.
Team Dutch singing their anthem
Team U.S. singing the anthem. I am smiling because we did a really rough job hitting the notes and remembering all the words.

Noa guarding the goal
Me with Natalie after I gave the certificates
Elissa and I
Lauren and I
Alida, Noa, Dina, and Jada singing the national anthem. I think.
Jada is singing

Sorry it took me a long time to post these pictures.

Roommates!

My roommates, Sara,Jessie and I went out with to eat the other night with some other Americans we met here. After dinner we stopped to take some photo opportunities next to an old Jewish synagogue. You can see the remains in the background. Here are the fun pictures!





Jessie, Me, and Sara

Facing Fear

I am not a fan of ice skating. I have never really enjoyed regular skating and I am just not good at it. Some people, like myself who can barely walk a straight line, should not do things that require ability, agility, balance. etc. Not only do I dislike skating, but I am fearful of it. I am always afraid of falling.

My colleagues and students are fans. They have encouraged me to join them each time they have gone ice skating. Each time, I could easily come up with an excuse.
For my birthday, I invited several of my colleagues,friends, and my students to witness me facing one of my fears: ice skating. I still dislike it, but I can say that I tried it one more time.

Here are some of the pictures from the day.



A Little Help
The knee pads are just for fun..and "just in case"

moral support


holding on....and still holding on

A Meeting with God In the Bathroom

Notes about the picture: The top center is the window(where the green is). The door handle is on the far right.

This will be a LONG,but funny blog, so I give you permission to LAUGH during this story whenever you feel like it!

I slept in today because I can. I have finished my home schooling responsibilities with the Raatz family.( As of Tuesday, June 3rd)Yay! We are all excited to be finished!

The first thing I did when I did woke up: Went to the bathroom.

Last words I heard before going into the bathroom(approx. 5 minutes before as my roommate was leaving the apartment):
My roommate: "Shauna, are you asleep?"
Me: "Yeah, what?"
My roommate:" If Domnul Constantin(Mr. Constantin, our landlord) comes today, will you show him the bathroom door handle?"
Me: "Yeah..."

Background information you need to know:

A week or so ago(maybe longer), we started noticing that the bathroom door handle was REALLY loose and it was getting hard to close and open the door. I nonchalantly mentioned to my roommate(without too much afterthought....will become obvious later),"I sure hope no one gets STUCK in the bathroom!"

We had just had dinner last night with our landlords, Constantin and Nina(who speak NO English. We communicate with them in Russian and Romanian). We had discussed a light that needs to be fixed and a fridge that needs to be moved. We forgot about mentioning the door handle. So, anyways, Constantin said that he might come today or sometime later. We weren't sure. Constantin and Nina are wonderful people and great landlords. We knew that Constantin would take care of the problem, we just had to make him aware of it first.

We have 2 bathrooms separate from each other. One has a toilet and sink. The other has the shower and sink. In this post, when I mention bathroom, I am referring to the bathroom with the toilet.

Now, that you have all the background information....

After dinner last night, my roommate and I discussed the door handle and how we had forgotten to mention it....

DO YOU SEE WHERE THIS STORY IS GOING??

Back to me going to the bathroom...

So, I don't know about you, but I don't usually take anything into the bathroom with me. So, I am in the bathroom and I shut the door and lock it. Everything normal so far. (I guess it wasn't necessary to lock it because my roommates were both out of the apartment. I was ALONE. BUT, I think it is good practice to shut and lock bathroom doors!)

So, I go to the bathroom, wash my hands, and grab the door handle which...ARE YOU READY FOR THIS??
falls
off
and
into
my
hands!(along with all nails and apparent parts...)
Oh boy....What do I do? First, I fiddle(is that a word?) with the pieces left in the door...nothing. Then, I start to grab anything that is removable from the door. The nail that holds the towel, well, I pulled that out. Then, I went for the hinges. Nothing. Then, I realized...I AM STUCK. I opened the window. Thank God for ventilation. Then, I looked at the door. OH NO! I decided I would just try to hit the door as hard as possible. I hit the part of the door where the handle had been as hard as I could. What happened you ask? The handle on the other side of the door fell off! OH yeah...I'm really working my way out of it. Yeah right?!? Then, I just beat on the door with both hands out of FRUSTRATION and ANGER.

Realizing that I was so obviously stuck without a clue how to help myself, I fell to the floor in a sitting position. I cried out to God. "God, please help me!!" I had teary eyes, but no real tears. I couldn't believe this was happening to me. My comfort at that moment was that God was(and is) in control(even though I didn't understand or see the solution), I had a toilet in case I needed it(which, since I had just used it probably wouldn't be the case especially since I hadn't had my morning water, cappuccino...etc!) ,and if I became so parched, I could drink from the sink. I was also most thankful for the open window! What I was a little worried about was the fact that I was unsure when my roommates would be home and I could be stuck for hours. I had also read a story online before about a man who was stuck in the bathroom for a couple of days! Yikes.

I do believe that God heard my cry for help. I stood on top of the toilet to lift my head out of the window(BTW we live on the 2nd floor) which had bars on it. The bars made for a nice grip while my feet tried to remained balanced on the toilet. I looked around outside and I didn't see anyone that I knew. I heard a voice from downstairs so I waited. Then, I saw him. The son of the friendly neighbor, Gheorghe. He was on his cell phone, but I didn't care. I am desperate. Also, I knew that this son, Michael(who is probably 20 and speaks English pretty well), I later learned and I had briefly met once before when he started speaking to me in ENGLISH. Oh praise God. So, I started calling out to him, "Hello!?!" (Just like the damsel in distress, you know?) I told him the gist of the story that you've just read. All in English...Oh I am so thankful. How would I ever explain on this in Romanian? I have no idea.

At first, he was like,"Aren't your friends home?" Um, hello!!...if my friends were home, I wouldn't be standing on a toilet and leaning of a window to tell you my problems. No, my friends aren't home and I don't know when they will be home!

Then, he became really helpful and started asking smart questions. He started to understand my dilemma more. He did think my story was really funny and he had to share it with others in the home and those passing by. Thank you very much.
It took him a while to understand that I was really stuck. I picked up the broken handle and showed him that there was no turning the knob. I think he understood more clearly when he saw the broken handle. I asked him to call my landlord Constantin. Neither Gheorghe nor Michael had the number. I thought it was worth the try. Once before when I lost electricity in my apartment, Constantin had called Gheorghe and sent him up to check on me. So, I thought, maybe the two were friends. Well, they couldn't find any numbers for Constantin. I do feel like they dialed a lot of numbers though. Gheorghe and Michael suggested that I kick the door out. "Like in Mortal Kombat," Michael added. I asked him to show me what that looked like. He did some moves.Priceless. Before trying out my karate moves, I asked Michael if there was a phone book with Moldovan residents listed. There is. Great! I suggested that they search for Constantin number there. THEY FOUND IT. Oh praise Jesus.

If he couldn't reach Constantin, Michael told me that he was just climb up. Okay. Maybe that will work. There are bars on my window here, but however you think you can help. I am open to suggestions here.

If I had been outside of the bathroom, I would have all the important numbers listed for my landlords, my roommates, my colleagues etc. All in my cell phone. I don't know any of them by heart.

Back to the LONG story. So, Michael contacted Constantin and he would be on his way to my apartment and probably reach my apartment in a half hour or so. I was thankful for the time frame. I asked Michael what time it was. At this time, I had already been in the bathroom for an hour..at least.

While I waited for Constantin, I PRAYED. I think God wanted my complete attention. Well, he had it. I was talking to him about life and praying for many friends and family members(maybe you). I sang some songs. All in all it was a great meeting with God. I had cried out to Him for help and help was on the way! So thankful...

I also thought about these things: 1)This story is going to be a great blog post. 2)People that know and love me are going to find this hilarious. 3) Bathrooms are really dirty places(Even though I had just cleaned our bathroom 24 hours prior) and 4)I really need to repaint my toenails.

Then, I hear my name being called from outside. Michael asked me, "Are you lonely?"
I said, "Well, I am here in the bathroom alone and I'm praying to God." He said, "Very good!" He decided that he would stand there and talk to me, because if he were in a similar situation, he would want me to talk to him. So, he started asking about what I did in Moldova and how I felt about Moldova. I was thankful for the conversation because it took my mind off of my current situation. Then, he called Constantin one more time. I was assured that Constantin would be at my apartment within 15 minutes. Michael had to leave to go swimming. I thanked him for all his help and we said goodbye.

More waiting....Thank you, God for teaching me patience. More prayers. More singing. Then, I heard a beautiful sound. Keys turning in the door. CONSTANTIN! I hear his voice and I can see him approaching the door.(There is now an open hole from where both handles have fallen off either side of the door). He is laughing. He says in Romanian, "Oh, this isn't a big problem. Small problem." Music to my ears. He has a tool that he is turning. I am getting super excited! Then, FREEDOM!! The door is open. Oh praise You, Lord. I am free. You provided help for me. Thank you.

I have never been so excited to see Constantin...I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Thank you very much!" He is looking over the broken parts and surveying things. He says, "These are not good. " I laugh as I say, "I know!" He then moves to put the toilet seat back on correctly. It slid off while I was standing on the toilet. As he is working, he says," Girls, Girls....they need boys!" I couldn't help, but agree with him more.

Sorry this story is so long, but it is truly helping me put the hour and a half I spent in the bathroom in perspective. I'm thankful that God grabbed my attention and then showed Himself faithful. I am. But next time, God, "If I have to get stuck somewhere, can I please get stuck in the kitchen?"

June 1st

The t-shirt reads: God Loves Families. (The guys in the background are in a youth group that I frequently enjoy here).

My friend Natasha(who paints BEAUTIFUL cards) and I enjoying the festivities. Yes, I know....I NEED SUNGLASSES! You can't see my eyes for my squinting. :)


Today, June 1st, marks 10 months for me in Moldova!! Woo-hoo! (I have less than one month left in Moldova. That is so hard to believe!)

It is also my dear friend, Casey's birthday! Happy birthday Casey! I hope you have a wonderful day.

Today many countries around the world will celebrate International Children's Day. Moldova is celebrating today. I just returned from the center of the city. There were TONS of people, lots of balloons, music, and free ice cream(which I especially enjoyed). It was fun to see people from the various churches that I've visited, other missionaries, and friends.

There were many organizations represented today at the celebration. The evangelical churches were well represented. Many churches passed out flags that read: God loves families.

To mark my 10 month here, I'll share a quick story to let you know just how far I've come with dealing with the cultural differences.

As I was waiting for the trolley bus, it began to rain some. It was a light sprinkle and one that caught me unaware as it was an absolutely beautiful day. I knew that the trolley buses would fill up fast as people tried to get out of the rain. After skipping out on the first two buses that I could have jumped on(they were FULL), I got tired of waiting and just got on the third bus despite how full it was. Man, was it full! It wasn't even 80 degrees today, but in those buses it is HOT. Well, it was the typical crowded bus. I will spare you all the details, but let's just say I have never been so thankful for clothes in all my life. Just when my sweaty arm couldn't stand to grip the overhead bar(I'm so short) any longer, the bus approached my stop. I squeezed my way through the people and got off. Fresh air!!

Back in the beginning of my public transportation experiences here, I would have been stressed out by the lack of public space! Thank the Lord that I have adjusted to many things here. It has made my time here much easier!

God bless you, friends,
Shauna

p.s. I am not looking forward to riding the public transportation as the temperatures increase. Lord, help me endure the heat!.

Clothing Styles

Just a quick note today to share about some of the clothing styles I get to witness living in Moldova. Although, I am sure these same trends are common in a lot of other places. These are the ones that are most interesting to me. Sorry there are no pictures. I think that would just be highly inappropriate for this blog.

Some of the styles that I see here on a daily basis:

Women:
see-thru shirts

really short shirts, shorts, skirts etc.

low-cut shirts

the long shirt with the leggings

and many others...

Men:

short shorts

the biggest thing I have noticed lately....man capris! I am told these are called 'ports'. These are the p(ants)(sh)orts that come to about calf-length on men. No offense, but I don't like them.

AND...last, but not least....my favorite(NOT!): spandex!! Yes, you read that right. Men at the public park swim/sunbath in spandex!....Oh, gross!!

Have a super weekend...and if the weather is nice and you take a stroll through the park, I hope you don't have to witness any spandex!!:)

More Birthday Pictures

I think I am listening intently as my friends sing "Happy Birthday" in five different languages: English, Romanian, Russian, German, and Dutch!

Friends Singing...it was really special!

I think I am clapping somewhere in the middle of all the singing or maybe I'm getting ready to thank all my friends. They are all so sweet and kind.

I blew out all but two of the candles(24!) and made a wish!

Shoe Shopping

Today I went shoe shopping. It was a little hard...Ok, a lot hard! What am I saying? I have a hard time shopping for shoes in America. There are just so many shoes to choose from. Well, there are many shoes here, too. They are just DiFfErEnt!


My friend's shoes

more shoes...

I really wish that I had pictures of random shoes that I see around the city when I am out and about. There are all kinds of sylin' shoes. Most of them I would never wear. There are shoes of all colors, designs, patterns etc.

I don't think that shoes are worn for comfort here, but rather for fashion. There are lots of fancy shoes here. I am in the process of trying to find comfortable, inexpensive sandals of some sort. (I brought American flip-flops and other shoes that don't stay on my feet well from America. I had not anticipated the amount of walking I would do here. I also did not give any thought to the fact that because I drive or ride to most places in America, that I don't pay attention to how well my shoes stay on my feet.) So, needless to say, my American summer sandals/shoes will most likely not work here. These new shoes that I am searching for should be made for a lot of walking. I know that I will be home soon, but I want to wear them when I go to the retreat in Turkey next month. Today I found some for a good price, but I couldn't find the right size. It was fun looking though. So, just be warned that I may come home with some shoes that you have never seen before! Wish me better luck next time I go shoe shopping.

A Full Heart

(I don't know why these pictures are showing up so poorly.) Here are the names of my friends. L to R: Irina, Julia, Olga, Nina, Me, Rodyca, Nelly, Nadia, Heather, Mariana, Ina, and Vica. Not pictured, but also at the party: Alida, Aliona, Ana, and Sara ...and Jessie is the bottom one, but not the top one.


I am writing this blog with a heart full of JOY.

A heart full of THANKFULNESS.

A blessed heart.

Ziua mea de nastere este pe 16 mai. (My birthday is the 16th of May in Romanian).It was so special to celebrate MY DAY in Moldova. I had a wonderful time celebrating with both Moldovan and American friends. This is the run-down of my day:
Friday morning Nancy backed chocolate muffins. Yummy. I had a short day of school with the girls. Friday afternoon I ate chili with my roommates. My roommates and I cleaned the apartment and prepared for the party.
Friday evening I had 16 girlfriends come over for pizza, snacks, cake, and ice cream. When it was time for cake they sang happy birthday to me. It was so fun because it was sung in 5 different languages: English, Romanian, Russian, Dutch, and German. Have you ever heard of such a thing? It was really fun. We had such a nice time of fellowship. I really wanted to share cake and ice cream with all the friends I have made over the last year. I have been so blessed to be a part of the lives of these special girls and young woman. They have poured so much into my life, helped me in very practical ways, encouraged me, and they have spoken wisdom into my life. I am blessed to call each of them friend.

I was blown away by their thoughtfulness on my birthday. They presented me with gifts, prayed over me, encouraged me with lots of beautiful words, and there were lots of hugs and kisses. Thank you, Lord for the blessing that each one of these women are in my life. My life is richer for having these women in it.

I am blessed.

I am thankful.

My heart is full of joy.

El Paso with the McClungs!!

The McClungs, missionaries to Lithuania have been working with our team in Moldova for the last two months. It has been a lot of fun to get to know them some and spend time fellowshipping with them. One of my favorite ways to fellowship is to EAT. So, we went to El Paso, the Moldovan-Mexican restaurant here in Chisinau. I was able to eat Mexican food in Iasi, Romania a couple of weeks ago, but I had not tried this Moldovan restaurant until yesterday. So, I was looking forward to trying this place out. I was not disappointed. Now, for some this may not be close enough to the American Tex-Mex restaurants, but I thought it was super. I definitely recommend it. Here is some chicken fajita goodness:


MMMmmm...good!

Wendell and Patti (sorry about the red eyes!)

Patti and I outside the restaurant

Now, the time has come for the McClungs to return to Lithuania. Thank you for sharing life with us in Moldova. It was wonderful spending time with you. God Bless!

I don't want to step on anyone's shoes...

Yesterday was a good day. Earlier in the day I did laundry, dishes, vacuumed under the couch, and many other little things around the apartment. Fun stuff....I know!

Later on, I went to pay my internet bill, but the business was closed due to a holiday here. I believe it was a day of remembrance- Day of Victory. I enjoyed my venture out into the city. It was a very beautiful day weather-wise, too. There were a lot of people out and about. There were celebrations in the main square downtown complete with the traditional Moldovan dancing and costumes.

While I was on the trolley bus, I stepped on a man's shoe while trying to scoot into a new spot to make room for someone else. I have been told that Moldovans take great care in keeping their shoes clean. I have witnessed this with my own eyes. While standing on the sidewalk waiting for a bus, a young lady will bend town and wipe her shoes clean with a cloth. My attitude towards the matter is quite different. My thought is,"They are just shoes and they will get dirty again because I am walking on a muddy sidewalk." So, as if I didn't stand out enough with my casual, western dress, one can definitely tell that I am not Moldovan if they look at my shoes. But, I do respect the fact that Moldovans take great pride in their appearance and how they dress-even down to their shoes. So, I would never want to offend anyone by stepping on their shoes! This is bound to happen though in taking public transportation. So, I said to the man, "Sorry(in Romanian)." His reply,"It's okay (in English)."
Wow. It brought such calm to me. I thought...It is okay! Little things are going to happen in life and I should not let them stress me out. Somehow, hearing those words in English, really spoke volumes to me about resting and trusting the Lord with all things. God is in control and He is working my last several weeks out in Moldova for HIS good.
I need not stress or worry about finances, plans, accomplishing tasks, etc.
Everything is going to be alright.

It's okay. It's okay if I don't get everything on my list done. It's okay if I have to be flexible in my plans. And the occasional stepping on some one's shoe, really is OKAY.

Chocolate Chips and Sour Cream

chocolate chip morsels



sour cream

I try everything once. This is a phrase that I say here a lot. I would never want to offend anyone, so I will always try whatever is prepared(except the fish...I never eat the fish here...).

The other day, a Moldovan by the name of Victor, suggested to me in conversation that I should try sour cream and chocolate chips together. He said, "It is SO good!!" It sounded pretty crazy to me (not crazy as a lot of things though). I told him I would try it.

So, we had chocolate chip morsels in the apartment. Don't be fooled. We cannot buy them here. A team from America brought them in abundance and lavished them upon the missionary community. THANKS. One day I will use them to make some dessert that is right tasty.

But TODAY....I had other plans for those choc.chips.I wanted to try them with the sour cream.

Now, the sour cream here tastes way different to me than it does in America. The sour cream here kind of reminds me more of yogurt. BUT I like it. Strange, because I don't like yogurt at all(here or there). In spite of my dislike for yogurt, I have grown to really enjoy sour cream or smintina/smantana as it is called here. It has been my experience that most Moldovans LOVE sour cream. You can put it on a multitude of things i.e. bread, soup, meat... here.

ANYWAY, I tried it. It was not out right NASTY, but let's just say it wasn't good!!

Lesson: So, if you are ever in the mood to mix two random items just for kicks, don't mix chocolate chips and sour cream.

Question:
What are two things that you eat together that is tasty but unusual?? Please comment...

Trip to Iasi,Romania (Part 1)

Monday through Wednesday, our team took a retreat/team-building trip into Romania. It was my first time leaving Moldova since last August. I was super excited to visit Romania. It was my very first time to see Romania. It felt like a different world compared to Moldova, but in many ways the countries are still very similiar. There were 12 of us traveling in three vehicles. Everyone got through all borders just fine. It was my very first experience crossing borders of different countries, too. Here are some pictures from my trip.

In Iasi, our first stop was a mall. The mall had a small food court so we ate at KFC! How exciting to have American fast food other than McDonalds.

I don't recall ever eating a lot of KFC in America, but boy was it TASTY. I had a chicken sandwich with fries.
We stayed at a hotel called "Little Texas". It was a wonderful place that was decorated with all things Texas/cowboys/Western style. The owner is an American from Texas. He opened the hotel and restaurant as business as missions.
Front of restaurant. The restaurant served MEXICAN food, of course. Oh, it was so tasty. They also served the most amazing complimentary breakfast ever. I definately took advantage of the restaurant and enjoyed all the delicious food.
The part of the hotel my roommate Sara and I stayed in.
Natalie and Lauren climbing a tree.
My new roommate Sara and I.
Elissa, Natalie,Lauren, and I
Heather, Heidi, and I.(My eyes are closed, though). They are a lot in pictures. What do you do?

Taco Night and Good Friday!!

Tonight we gathered together as a team and ate yummy tacos complete with all the fixings: salsa, cheese, onions, sour cream, cheese, etc. They were delicious. This was especially exciting because you can't buy tortillas here. They do have unleavened bread/pitas, and lavas available though. Almost the same...but not quite. So, the tortillas were homemade!! There were also movies playing, fun games, and we even broke out the Wii(newer version of Nintendo, if you didn't know). Side note: I was just introduced to the Wii this week. It is fun-filled game that provides a lot of laughter and a good workout(the first time, at least). I have been so sore since I started playing. :)

The best part of the evening was when we celebrated Good Friday together. Easter is celebrated here this weekend(Orthodox calendar). We prayed, had communion, and sang songs.It was so great. It is always a humbling experience to take communion and remember the sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross. It is so incredible to me to think of His pain and blood that was shed to wash us white as snow. I am so thankful that my sins are forgiven and remembered no more. I am also so blessed to serve a Risen Savior.

What School Can Do To A Kid...

Look at HOW FrAzZlEd she is!

So cute!!

Teacher's Pet

She had just taken her hair out of braids...thus the WILD HAIR!!! How fun!

Another Stroll in the Park

The weather here has been so beautiful lately. I was able to enjoy a couple of strolls through the park this weekend. YAY!

I love temperatures in the 70s. It's my favorite kind of weather. Not too hot, but some sunshine and a nice breeze. What I like to call: perfect!