Butterflies.  Most 8 year olds probably have butterflies as they prepare for the first day of school.  Fourteen year olds probably do as well, but they might be more hesitant to admit it.  I was told that most teachers do as well, and if you don’t …. then it’s probably time to retire.  Last year at this time I am not sure if I had butterflies, but I am sure that if I did, they weren’t the same.  Not that I know what to expect much more than last year.  But I am prepared for a few months of chaos and hoping that things settle sooner rather than later.  And I can actually say that it feels normal to have butterflies as the school year begins.

The school year in Guatemala runs from January through the beginning of November so we will be welcoming students on Monday.  I was so happy when I visited the school on the first day and it actually looked like FALL.  I love fall.  It’s my favorite time of the year…. Because school starts in fall and because I love the colors of the leaves and the warm fall air.  This year I almost feel like it is fall.  Registration has happened.  I have seen many new faces, and I am ready to welcome a new class.

A few months ago it appeared as if we may not be opening the Professional Nursing School.  We found ourselves up against a wall of opposition as there was more red tape and legal issues to sort through.  Yet God gave us the story of the walls of Jericho found in Joshua 6 and with this asked us to continue on.  Just like the walls of Jericho burst open for Joshua, the walls have come down as well that were keeping us from pressing forward.  It would have been easy to postpone for another year.  It would have made our lives less stressful, but we were sure that God had asked us to do this and so we prayed and believed that if God was in it, we would move forward.  And so we find ourselves welcoming four new classes of students this year – the first and second year students in our premed program, our first year of the Professional Nursing School and English students from preschool age to adults.  We will have over 40 different classes taught this semester and it is sure to keep our heads spinning.  Please keep us in your prayers!

Because of the expansion, there has been plenty of work to be done at the school.  Here is a look at the new classroom that we constructed.