The Most Important Room

Posted on April 20, 2015 by adrienneorris

Really the most exciting thing happening around here is that the walls are going up at the hospital. But they are not the walls that we intended to lay first. They are the walls that God wants first…. and so we move forward.

We should have received a container full of plumbing supplies for a plumbing team to put in two weeks ago. But the container was delayed by a red flag from the government and a strike by the drivers. And so…. the team was here with no supplies.

Yet when God called us to build this hospital, we knew that the most important part would be the refuge it would provide and the opportunity it would be to be a light into the darkness. Part of the hospital includes a prayer room. The International House of Prayer (IHOP) has been a constant here over the years. IHOP is located in Kansas City and is 24/7 prayer and intercession for the needs of the world. We too believe that this is priority and a necessity to have as part of our ministry so it was included in the plans – in the front corner where it was accessible to all.

Where did we start building? From the back forward which would mean that the prayer room would not be finished first. Throughout this whole project though, God has constantly reminded us that we are nothing without Him. That this is He who is going forward and that it is important to make Him a priority above all. So when the container didn’t come, we took that as God asking us to move forward with the prayer room. How quickly it can go up!

After the floor was poured we had our first night of worship there – under the open sky! How beautiful to come together as a body of Christ and worship together. Priorities. It’s easy to say that God is first in your life and the most important thing. But putting God first in your life is another thing. For me, when busyness surrounds me, I can easily find that I lose sight of my priorities …. Yet my faith is strengthened when God steps forward and says that He has it already figured out.

For me, coming to Guatemala and committing to be part of this was something bigger than just a decision. It was putting God in front of any of my other desires that I had. I gave up a job that I enjoyed, a school family that I cared for, I moved far from my physical family and my church family. I gave up friends and comforts and opportunities. Yet the choice was one of priotities…. To listen to what God was asking or to listen to me.

As I have lived out life here and watched this come together, God has made His priorities clear and it gives me confidence and peace that He is in the driver’s seat. The walls of the prayer room remind me once again that we can lay the plans in our head, but God will lay the plans out in front of us. We walk forward in faith knowing that God is laying the blocks that He needs to reap the harvest.

Our first of many worship sets in this room.

Looking down the front corridor.

Duane working at night to perfect the floor.

The Scream in the Valley

Posted on April 20, 2015 by adrienneorris

I sat and listened to the scream that has covered the valley. To me it sounds like desperation as the locusts have taken to the trees. It is dry. It is hot. It is unrelenting at times. And so is the scream of the locust – unrelenting. It echoes from the mountains. There is no escaping it. I can almost pretend that it is music…. But that is a struggle. To me it is so annoying.

I went to the side of the mountain where the sound could not echo. I was trying to escape the sound. And yet it didn’t relent. I listened to it trying to distinguish what it was that I was hearing… and among the screech that was constant, there were a few individual sounds that were being heard. A few locusts who were singing out of sync. It was almost as if they were in panic. Screeching louder and faster than the others. Yet to hear this shrill, I have to be silent and still. We have to focus not on the noise around us, but on the individual. I find it easier to just take it all in than to hear one voice at a time. The truth is that I tried to escape this morning to gain clarity in what God is saying. I tried to hear that still, small voice. God says – Be still and know that I am God. And with all that is going on around here, it is impossible to deny that He really is God and He really is in control. The scream of the locust is the same as the scream of a student who is in distress. It’s the same as a neighbor asking for help or a child who doesn’t know how to express themselves. It takes the same concentration to see where the need is as to hear the single locust amongst the thousand on the mountainside. But this is what God is asking me to do these days… and so I focus intently on that still small voice and trust that God is in control of all. Be blessed today my friends and listen for the locust!

Fires have taken over the mountains on all sides. Because it is so dry, they spread fast. Farmers burn their fields to eliminate weeds and last year’s corn stalks, but the fires can quickly get out of hand. I like the beauty of fire on a mountainside at night – but only for a second as I realize the destruction.

A Day Away

Posted on April 3, 2015 by adrienneorris

It is Holy Week here and we have a few days without class. Becca and I took advantage of the time and went to visit some friends that have an orphanage in another part of Guatemala. The two days we were away gave my mind time to decompress and get away. We spent time with the family there and the kids and enjoyed a few sights and sounds.

Our third bus of the day – an original Blue Bird

The market in Santiago

The most beautiful church I’ve ever seen…. different shades of Green! (my favorite color)

We had to take a boat across the lake to get to the orphanage. How beautiful the lake was!

End of a Quarter

Posted on April 3, 2015 by adrienneorris

It is summertime here and that means it is appropriate to teach a little “Can Jam”. Some were more enthusiastic than others with a new game.

We continue to plug away at school with two new classes of students. It is different than last year. We knew this going in. We knew there would be differences, but they are hitting me more with each passing week. The students are different from different backgrounds, different personalities and different abilities. This means that our challenges are different to educate them and guide them as well. Here are some snapshots of different days at the school.

At the end of the first week of exams, we did some Team Building time with the students all combined. I especially like doing things like this because it builds unity and trust and acceptance within the students. Mixing the groups allowed our older students to serve as models and leaders in the groups as well.

In Guatemala it is custom to throw trash in the roads and along the streets. All of the schools gathered together to collect trash one morning. Here we are enjoying our time to the fullest!

The mile run…. it is greeted with the same amount of joy here as it is in the states! One disadvantage is – right now it is hot and sunny always!

March Birthdays! Many of the students don’t celebrate their birthdays at home or with their families. Their 15th birthday is celebrated, but the other ones are often forgotten. We try to celebrate each month together as an opportunity to spread some cheer and love. With more students means more celebrations!

With Love…. the 100th Post

Posted on March 16, 2015 by adrienneorris

I used to want to live to be 100. It’s on my bucket list. I still want to live to be 100. I just want to be able to still encourage and serve other people when I’m 100 – which I know isn’t the majority. When I was in college, I added making dinner for my children and their children on my 100th birthday to my bucket list. I’m still working on it.

And so when WordPress told me that this was my 100th post, I knew there was significance to that. This was the 100th memory I would be sharing…. and since 100 is a significant number, I wanted to show you some pictures of who I spend my days with and what I do….

First and foremost, I do what I do because God has called me here for this purpose in this time. Over the last two months, God has confirmed over and over again that we need to take the opportunities in front of us to speak truth and to love. God is love. Jesus is love. And sometimes all it takes is a little love to change someone else’s day. I have tried this year saying, “Whatever you have for me today Lord” every morning and to go into each day afresh.

To me teaching is pouring out love onto my students every day. Sometimes this is in the form of knowledge. Sometimes this is in the form of a bandaid or some Tylenol or an encouraging note or firm discipline. But each day holds the opportunity to display love. Teaching is really just a tool to point them towards Christ. But if they are excited about learning. If they see the purpose. They can exceed their own expectations. Learning will draw them towards Christ as their eyes continue to be opened and see things afresh and anew. Learning will draw them towards Christ when they hear truth and embrace challenges.

Over the years I have had 1832 students walk through my doors and into my classroom. Each year I add more. And each year the number of students I pray for and love upon grows. Would you pray alongside me today…..

Hodaliz using a microscope

Sulmy testing the laws of physics

Victor, Bryan and Yonal watching their rocket fly

Shirley applying physics principles

Raul testing the soda cans

The challenges of physics for the Cuarto class

Jose, Bryan, Adrian, Victor, Tevan and Sergio

Maria, Lesly and Adriana

Adrian, Jose and Dopney trying to measure vectors

Kenley, Adrian and Ericka dissecting owl pellets

Christian, Sandra, Mayra, Gaby, Sulmy, Shirley, Raul, Everaldo and Cesar ready to launch their cars for the Egg Drop Lab.

My Intro to Mathematics class in the University

Teaching to Remember

Posted on March 15, 2015 by adrienneorris

This is a arm that can be used to practice giving IVs and drawing blood. Legally they can practice on each other, but it will be wiser and safer to practice first on the model!

In science, some of the concepts to teach are so difficult because they are difficult to envision. In part this is why lab experiences are so important, to put into practice what you are learning in the classroom. Part of what I have been doing during my time here is implementing these experiences in biology, chemistry and physics. The students and teachers have never experienced hands on learning like this which makes it difficult at times to explain procedures. But as light bulbs go off and I can see learning happening, it makes the time that goes into planning and preparation worth it. Many, many thanks to my friends who donated this equipment to the school. It stretches farther than you could ever imagine. I have been creative with resources and much of what I need I can find here when I improvise. I have rocks weighed out in sets, diagrams and posters hand drawn and plastic cups marked with quantities. Now all three schools are pulling from these supplies and it definitely makes the learning more concrete! We all thank you for the extension of the learning happening here!

Hands On Math!

Anatomy and Physiology

Microbiology

Physics and Chemistry

A few of my favorite things

Posted on March 15, 2015 by adrienneorris

Those of you who know me well know that I like rabbits and I like basketball. A little of both has been happening this month. I guess it is fit that March Madness is in full swing. I don’t even notice it really because my biological clock is reset to life in Latin America – and there is no March Madness.

I have had several girls come by the school and ask if I would help their basketball “team” this year. I finally agreed and have been doing some instructing and playing. It is much different here, I still don’t understand all of the rules, but I enjoy it just as much.

As for the rabbits, they’re a great source of protein. The hope is to produce babies and raise a few on the side just like my family used to do. So far we are 0 for 3 in keeping them alive long enough to do that. This time I started with adults with the hope that I would decrease the time it takes to reproduce.

We climbed this mountain to get to the house where they sell rabbits. Let’s hope it was worth it!

In Like a Lion

Posted on March 4, 2015 by adrienneorris

Someone had to remind me that it was March. To me it feels like June. I guess March is always best when it comes in like a Lion and our like a Lamb. For me that might hold true this month, we will see. I picked up some extra courses as our Physics/ Math teacher was away for his wife to have their baby and spent quality time with some quality students. I lost my voice in the process yet my brain completely flipped. I found it difficult to talk in English and my brain much preferring Spanish.

There used to be a time of normalcy here where every week was the same it and it would be difficult to find a new blog even once a month. We have entered into the world of constant change – with the exciting news being that I could send you something new that happens each day.

It is currently the dry season…. lots of dust, lots of fires in the nights in the mountains and great sunsets and sunshine on the mountains. It will be like this for awhile.

Work continues at the hospital with more and more foundational walls being built. Two-thirds of these walls have been poured and the men continue on their schedule to push forward.

School continues to be the routine around here – as we settle into a routine. I am noticing this year that I feel a little more confident teaching although I am still not expressing and completely explaining like I would like. How I even managed words last year I am not quite sure. These students are both from our Cuarto and Quinto Bachi classes.

Overwhelmed

Posted on February 22, 2015 by adrienneorris

The hospital continuing to be built.

A popular new song out there currently is titled “Overwhelmed”. I have been reminded of it often as the word overwhelmed comes to my mind. As the school year gets started and there are changes abounding, I feel overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the amount of work to do. Overwhelmed by the difficulty of raising the level of education. Overwhelmed with how to communicate in a foreign language.

And as I think about being overwhelmed, my perspective changes as I think of the lyrics to this song….

“Overwhelmed”

I see the work of Your Hands
Galaxies spin in a Heavenly dance oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming

I hear the sound of Your Voice
All at once it’s a gentle and thundering noise oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming

Overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the fact that he continues to do something a new here. Last week I sat and listened to Luis and John give tell their stories again of how they ended up here. And both stories were being written at the exact same time. And both stories had the same line – ” I didn’t want to. I didn’t have the time. ” And yet they both listened to God pulling them ever so close and telling them that this wasn’t just another lead to another place…. that it was where they were supposed to be. And I reflected back on those days where I struggled as well to understand all that God was asking me to give up. And sitting together now, encouraging one another and working with one another through it all brings about a unity that God overwhelms us for a season to bring about His glory.

And through it all, I can hear His voice. His voice saying He is doing something new hear. His voice as He continues to supply. His voice reminding us that these are His people. His voice as he brings together it all.

I must admit that most days I am overwhelmed by the demands of the day. I am overwhelmed by students who need my time and energy. I am overwhelmed, sleep deprived and overstimulated. I am overwhelmed by planning and taking in the students needs and trying to figure out what is needed next. I am overwhelmed by the pouring out of myself…. and yet as I listen to they lyrics I am reminded that is right where He wants us to be… overwhelmed so that we turn to Him and rely on Him for our strength.

God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

All that You’ve done is so overwhelming
I delight myself in You
In the Glory of Your Presence
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

You are Glorious, You are Glorious
Oh God, there is no one more Glorious
You are Glorious, God you are the most Glorious

And so… we may be overwhelmed, but it is because He has the capacity to overwhelm us. We may feel as if we cannot continue on at this pace, but we are given the promise that He will provide. He has in the past… why would we question the future?

Worth It

Posted on February 15, 2015 by adrienneorris

It may not be easy, but it will be worth it.

I struggle to translate some of my favorite quotes into Spanish, but I have found this one to not only translate…. But to mean something. No sera facil…pero valdra la pena.”

This last week was one of those three steps back weeks. We moved forward with the university, which brought encouragement and energy… but it also means that more work is to be done. I felt like I was always behind all week as new things came up daily.

As I watched the adults come in and we began classes, I saw something different in their eyes that I haven’t seen in the younger students. Many of these adults have already finished other post-secondary programs – receiving degrees as teachers, secretaries or even classes in engineering programs. But as I explained to them the importance of their times tables and knowing their addition and subtraction facts, they said no one ever required them to learn them. And this is true. And as we taught fractions –simple fractions – I saw lightbulb after lightbulb go off. Once again, they were not taught. We could easily criticize their education system. I often have. But these adults are just as hungry, if not more, for any education they can get. And so I return to one of my most often quoted phrases… it may not be easy, but it will be worth it.

Easy can be interpreted by everyone differently. Some people find Calculus to be easy. Others struggle to understand how to divide 64 by 6.Yet easy is not what we are aiming for. Easy does not get us any closer to the goal. Our hope is that both students are able to walk away with a sense of accomplishment, to have another skill under their belts and to be able to see, in some small way, how God is drawing them in. I never promise that it will be easy…. Because the easy way many times is not God’s way. What I do promise students is that when they look back, they will know that it was worth it. It was worth it to understand and not just memorize. It was worth it to do it yourself and not just copy someone else’s. It was worth it to do something different. Because we never know how good we can be unless we try.

As eyes glitter and smiles filled faces, I assigned their first homework. Eighteen simple fractions. And here is what I received back. I had forgotten that one of the greatest trademarks of this culture is the pride that they take in even a small assignment that could have been completed on a half sheet of paper. In folders, with title pages, and decorations and drawings. I would like to think they were just excited and enjoyed math that much….

And so… thus begins a new chapter for yet another new group of students.