Vacation Bible School

So last week we had this special event at school where an Indian religious group from New York came to school one afternoon and set up a Vacation Bible School about Jonas and the Whale for the kids!

Until I plowed through the crowd of children in front of the door and walked in, I actually had no clue what was going on. That's how things work down here! You go with the flow, accepting everything in its time.

Anyway, the group had prepared a 'song' station, and several different craft stations for different grade levels.

They asked me to help since I speak English/Spanish, and then told me that they would separate the kids by grade.

Now, if you've ever been to a Honduran community, you will know that order is not something normally acknowledged by kids. They do their thing, run around, eat scrumptious food, and play soccer. Organizing a soccer team in itself is sometimes a grueling task.

So from right off I could tell that these people were doing an amazing thing for the kids, but they were not prepared for what they were about to experience.

The doors opened and the kids ran in, jumping and screaming. The group had set out a blue cloth for them to sit on, but the children were not having it.

The group sat all the kids down and tried to keep them quiet, but it was a lot like watching someone heard bees.

I've only been here five weeks, but I decided to try to do something about the mob. In my angriest, loudest voice, I yelled for them to be quiet, sit down and pay attention.

The room was suddenly SILENT. The moment was magical; I had actually silenced fourty-plus kids. The school director promptly came up to me and said "Please don't leave us. Stay, Emma!"

At that moment I knew that I had a special connection with this school and these kids. I love them with every fiber of my being, and I think that they know that. I'm not a lovey-dovey teacher, though. If they're out of line, they will receive a punishment.

But I think that that's exactly what many of these kids have needed; someone to draw the line, someone to say 'hey-you're doing a GREAT job today! I'm so proud of you!' Or someone to say: "Pedro-you know very well what the rules are, and if you throw another pencil you will not have recess."

Anyways, after my magical moment the kids mostly seemed to behave. They went to their stations (kind of) by grade, and made Jonas-inspired art. We played, we had snacks, and the smiles on the kids' faces were unbelievable. I had a blast because my kids' excitement was so incredibly contagious. (See Pedro's face below...)

The religious group left after a couple of hours exhausted but proud of what they had accomplished. So this being my last weekend in Honduras, I'm planning a similar fiesta for my children's home boys. We'll see how it goes! :)