Changing Blogs

Hi Friends... I have decided to create a new blog for my trip to Bolivia and leading up to Bolivia!

Here is the new addresshttp://rachel-buenosdiasbolivia.blogspot.com/.

I will be updating this one from here on out!

My next Adventure...... Bolivia??

As some of you may know I am strongly considering moving to Bolivia in August to teach for a year.

Yes I know, this is crazy and has come up quickly but I think this is what God is calling me to do.

My roommate Sarah and I found out about this opportunity about three weeks ago, and from the very first email sent to the school, everything has happened so quickly. The schools seems very interested in having us come down and teach and SIM( the missions organization) seems very willing to work with us and find a way for us to get down to Bolivia in time.

If we were to go, we would have to be down there around the beginning of August and the school year goes until around the beginning of May.

As I think about whether to go or not, a lot of things come to mind. I think about what a great opportunity this would be. I would learn so much about teaching, about myself, about God and about a foreign country. I would have so many stories to bring back and so many things to share. I know that I would be changed by this experience and I would hopefully make a change in the lives of my students down there.

I also know that things will be hard if I go. I will be away from my friends and family for a long amount of time and it will take effort to stay in contact with them. I will be in a foreign country and will have to adjust to a new culture and meet new people. I will have to re-learn Spanish. I will be homesick. I will need to fund raise.

While there are this list of hard things, these do not seem to hold a candle to all the good things that can come out of this. As my dad said " Who wants to live a comfortable life, Rachel". I know this can be hard and at times uncomfortable, but God is in it all. If he is calling me to go, he will provide the money I need and the comfort I need to be able to make it through. It may be hard, but when I think about the great experiences I could have and the fun times that could be ahead, I get excited!

In the future when I look back at my life and see what I have done, I want to be able to say that I was involved in Ministry and Teaching and going to Bolivia has both of these!

A New Semester

Hello Everyone,

The second( and last) semester of my Masters Program started 1.5 weeks ago and the load is starting to pick up.

I have been placed in a first grade classroom and I will be taking three grad school classes. My class is very sweet and are a lot of fun to be around. They each have their own great personality and seem to really enjoy being at school. My mentor teacher is really funny and we have had fun the past week and a half. I am excited to get to know my students better and to start to take on more responsibilities.

One thing I really like about first graders is how funny they are. They say the sweetest things. I have gotten so many hugs( I am all ready sick :)), a lot of drawings, and a couple " I like you".

My classes have also gotten off to a good start as well.

Christmas Break: I was at home for 4 weeks which was really nice. It was nice to be able to relax, read and sleep in late. I enjoyed spending time with my family, going to my sisters basketball games, and hanging out with friends. I was able to read 4 books over break which was a nice change. My dad and I were also able to work on a puzzle which was a lot of fun. I use to love doing puzzles when I was young, so it was fun to do it again. My friend Sarah also came up to visit for a few days which was really nice. Se brought up her Wii which was a lot of fun! All in all winter break was relaxing!

I will be sure to update you as things continue to progress! - Rachel