We will be leaving in about two hours to head for the airport and as most of you know there have been a few set backs but everything seems to be calm and normal right now so hopefully we'll make it. I am asking everyone to please keep us in your prayers as we start travelling today and then after we get home as well. Today the kids all had a little part of their devotionals dedicated to Jess and me and it has really had an affect on us. We are so excited to come home to our families and friends but doing that means we are leaving another family behind here and that's extremely hard for us right now. Thank you all so much for the prayers encouragement and love you have sent our way over the past 2 months it has meant more to us than you guys will ever know i'm so excited to come home and share everything with everyone! hopefully i'll be back in several hours!! Everyone have an amazing day!

In Him,
Mackenzie

Last Full Week of Classes!!

We have officially began the last week of teaching. It's extremely bittersweet. I don't think Jessica or I neither one know exactly how we feel about it. Of course we're excited to come home and see everyone but leaving here and leaving these kids behind is going to be one of the hardest things i think i've ever had to do. The connection we've formed with all of them is one that we'd form with family at home and i honestly feel like i'm leaving one family and coming home to another. I have said many times before how the one thing i believe i've learned the most about is faith and relying on God since i've been here and i now, more than ever, feel that way. Before i came i was so nervous about what i was getting into. I was leaving my family, who i'd never left for more than a week, and going to a whole different country where i didn't fluently speak their language, and on top of all that i was going to be moving in with someone i literally barely knew. God showed me how amazing he really is throughout the past 2 months in the way he's worked in and through me. He has helped me learn my way here and helped me learn the language a little better to help with the communication barrier. The best part has seeing him work through jessica and i's friendship. You would think after living together for 24/7 we'd get in some kind of fight or get on the other's nerves but we've only grown closer and closer and i'm now coming home with someone i know i will be friends with for a lifetime! I can not stress enough how important it is to give everything to God and just put ALL your FAITH in him! I can't wait to see everyone! have a wonderful day!

James 2:17-18

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do

Wednesday!

We had a very slow day today! Nothing very exciting happened. We had school where Jess's junior high class had a test today and everyone came up on their average and did very well! She was so excited about it because that is her most challenging class and they have progressed majorily! After classes today Jess and i went into the city to do a little grocery shopping and came back to the campus and went to the nightly prayer with the kids. Tonight was AMAZING with them. Jess and i each had atleast 4 kids with us praying. Of course i had Gerson yet again and he just sat in my lap for over 20 minutes! Another child, Lupita, came and sat with me tonight. She just sat there and read her bible for 30 minutes. It was so great to see her in God's Word. Afterwards we walked Gerson, Lupita, and the little boy that was with Jess, Carlos back to the kid's house because it was time for them to be in bed. When we got there they all wanted us to tuck them into bed! It was the sweetest thing ever. Gerson and Jefferson had me read them a bedtime story which magically turned into two stories of course! I love these kids all so much and have no idea how i'm going to be able to leave them all in only two weeks. I came here planning to teach all these children and be a light for them which i'd like to think i have been however i know that without these kids my learning experience and the growth i've had in my spiritual life wouldn't have been as great as it has been. They have taught me so much on love and patience and faith! The light they have been for me has made this trip for me more than worth it! I can't wait to bring home what they've taught me to share with everyone at home! Hope everyone has a great rest of the night and day tomorrow!

Water Water EVERYWHERE!!!

Today was yet another good day! It started out a little rough! In my english class today my class was doing worksheets and i had been getting onto them for talking too much so when a little boy, Caleb, told me i had a spider on me i got onto him and told him it was not time for joking and to do his worksheet and he said "teacher, really, a spider!" Next thing i know the whole class was screaming and jumping up and down, and low and behold there was a tarantula crawling up my leg! If that's not enough about 15 minutes later there was yet another one on the hood of my sweater! It was crazy!! The day luckily got better as it progressed. My classes are all still going extremely smooth and we're just trying to wrap up since we'll be leaving in two weeks! My preschool class is finally learning english which is so exciting. Katie and I decided to tag team together and combine our classes and that's helped quite a bit! There were no nannies today so after school we went to the kids house to help them with their chores and everything and just hang out with them which is always amazing! Afterwards i went back upstairs to grade my math class workbooks and after i got finished i went downstairs and when i came back Jessica was no where to be found! So i searched for her and finally found her downstairs in the main devotion area where Dorcas had been doing her chores and decided to go the extra mile and clean behind the washing machine where she somehow busted the pipe and water went EVERYWHERE and Jessica was down there vacuuming up all the water!!! Jess is such the trooper! I later found out that Dorcas had done the same thing with the stove and pulled that cord out as well and gas went all over the place! It was a very exciting afternoon here as you can tell!

Next Friday is Jessica's art show so this week and weekend she's going to be getting that together and i'm going to help as much as i can without getting in the way! It's a ton of work so pray for her! She's very good at this kind of thing so i have full confidence in her but i think she's get a little nervous about it! Also pray for us as we wind everything here down and for God to prepare our hearts for leaving and coming back home! Hope all is well at home! Thank you again for everyone's continuous prayers and support over the past several months!