Sonrisas y Sol

“Lord, send me a family of friends  to go to Bolivia with.” (Photo: Treson) This time last year I started praying for the right people to come to Bolivia with. God answered that prayer above and beyond what I could have asked or imagined!  It wasn’t my original idea to introduce all of this year’s Familia Feliz SMs; that was Treson’s. But I’m going to copy him, format and all, so everyone can see just who God sent: Treson Thompson   “Hmmmm” So his name is actually Verle or something, but he is the “son-of-Trey.” If you don’t hear his quiet situational comments you will miss out on peak humor. Always finding a way to explain away a confusing situation, he’ll search for “what they may have meant.” His observations of the environment and kids here are also full of insight, which tracks with him having graduated with a degree in bio-research. And his eye for photography and editing is unsurpassed. Treson works with the older boys in Los Guerreros on Sundays and teaches the h...

“Do it for the kicks and giggles,” is an expression that I’ve had in my thoughts more and more. And more and more it’s taken on new meaning in the context of Familia Feliz: a place with both kicks and giggles.   Kicks The thing that kicks me the hardest is disciplining kids. It hurts my heart (and it hurts my brain to come up with the Spanish). When I don’t really know what happened but two of my girls are upset, I ask them individually, “¿Que quieres?” (“What do you want?”) “No se,” is the inevitable answer from both parties. “Ok, then we’ll all go clean together,” and I work with them until I ask, “¿Terminaste?” (“Are you done?”) and “Necesitamos hablar con T. Abi?” (“Do we need to talk with T. Abi?”). So far it’s pretty foolproof for not having enough Spanish! Being told “no” after I say to do something is a big no-no for me. Nirza is generally the sweetest little peach, but sometimes her attitude flairs up (“¡No quielo!”) and we get to deal with a little tantrum post-forcing-he...

“I’ve noticed something about people who make a difference in the world…They aren’t determined to revolutionize the world all at once; they’re satisfied with small changes. Over time, though, the small changes add up.” (Katie Davis, Kisses From Katie ) Little by Little “Teacher, voy a recoger bananas con las mayores,” T. Abi said Friday. “¿Puedo ir con ustedes?” I asked. So I was the teacher who went with the two oldest girls to pick bananas. It felt very empowering to carry a sharp machete into the rainforest, very adventurous to jump up and grab the base of a cluster of bananas and pull on it with all my weight until the branch broke off the tree, very earthy to carry our bountiful harvest back to our house! It was 95 degrees and sweat was running in rivers all over my fully-covered body, and I thought for a brief minute about the exchange I’d made: shorts and a cold shower for an hour of quality time laughing with Soledad and Maribel. I’d made the right call. Diego came up to me fo...

“I believe that God totally, absolutely, intentionally gives us more than we can handle. Because this is when we surrender to Him and He takes over, proving Himself by doing the impossible in our lives.” (Katie Davis, Kisses from Katie ) Classroom Chaos For a moment I stood and looked around my classroom as every kid had their head down, intently copying four letters. When I took a gulp of air, I realized I hadn’t been breathing because I didn’t want to disturb the rare moment of peace. Then the clamor for “¡Ayuda, Ticher!” recommenced all at once. Hands pulled at my shirt, pants, and arms and poked my back and legs from all directions. Teacher María, the first and second grade teacher, is consistently half an hour to an hour late to school, leaving me to start the day with my ukulele, Spanish Bible picture books, crafts, and object lessons, all while frantically maintaining decorum. When T. María does arrive, she brings her two children, aged two and four, which roam the classroom all...