ONE OF MY DREAMS FOR LOS LIMONES

Couldn't resist posting these cute little dresses. There's an organization called Little Dresses for Africa. These dresses are made out of about a yard of fabric, and there's another version called a Pillowcase Dress made out of (you guessed it!) pillowcases.
Right away the wheels started turning in my head -- "Ok, if these are good dresses for Africa, wouldn't these be good for the little girls at Los Limones?" Some of them come to VBS in very tacky or ill-fitting dresses.
These were made by my friend Denise. Didn't they turn out great?! I feel a "dressathon" coming up some time in the future!

OPERACION RESCATE

Well, the blog ticker says 260 more days 'til VBS as of today. Time to start thinking about the November 2011 trip. This year's VBS is entitled Operation Rescue (Operacion Rescate). There is an emphasis on taking care of our planet, and I think the kids will really enjoy it. I prepared this display board for Missions Weekend at church and included a few photos of last year.

THIS YEAR'S GUESSING GAME WINNERS

Every year we do a "Guess the _____" contest. This year it was Guess the Animal Crackers, and we chose a boy and a girl winner. They both came pretty close to the correct number which was 264. The winners get a bag full of prizes. This year they received frosted animal crackers, a wooden cross craft, a rubber bracelet, and a few other things. The kids seem to really enjoy this. The boy (David) was from my class, and the girl was from the little guys class.

GOD SMILING ON US AT LOS LIMONES

Photo album made with Smilebox

LAST DAY AT LOS LIMONES--WOW!

Here is what I would call "wall to wall people". Our site was bursting at the seams, and I don't know if we could have fit one more person! This was our last day at our outdoor site, and there were 314 people. You can see that it was really packed. We managed to give out crowns, color, and pass out snacks. It was a great ending to a great week!

How fitting that on the last day we returned to the church for our final goodbyes and to pack up, and there was a rainbow! We didn't see a pot of gold at the end, but the rainbow ended at the new Lutheran School! How cool was that?

SMILE -- YOU'RE IN GUATEMALA!!!!!!!

This photo album personalized with Smilebox

This was my first attempt at a Smilebox. It was a lot of fun! Just click on it, and after a little bit of advertising, you'll see a bunch of pictures.

HAVING FUN WITH THE LITTLE ONES AT CHURCH...

Here's Karen teaching the little ones at church. Today the good news train went to Antarctica, so their class learned about what it's like to live in a cold climate. Jennie (at the right) is the English teacher at the school. Although the temperature in Gualan was probably in the 90's, Karen is putting on a scarf, a warm hat, and mittens!
Here's Karen in her "get up", and she and Carol are getting ready to have a "snowball" fight. These snowballs were made out of styrofoam though!

The kids also laced up mittens and had snowmen that they colored and decorated with cotton. They really keep them busy with activities and are so creative!

Here is one of our favorite helpers from the church, Melissa. She really enjoys working with the little ones.