Happenings in October

Since CDS (where I teach) is such an international community, we celebrate all the different cultures represented in the month of October, geography month. UN Day is October 26th, so we usually hold the assembly around that day.

This year the third graders were asked to do a Korean dance. The practiced hard and, although it wasn't executed with the precision you would've seen in Korea, they did a really great job. Some kids were incharge of the drums...

...while the others held the fans.

This month also saw the official news that Gera is involved with a group called Operation Mobilization. They were blessed with a huge donation through the program "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" here in Costa Rica. For the season finale, the producers invited some of the best contestants to play for a community service organization of their choice. One of the contestants chose OM.

When the TV station came to film a little bit about their work in the community, they gave the camera guy a Bible. The contestant answered the question to get to the hot seat and did a great job. They are all excited for the doors that this opportunity this has given them to move ahead with their projects to impact the community and share the gospel. The first being an outreach in the indigenous community along the Panama border in December.

Katy Lou had a great night last night. She got all dolled up in her "mommy, nice" dress and went "trick or treating" at school. Although Halloween is not a celebrated holiday in Costa Rica, CDS has a special night where the classroom doors get decorated, the elementary students come in their costumes and collect candy while the middle schoolers pass out the candy at the doors.

She loves putting make up and was thrilled with her butterfly bag.

It was so much fun to watch her follow all the other kids as they went from door to door. She wasn't sure what to do with her bag at first and was a little surprised when the middle schoolers would put things in her bag. Eventually she decided it would be better to recieve the candy with her hand and put it in her bag herself.

The part she loved the most was running from place to place (some of the classrooms are quite far away). After going through the route, we sat down to rest and just people watch for a while.

We did let her have one piece of candy - a tootsie roll - and she was, in the words of a 3rd grader who saw her on our way out, "very energetic". On the way out we ran into my friend and fellow teacher, Katy, and her son Owen. He very sweetly grabbed her hand and we all walked together to our cars.
For those that are interested, I've been feeling better and the doctor said that everything was going great at the last appointment. The heartbeat was nice and strong and all the test results were normal.

Gera also started Spanish and Math classes two weeks ago and is super motivated to finish in March! Bailey continues to grow (she's a little bigger that the size I thought she'd be when she was full grown) and is 5 months old now. Katy and her love playing with each other and even Gera has some crazy ideas sometimes.

Don't you just love her laugh. It's contagious!