Hump day

Happy Wednesday everyone!

To be honest, it feels like it should be Friday!  Subbing can be harder than being the regular teacher (in my opinion).  First, you need to try to understand what the regular teacher means by his/her lesson plans.  Then you have to manage the students usually without even knowing them and what technique works best and there are always issues that come up that I am not sure how to handle in order to please the authorities that be.

Today was a particular trial for me.  I am not sure if it is my age, or just what, but at one point I had to walk out of the class before I really hit the ceiling.  One class, in particular, just would not be quiet.  I had them for most of the day today and WOW did it wear me out!  It didn't occur until later in the day that I could be recording the behavior of the particularly "challenging" students which could result in detention and might just curb some of the "overly enthusiastic talkers!"  I am glad that I figured it out before the end of the day, as it did help curtail some of the noise.


Anyway, unless I hear otherwise this evening (or in the morning) contrary to what I have come to believe, I will be going back to my "regular" job of assisting the ESL and SpEd teachers with "my kids" and spending the rest of the day in the library.  I would really like the break and be able to get back to my regular routine.  I know that subbing is important, especially in a small school without many who can step in at a moment's notice and teach a class when a teacher is sick or needs to be out of the classroom, and I am glad that I can help out, but it sure does wear a person out!

We have been blessed by adding a few more monthly financial supporters and also from a number of others who have generously given us one-time gifts lately.  We are at 38% of our monthly support now and VERY thankful for the increase!


Vaughn has been surprised that Geometry has been going a lot better than he had originally thought since he hadn't had the class for almost 40 years.  The regular teacher is expected back a week from Monday, I believe.  It's great how everyone here pitches in and

takes on additional classes to their already full schedules when there is a need, even when the subject might be totally out of the comfort zone of the teacher.

We continue to have new adventures; yesterday we ventured into town so that Vaughn could reserve a place for the HS boys and their fathers and the male teachers to play soccer/football a week from Friday night.  It is located in what is the only thing close to being called a mall here.  We were out of Bolivianos (the currency here), but we were able to hitch a ride with one of the teachers who lives in town.  What we didn't realize was that he dropped us off 2 kilometers from where we needed to go.  I felt like I had worked out for hours by the time we got home!  However, we got to eat at one of only two Burger Kings that we know about!  So, that was a treat and after two tries at ATMs we were able to refill our "coffer" and get a taxi ride all the way home with the groceries that we got at the grocery store at the mall.

Taking taxis into town is an interesting adventure and you do have to take certain precautions as there is some well-known thievery that is perpetrated from disreputable taxi companies.  While we do have access to the missionary's car whose apartment in which we are living are in the U.S., we are only to stay in the immediate area (to school and back and also to our church and back - which meets at the school at the present time).  It can be inconvenient and expensive to always have to take a taxi to town and back home (as the only "true" grocery stores are quite a ways from our area of town.  There are "tiendas" around the neighborhood to which we can get to pretty easily, but you can't always get what you need (for that matter you can't always get what you are looking for in town, either; I'm having a hard time finding brown sugar, tortilla chips - one of Vaughn's favorite staples!, kidney beans, corn syrup, etc.).  BUT, we can get so many more grocery items here than we were able to procure in Senegal that we could actually feel spoiled here!

Well, it is getting late here and I think I have written quite enough to satisfy everyone and probably OVER-satisfy others!

We would love to hear from all of you; that is always a special treat - to hear from friends and family who are praying and/or financially standing with us in the ministry (whether it be via email or snail mail - which is especially exciting.  When a package arrives for someone EVERYONE gets excited for them and can't wait to see what they got; it's really like Christmas or a birthday!

Blessings to all of you and please enjoy the rest of your week!


Kathy, for us both

P.S.  I LOVE seeing the

Aymara women from this

area in their brightly-colored

clothing - here is a typical

sight in La Paz