Serving the Shepherd, Loving His Lambs: 2010

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

December 2010

Here is our December Newsletter. Click on each page to open and read.

Alia's birthday cake

Getting her face smashed in her cake - "thanks, DAD!"

A birthday hug!

Pirate day at school!

Noah enjoyed the Fun Fall Festival at school.

Here is Carl INSIDE our cistern cleaning out the mud! Yeah, that's the water we bathe in!

Little Kaylee Turkey

Little Molly Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Friday Fun Night at the Nortons!!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

November 2010

Here is our November Newsletter. Click on each page to open and read. Scroll down for more photos!

For our ending celebration to our Parable of the Sower unit, the children made "dirt desserts!" Complete with chocolate ice cream, peanuts (the seeds), crushed oreos (the good soil), and of course, gummy worms! The kids loved them and had a great time making them.

Gracia showing her worm to Vasti.

Adding the good soil.

This is the pan de muerto (death bread) that is very popular for Day of the Dead.

Here is a road side stand selling candles to take across the street to the cemetary. On Nov. 1 and 2, families congregate in the cemetaries where their beloved are buried. They clean the graves and adorn them with candles, marigolds, and crosses. In some remote villages, they even dig up the bodies to dust the bones!

Sand sculptures covered with colored flour decorate the downtown park.

Lots of decorating with sculls and crosses.

An altar that is also set up in the park. Many people also set up these altars in their houses and places of work. Here they set out the favorite foods of their deceased loved ones. They are also decorated with pictures of the deceased, candles and flowers.

... and their favorite alcoholic beverage - mezcal!

Although parts of the celebration may seem morbid to foreigners, the holiday is really a celebration. They celebrate that their loved ones are happy in their after-life. These two little boys were throwing confetti around as part of the celebration.

Silly string and egg shells, filled with flour or confetti, are also sold. Children can be seen running after one another to crack a flour-filled egg on the head of their friend!