change of scenery

post by~ Brin

With the rain forest as their classroom, my 3 & 4th graders tromped through the jungle to put a finish on their botany unit. We did not find any rare orchids nor did we find any carnivorous plants, although it would have been so satisfying to see a pitcher plants slowly ingesting the ants that can be so irritating here.

And since I am woefully unqualified to teach anything about jungle plants, our guide was PQQ's Uncle Phil, who told us stories of rubber trees and the rubber tappers, how to build a fire if you get lost and have to spend the night in the jungle, about a Governor from years past that tried unsuccessfully to build a road behind the workshop to get to his fishing house, and when a big oil company came through looking for oil. All this he remembered from when he was just a little boy at the school. We learned a lot besides plants on that hike. 

With Amazonian history right in front of them, the students get a lesson on rubber tapping from one of many trees at the school that bare the scars of playing a part in Brazil's famous, if not unpleasant, role in dominating the world in rubber export up to the turn of the 20th century.

Uhhhh.... whose kid is looking through the binoculars at the ground? The same kid who answered Canada when asked what hemisphere she lives in.  That is ok, another kid answered North America and none of them could say what the equator was even though they live 3 degrees from it. But on this trip we had a machete and 2 pocketknives so they were ready for something.

There are trails behind the school campus that have been used for various functions.  I like them to take date-walks with Josh. 

A water lily covered pond which would be whimsically delightful if it were not aiding and abetting alligators and mosquitoes. 

{shudder}  

I am not sure what these caterpillars are yet, but whatever they are they might be mean. One wrong touch to some caterpillars and they cause blisters, as Ava would tell you if you ask about her 9th birthday. We were climbing uphill (and using handholds) when I saw what could have otherwise been a sturdy tree.

I did share a bit of jungle knowledge to my students when I encouraged them to poke a hole in the termite nest and eat a termite off the stick. "They taste like black pepper" I informed them just like my jungle guide  in Honduras told me years ago. Only one student tried one and he complained that it bit him first.


Really that science hike was no big deal. Not really blogworthy except that I really enjoyed it. And it gave me a spark of energy to keep giving my best for the students and if I am doing it for God's glory I can count on Him to give me the energy I need for each day. It was as if God gave me a little delightful detour and the different scenery gave me perspective.

Following the theme of the title of this post , I went to the States for 8 gorgeous autumn days to be a bridesmaid in Chelsea's wedding to André. It was so good to be with many old friends. Old being a peculiar term because when you go through momentous occasions with people, it ages the friendship profoundly. And the wedding...blissful. Perfectly sunny, and with a romantically timed breeze that swept a charming curl right over Chelsea's radiant face when she gave André his ring

I was deeply grateful to be able to go to Chelsea's wedding. God prompted several people in North America to help me get there, and it was just one of many stories on how God has gotten so many people involved in helping with André and Chelsea's engagement and wedding.  It was overwhelmingly clear He was orchestrating the event. And I was thankful to have my own story and participation a part of it. 

I also am thankful for the prayers my family received after my last post. And I continue to be humbly reliant  on them.  I keep posting the same stuff over and over again. We are pretty worn out. My shoulder hurts. It is really hot. We like mangos and have plenty of them but would prefer them without bugs. I admit, it all seems quite dreary, and sometimes dwelling on that discourages me. But then I catch an entertaining sight like the one below. I can thank our Father sincerely that my poor attitude, my impatience and ineptitude, He uses me in spite. And He has saved me from hell, how much less is everything else.

I caught Ava spraying down some boys on one of our many hot afternoons. "It's hot," she informed me, as if my band of sweat around my middle wasn't already screaming that information, "we should build a water-slide."