End-of-the-Year ET Events

 This year, Jonathan and I again helped lead the "ETs" (Early Teens youth group) at our church.  The month of May is very busy for the ETs, but it is also one of my favorite times with the group!

On Monday, we took the ETs on an exciting hike at "The Crevice" and, against all odds, no one was injured!  :)  Then we planned skits and songs for our annual Senior Citizen dinner, and enjoyed a cook-out together.

Yesterday was the big Senior Citizen dinner.  The ETs cook, serve, and provide entertainment for a nice dinner in honor of the seniors at our church. 

This year we prepared ham, au gratin potatoes, rolls, and spinach salad, along with a delicious assortment of desserts. 

The ETs performed several humorous skits and sang a few songs while our guests ate dinner. 

 

Then, during dessert, the students sat down with the senior citizens and they all got to know each other a little better.  This is my favorite part of the evening; it was cool to see both the ETs and the seniors open up and enjoy that time together!

 

Planning these events was my last major responsibility for this school year, so now I am very relaxed and excited for the summer to begin!  :)

8th Grade Graduation

This evening I went to the graduation ceremony of my 8th grade students.  I have taught these students for two years now, in both 7th and 8th grades, so they are special to me.  That is not to say they were not at times difficult or frustrating...but they certainly do have a very special place in my heart!

Today they looked so grown up, sitting there on the stage in their best clothes, on their best behavior.  Behind their smiles and grown-up demeanor it was hard to recall the realities of these past two years: the reprimands and detentions; the homework, finished and unfinished; the sleepless nights when I said something wrong, or left something unsaid; the countless e-mails to parents; the Wednesday afternoons struggling through our "silent" reading period; the friendships broken and mended, with tears; the endless arguments over "who stole my pencil?!"; the fear that they would never make it to this day. 

Yet here they are.  And as I looked at my students on the stage this evening, I could finally look past the struggles and more fully see their potential, and their successes.  Their creativity; their kindness; their intelligence; their growing maturity.  They have come such a long way, and I do believe that they are ready for the next step.  The funny thing is that, as many times as I wished their graduation would come faster, now I wish I had a little longer with these amazing young men and women.

I did not do much to help them reach this point of achievement.  I did so many things wrong and have so much more to learn.  So tonight, as I looked at those students up on the stage in their best clothes and brightest smiles, I did not feel pride but rather gratitude to God for working so powerfully in their lives.  Do they still have a long way to go?  Of course...as do we all.  But my prayer for them tonight is this:

"...That he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
 --Philippians 1:6

Class of 2017--stay strong in the Lord!

I leave you tonight with one bonus picture: the sunsets here have been gorgeous lately!  :)

Chaco Canyon

Today we had planned to drive to Mesa Verde, CO, to meet up with the  Miller family during their RV adventures; unfortunately, the timing didn't work out, so we decided to head to Chaco Canyon instead!

 Chaco Canyon is an area that was inhabited by a sophisticated culture from about 850 AD to 1250 AD.  These people built large, multi-storied structures, had an advanced knowledge of astronomy, and traded with cultures as far away as Central America!

It is not easy to get to Chaco...the only way in is a 20 mile long unpaved road.  Our little car did not enjoy this trip.  But we did--the bumpy road was definitely worth it!

 From the visitor's center, we took a short trail to Una Vida, one of the Great Houses (public buildings) of Chaco Canyon and some cool petroglyphs.

Next, we took a ranger-guided walk around Pueblo Bonito, the largest of Chaco's Great Houses and truly an incredible piece of architecture!  It once contained over 600 rooms and 40 kivas (large, circular rooms used for religious ceremonies).

 Finally, we took the Pueblo Alto trail up to the top of the mesa for some great views of Pueblo Bonito from above!

 
Now that I have finally experienced Chaco Canyon, I feel like I can be a legitimate New Mexico history teacher!  (We only have four days of class left, but better late than never!)   :)  I definitely recommend this experience for anyone who comes to northwestern New Mexico!

Small Group Hike at Ramah Lake

Today our church small group met at the Fabers' beautiful home in Ramah, New Mexico, about an hour south of Gallup.  After a great lunch, we set out on a hike around Ramah Lake.

The weather today was perfect for a hike!  I loved the red-and-white rock cliffs around the lake...

Jonathan and I climbed up some rocks next to the trail and got some spectacular views of the lake down below!

With Tim leaving for Charlotte in just a few weeks, it was good to get in some brother/sister time, too!  :)

We love our small group...it was such a nice afternoon of fellowship together!

An Evening Walk

Today the weather was so nice that we decided to go for a walk after dinner. 

We walked on the trails behind Rehoboth, up to a place called Resurrection Rock.

It's a path that we have walked many times, but tonight there was an awesome sunset and I was especially struck by what a beautiful place this is!

We also had great views of Pyramid Rock and Church Rock:

Tonight, I am thanking God for this amazing piece of creation!

Celebrating with Mr. Fred

This past Thursday, we hosted a dinner to celebrate the birthday of our special friend and neighbor, Mr. Fred Witteveen.  Mr. Fred is an amazing man: a decorated World War II veteran, a cancer survivor, and a dedicated and active volunteer at our school.  Our community would not be the same without him!

Mr. Fred's wife passed away several years ago, and since he lives right across the street from us, we were asked to visit him each evening to make sure that he is feeling well and that he had a good day.  These visits have blessed us so much.  Mr. Fred has incredible stories and such a kind personality!  We wanted to do something special for his birthday!

For dinner, we had ham, mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, and fruit; for dessert, he had requested "chocolate cake with chocolate frosting"!  I have had lots of trouble baking cakes out here since we are at a high altitude.  However, for this cake I found a detailed high altitude chocolate cake recipe and it turned out well!

Some of Mr. Fred's good friends from church, Pete and Dot Goudzwaard, came to dinner along with my brother Tim.  We had a fun evening together and I hope that it reminded Mr. Fred how special he is to all of us!