The School Report

We talked to Leydi today before church. Don had practiced his Spanish so he could ask her how school was going, did she like it, was it hard, etc. She replied, with a big smile, "good, yes, yes!" It has been a bit rough for the girls because they are pretty well immersed in English all morning and had their first English spelling test on Friday. She told Don that she needed an English dictionary and he told her he would get her one. Don't know how well (or poorly) they did on their first test, but our friend Susan gave the girls a little pep talk about not getting discouraged if they don't do well at first. She's also going to tutor them on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Susan has been concerned about areas where they are lacking, like math. The beach school did not do a good job with math; they know very little.

We were encouraged that all four of the girls seem very happy with this school. Some of the girls were "ecstatic" according to Susan, but Leydi is always more reserved. She did have a very large smile though. Susan was able to get the little first grade boy switched from the first school to this one, so now all five kids can go together. The father of some of the girls was able to recruit a taxi driver to pick the girls and one boy up at their homes high up in the colonia each morning and drive them home for the same price that we would have paid a bus, 50 lempiras/day (about $2.50 US). Susan and Larry have been trying to negotiate with the taxi driver to become their permanent driver. His wife was interested because they would love to send their son to that school and this would provide the money plus extra.

I learned (with the help of a translator, our friend Brandi) a bit more about why Leydi is living with her grandmother. She has had Leydi since she was 1 day old. She was born to Concepcion's daughter who apparently did not want her. So Concepcion took her home and has raised her. She said Leydi calls her "mamma" and that she is mamma, grandma and grandpa all rolled into one. She is doing a fine job. Leydi's birth mom lives nearby and has another child who is 2 years younger than Leydi. I have such admiration for Concepcion. She has a very hard life but has done a fine job with Leydi and is a dear Christian sister.

An encouraging week. Hoping and praying that more follow.