ELL Class

Husband is my assistant and the class is increasingly popular... the time flies and we love it.

Cooking church dinners

I never thought I would be cooking weekly Wednesdays church dinners for 200... but I have been doing just that until the new cook can take over!

This week it was lasagna! I worked from 8 AM until 2 PM putting it togtehr and listening to a McCall Smith book, Miracle at Speedy Motors. Was in tears at the beautiful ending. 

One secret: Lisa from the office brought zucchini from her acreage garden--it got all shredded and included in the recipe, but the kids never knew!

Teaching coop

We continue to "Map the World with Art"...

Hospital ministry, thoughts

Last week it was my week of hospital ministry volunteer work with the parish. I went every day to visit a lady who was on her last days. I told Father she was not in a good way, and he did get to the hospital to give her the last sacraments, thanks be to God. He always asks that we tell him about parishioners in the hospital.

Last time that it was my week, there was no one to visit. I was surprised this time by how much I enjoyed it and looked forward every day to my visits to the hospital.

In fact, I have always liked the hospital environment, which is also very surprising, since hospitals are not necessarily the happiest places. I guess for me most of my the hospital experiences, albeit not without suffering, have ended in happy outcomes. But not always. I saw my dear mother for the last time in a very painful way at an ICU. I was with my father alone in the room when he died. Yet I still enjoy hospitals.

I remember when I taught Natural Family Planning classes in Kansas, I had an office at the local Catholic hospital and I was so happy and proud to see my name on the door. I used to make sure to always pass by the nursery and meet the new babies, even if I had little ones of my own and was often pregnant myself. 

Visiting the parishioner last week was so peaceful and felt so good. When I was the only guest in the room I enjoyed sitting down with her and praying the whole rosary, keeping her company. One time there were quite a few family members, and I stood up and prayed out loud, asking the Blessed Virgin to remember all of the Hail Marys the lady had said in her life, and begging her to be with her at this time at the end of her life.. They were very respectful and thankful. By chance I was also able to attend the funeral mass a few days later, and shake the had of the oldest son.

You just never know what volunteer work you're going to end up enjoying, and gaining peace in your heart through it.

Teaching Coop and CCD

The school year started for me teaching both homeschool coop and CCD at the parish. This week we talked about the recent canonization--and I also drew the world map on the board to locate the saints from my young students names! I must say I am truly enjoying the classes and very much looking forward to this year! Art, religion and geography are intertwined in my brain and the classes will overlap quite a bit. The fact that I obviously have talented kids help too! 

English class

Our free English classes continue weekly at the parish... there is a core of faithful Spanish-speaking students and a few that come and go as they are able. The blackboard last night wasn't that full--we had to reiterate many fo the items on the board such as the difference between "feet"and "fit"... and the difference bewuteen the sound of Y and J--which for them seems to the same.

I copy here the lesson from a book I found... real life stories from real news shows, all in carefully drawn bits. They are loving these. 

May God continue allowing me to help the students. I enjoy helping them!

Last day before Lent!

Pancakes for breakfast!

Number Seven helped make a Mardi Gras cake for my ESL class at church

But my co-teacher Maristela turned it into a birthday cake and had them sing!

Nice to have cake tonight since tomorrow it's Ash Wednesday! 

English class

Every Tuesday my friend Maristela and I are teaching English in a class at the parish for the local Spanish-speaking population. Most of them work in dairy farms and are willing to come to the parish once a week for these classes. Number Two has been helped helping us with ideas and resources from afar. Maristela's Spanish is perfect so she can communicate with them, well my Spanish is very poor but I have longer experience with English. So I tell Father Rod that it is the class taught by the blind and the lame, especially considering neither one of us has an ESL degree. But we have lived through what our students are undergoing... We make a good team and we care about them, and of course we are learning a lot in the process.


Today was my day to prepare the materials, and I brought some coloring for the kids. We read aloud, discussed, and I had them tell their Dia de Los Muertos traditions in English.