2011, here we go!

Now that the tinsel has settled from all of the Christmas activities, I finally feel like there is some time to update our blog. While we were unable to return to the states for Christmas, we really enjoyed the relaxing time here in Honduras. Kimberly's sister, Mel, joined us here for about 9 days. It was fun hosting our first visitor from the states and showing her the sights here in Tegucigalpa. Being from Montana, Mel wanted some warmth and sunshine so we returned to Amapala again for four days to enjoy the beaches and 90 degree heat. The excitement during our trip peaked when a large scorpion came trotting out of our bathroom right before bedtime. Needless to say, the girls went screaming out of the apartment we were renting. The scorpion was dealt with but getting to sleep proved to be a bit more challenging that night.
Click here for photos of our Amapala trip

Before Christmas break, our school participated in something like "Operation Christmas Box" and we blessed the students at AFE with gifts. Amor, Fe, y Esperanza (AFE) is a ministry/school here that serves children who live at the city dump. Their families are very poor and live off what they can gather from the trash. AFE was started to give these kids some hope, education, and skills for a future outside of the dump. We chose five AFE students to bless, spent a few weeks buying gifts for them, and were able to deliver the gifts to them in person. It was a heartwarming event for all of our staff and for our daughters as well.
Click here for photos of AFE

Kimberly and the girls were also very busy before the break with Christmas productions. Kimberly's choir performed well at both the elementary and secondary music concerts. She also directed our church choir for their annual Christmas play. Our girls all sang in the elementary musical and both Maddi and Clara had small speaking roles. Maddi was also on stage as an angel in the church play as well. It was a bit hectic for a couple of weeks but the performances were a fun way to kick off the Christmas season.
Click here for photos of the Christmas concerts/plays

Since both Kim and I really enjoy hiking and because Mel was in town, we headed up to La Tigra national park for a nice hike. We really haven't had a chance to enjoy the natural beauty here much so it was a fun (and tiring) afternoon of exploring. La Tigra is only 20 minutes from where we live and is a protected high elevation rain forest. We had a great time stretching our legs on the trails of La Tigra.
Click here for photos of La Tigra

Thank your for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers as we serve the students here at Academia Los Pinares. We hope that you had a fantastic Christmas and that 2011 is treating you well so far!

~The McNiels