And my many blessings…

Every day before snack time, our class sings a prayer:

"Thank you, God
For my food
And my many blessings
Say Amen."

Several days ago, I asked the kids to tell me some of the blessings in their lives.

This is what they came up with:

- my mom
- my dad
- my sister
- books to read
- the sun
- my friends

- the playground

Before we were done, one of my boys raised his hand and said “You!” He shyly put his head down on his desk as my face filled with joy. What a sweet thing to say! It is my prayer that I have been a blessing to each one of these kids.

As my class heads towards Kindergarten, I am sad to see them go. They all have been little blessings to me. I’m looking forward to enjoying this last month or so that I have with them.

May God send many blessings your way today!

Our Spring Break

Luke and I did something new this year for Spring Break. We helped out with the childcare at a missions retreat. I had the 2-6 year olds and Luke was with the 8-11 year old boys. My group was super fun especially because I teach preschool and because one of the girls is in my class at NCA.

It turned out to be a perfect balance of fun, responsibility, and relaxation.

The retreat was held at a beach hotel about an hour away from Managua. We enjoyed beautiful sunsets, hammocks, going boogie boarding, and the cool breeze.

The retreat didn't last the entire week so we enjoyed being back at home without school responsibilities. It was a blessing to catch up on sleep and to be able to return to school refreshed.

Friends Visiting

Luke and I had our first houseguests in March. My good friend, Lisa, came down for 11 days to experience Nicaragua and to hang out with us. Her roommate, Sarah, joined her for the last 5 days of the trip.

One place we took Lisa was Laguna de Apoyo. This is one of our favorite spots in Nicaragua because it is so calm and beautiful. It's an excellent place to spend an afternoon.

We also spent an afternoon at the beach relaxing, boogie boarding, collecting sand dollars & seashells and ........eating fish! Lisa and Sarah loved meeting my preschoolers. And my kiddos loved being around them too! :) Here we are on a field trip at the Managua Zoo.

ps. Yes, this is really what our feet look like every Sunday afternoon after we play 2 hours of Ultimate Frisbee! :)

Life in Preschool

Reading Corner

Writing Center

Snack Time

Recess

Art Center

Play Center

Nap Time

Just being goofy

My class of 13 students is very unique. Every day with them is different and fun. They definitely keep me on my toes! I truly love teaching this age group and am thankful for the teaching ministry God has given me.

Sushi in Nicaragua?

This week my Bible Study girls decided they wanted to learn how to make sushi! So we went over to In Ae's house and her mom taught us. It was a super fun time! :)

Each of us got to make at least one roll of Kim Bap. Kim = seaweed and Bap = rice. It is basically a seaweed and rice roll with lots of other yummy things tucked inside (like egg, carrots, hot dog, shrimp, and green onions).

I had a lot of fun making mine (with help). In Ae's mom was really patient with us and I think she had a good time too! I even got to make an extra special roll of sushi to take home to Luke which he really liked. :)

The fixings are on the left and the finished product on the right. YUM!

Our Bible Study group is a mix of girls from Nicaragua, Korea, Guatemala, and the States. They are super fun and I'm going to miss a lot of them who will be graduating from NCA this June. I praise God for fun memories like this! :)

More Wedding Pictures

Hey everyone,

Just to let you know, our photographer has posted the wedding photos online.



You can go to: http://www.collages.net/

Username: Rosenberger
Password: 9110


We think the pictures turned out really well.



Enjoy!


Ellen and Luke

More Pictures from Christmas Time

When I married Luke, I instantly gained 5 sister-in-laws! :)

My one and only sister, Karen, who is not my twin.

Luke's brother-in-laws and groomsman: Mark, Eric, and Jason.

Our nephew, Caleb, a huge Dallas Clark fan! :)

The ever energetic and funny nephew, Elijah, who loves his piggy bank!

And our smiling and walking little nephew, Benjamin!

We had a couples candlelight dinner hosted by Luke's parents.

Afterwards, we all played "synchronized" DDR and Euchre.

Having fun playing Rockband.

Luke, Grandma Gilliom, and Paul.

Reception in Nicaragua

On Saturday, January 17th, we were thrown a wedding reception in Nicaragua.

This time was really special for us because many of our friends, fellow teachers and missionaries and Nicaraguans came to celebrate with us. The chapel at NCA was decorated beautifully with lights, plants, flowers, and tables decked with cake and punch.

We enjoyed showing everyone a portion of our wedding video, wedding pictures, and our growing up slideshow. There was also a time of sharing memories, fun stories, advice, etc. It truly was a very fun and memorable night.


Luke's parents had even sent down the remaining wedding bubbles so that those at our reception in Nicaragua could do a "bubble send-off" as well. :)

We were even nicer to each other with the cake this time!

We were so thankful for the opportunity to share our special day with our family down here in Nicaragua. We praise God for the community we have here.

What we couldn't take with us...

Yeah, even though he did fit in our suitcase, we had to leave our nephew, Noah, behind. :( Over Christmas break, Luke and I really enjoyed playing with him and seeing him crawl all over the place. It's hard to believe that Noah is 10 months old now and taking steps!

It was bittersweet to leave Indiana. We had to say goodbye to four nephews, lots of brothers, sisters, brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, etc. We had had so much fun with everyone in the weeks surrounding our wedding. But we were also excited to start our new life back in Nicaragua.

We've been back in Nicaragua for several weeks now and have really been enjoying settling into our new home. School is going well for both of us. My kids have been doing better than I have at remembering my new name, Mrs. Rose. :) It's been great to get back into teaching again. Luke has a new class he is teaching this semester: video production.

Tomorrow, January 20th, we will celebrate one month of marriage!