The end is near : (

Sadly there is only two more days of camp left. Despite the exhaustion every one has kept their energy levels high and camp has gone really smoothly. It has been really encouraging for me to see some of the girls in my group coming out of their shells this week and speaking more English with me. This makes it even harder to leave because I feel like I'm only just getting started with them and I wish that it could continue.

We had the awesome opportunity to go to a restaurant and see flamenco... It was incredible!!! Here are some pictures : )

ESPANA!!!

Cheering for Spain!!

End of the First Week of camp

Hola!

This is my first post and let me start off by saying I LOVE THIS TRIP!!!! I have never done anything so extroadinary. My host family is amazing; they do all they can to make sure that I am comfortable and that I am having a good time. My host "dad", Patricio, is a very intelligent and sweet man and I enjoy talking with him immensly. He speaks English well and has lived in the States for several years. I also live with his wife, Teresa, and his daughter Elena (6).

Camp is also very enjoyable. We just finished our first week where we "taveled" all over the world and next week is pirate themed, it should be lots of fun. I am on the crafts team with Lindsey and TJ, we have a great time. I love getting to know the other monitors here, who are from all over the U.S.. Everyone is very friendly and fun.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we get to go to Segovia with most of the monitors from camp and especailly Sunday when we get to be in Spain for the big game!!! : D It's so exciting!! Viva Espana!!

Thank you to all who made it possible for our team to be here. We are making an impact in lives of the families here at Tres Cantos; it's a beautiful thing. Please pray that over the weekend we get the necessary rest and peace for the remainder of our time here, that we remain focused on what is going on here and not be distracted by what may be going on at home and that God is working not only in our hearts but in the hearts of those here in Tres Cantos. Thanks!

Hope to write again soon : )

Losing my passport was a very unfortunate beginning to this trip. However, through the grace of God, I made it here safely and I am very thankful to be here! My host family is very nice and incredibly hospitable. Unfortunately no one really speaks any English, Esther (my host mom) speaks very little English, and I speak even less Spanish!! Despite the language barrier we are able to communicate enough to get by : )

I have a group of five girls during English camp and they are all very sweet. It is a tiny bit difficult to get them all to speak English but I am enjoying my time with them. I also help in Nancy's class room which has been really fun! All of the other workers are really great and I have loved meeting all of them.

Today we went to Segovia which was really fun. We saw a castle, a cathedral, the Roman Aquaducts, and a palace which has four impressive fountains. Unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries so I don't have a ton of pictures as of right now : (

Every day I have been pretty tired but I am looking forward to what the rest of the week has in store for me and every one else on the team!! Hopefully I'll be able to post again soon... In the mean time here are some pictures:

Inside the castle:



Vera Cruz Templar Church:


The Cathedral in Segovia:


One of my classroom groups and their jungle poster:


Carlota, Alicia, and I in Nancy's classroom:

Day 5 (third day of camp)

Today was the third day of camp. It has been almost the same everyday at camp, although yesterday was a little better since I had more sleep than the first day. The kids seem to like me although it is still difficult to communicate and when we do some activities I am able to get them to repeat some words or phrases. Tonight I am going out with my host family to watch Spain vs. Germany with some other host families. Please pray for my patience with the kids at camp, very often they don´t listen and do whatever they want to.

English Camp Day 1 & 2

Yesterday was our first day of English camp. I have a group of 5-7 year old girls for the two weeks. I will be with them during passport time, snacks, lunch, and song time. The other part of the time I am assisting with crafts. I am very excited about this and hope to the see children express some creativity with their work :) Michael has a group of 5-7 year old boys for the same activities and he helps out with Sport, which suits him perfectly. It was fun to see the children become more excited about camp and learning English as the day progressed. One of my little ones was very shy at the start of the day and seemed to not understand anything I was trying to say/ask but when the time came to say goodbye she was comfortable and was speaking some English. Though we enjoyed our day at camp, we were exhausted and a little hot :). After camp was over the monitors & service team (camp staff) went out for ice cream to celebrate Kendra’s birthday (and to cool off:)). I enjoyed being able to catch up to my other team members and see how their stay had been so far.
Carmen and Andrea were waiting for us when we arrived back home and the 5 of us headed to the pool. Yesterday I actually ventured into the pool; it was very refreshing after a long day of keeping up with the little ones. It has been a blessing to have access to a pool as the sun is up much longer over here.
Today was day two of camp and things are continuing to go well. I became very tired in the early afternoon and was not sure I was going to make it to the end of the day. Thankfully there was coffee in the teacher’s lounge to give me a boost for the rest of camp. This evening I was able to take a siesta and feel much better :)
Every day of camp we visit a different country. Yesterday the kids went to the United States where they learned about the Rocky Mountains, baseball, and animals found in the mountains. Today the kids learned about England. They learned about bugs, reptiles & soccer. We participate in group song in the morning and at the end of camp. We are having a lot of fun.
Please pray for the communication between myself and my group of girls. I know only a few Spanish words and most of my girls know a little English and it is difficult sometimes to answer questions or direct them where they need to go. Michael could use pray for energy in working with his group of boys. The boys don’t always want to participate in the activities and would rather be running around. You can also pray for the health of our team. It is very hot over here and none of the buildings we are in have air conditioning.
Below are some pictures of camp :)

Story time with Whitney

Whitney and I

Michael and I during Group Activity

My group of Girls

Craft Time

Part of the craft team

Song time in the morning

Ice Cream for Kendra's birthday

Day 3

Today was the first day of English camp! I got to meet my girls in my group and lucky for me they are all sweethearts. There are five girls all around nine or ten years old, and many of them have come to camp previous years. Today was America day at camp, so they were taught about the Rocky Mountains and leaned words like tree, fox, mountain, grass. I was in the classroom helping out Nancy with the teaching. We broke out into our groups for snack, lunch, and to fill out their booklets or "passports". The theme of the camp is travel so tomorrow will have a theme of another country. After camp we had ice cream for Kendra's 22nd birthday! Happy Birthday Kendra!!! I think I have become spoiled now because that ice cream was much better than any you can find in Sacramento area.
Later this evening my host family took me out to a beautiful part of Tres Cantos where they have a garden! We picked some ginormous, fresh Zucchini and some lettuce. We had dinner there with another family and talked until dark. What a day! I hope everything is going well back home. Tom all family and friends I love you!!!
Lauren