Petar the Pearl Diver and Life After VBS...

Well, Vacation Bible School has ended and the Wallers are back to a semi-normal summer routine. It feels nice, though there is so much to be said about our time with the kiddos last week.

Bryce taught 5th grade and I taught the precious 4th graders. It was so fun seeing B in a goofy role the whole week. "Mr. Waller" ran around with green sunglasses, face paint and a sailor's hat the whole time. The kids LOVED him! The theme for the whole week was nautical since we studied Jonah, which gave B a chance to wear his huge blue flippers that he will never let me get rid of! Both of us woke up every morning with lyrics to the songs we sang throughout the week in our head: Yo tengo un amigo que me ama.....y su nombre es Jesus! Oh yes, we even sang some songs in Spanish, which the kiddos loved.

Mr. Waller was also one of the storytellers that the kids listened to throughout the week. Meet Petar the Peard Diver! The kids loved hearing about the story of Jonah as "Petar" gave the lesson in his classic Scottish accent. I don't think they picked up on the fact that there were no Welsh men described in the Bible!

We wrapped up the week on Friday with a huge spray-down by the Escondido fire department. After playing all day in the heat the kids got a kick out of the huge fire hose squirting (or pummeling!) them down in the grass outside the church. I don't know what was more fun, seeing the kids go wild or watching Pastor Ted get soaked while chasing all the little ones around in his swimsuit! We also enjoyed fresh watermelon from a nearby fruit stand-the workers saw all the kids running around in the hose, loaded up their truck with watermelons galore and drove right over-we had no idea they were coming!

Friday evening we had a huge church cook-out so all the families could come eat, hang out, watch a great slide show, puppet show, and of course, the kids could jump on jumpy castles! It provided a great outreach opportunity-so much so that a family whose girls were in our classes(one in mine and the other in B's) attended the Spanish worship service on Sunday afternoon. They were able to hear Bryce preach (all in Spanish-I only understood part of it but was very proud!) and said they were very encouraged by the sermon-praise GOD! It's so fun to watch him preach in Espanol-his eyes light up and it's like he's speaking in his native language. Now if only we could get to Spain...

Bryce is busy working on his application for an internship at a church in Billings, Montana after graduation. It is a year-long internship where B would have an excellent opportunity to preach consecutively, learn more about counseling and develop more pastoral skills. The church has a huge heart (and budget) for missions so we are praying it will also give us leads as we continue to pursue the path to Espana! Please pray for Bryce as he completes the application process.

I have signed a full-time contract with the school I taught at last semester-Santa Fe Christian School: www.sfcs.net - however, it is an interim permanent sub contract, and my desire is to teach, not substitute for 9 months. Please pray that if this is the Lord's will I will have a peace about my job, and if not, that He would provide another, and quickly! I find myself searching on craigslist.com way too often for other jobs and I want to be useful with my time.

Before we get serious again about work and school, however, we are counting down the days until we leave for Destin Beach, FL....we will be there August 6-11 to celebrate our one-year anniversary! Can you believe it has already been one year?! Crazy how time flies! We can't wait to hang out on the beach, read, cook, and just enjoy a relaxing vacation together. I think B might even take his guitar which will be so nice.

Speaking of reading, I've decided I will try to post entries at times specifically related to books I am reading at the moment(this might turn into another blog in itself). So far I have delved into some delicious reading this summer-Jane Eyre(sobbed my way through the last chapters), Gift of the Red Bird: The Story of a Divine Encounter by Paula D'Arcy(an excellent, quick read that reminds you to be still before the Lord), and currently East of Eden by Steinbeck. His writing is clear and beautiful. I'm fumbling through "chick-lit" as my friend Tami calls it on the side: Marian Keyes(www.mariankeyes.com)- her essays and stories- "Cracks in My Foundation" would make a great metro book. It is currently residing in our bathroom...