beautiful blossoms

The flowers here are always bright and blooming...
and there is such a wide variety of blossoms.
Everyday as I go to the Project I feel like God has given me hundreds of little gifts to see and smell... in red and purple and yellow and orange and pink... all sizes and shapes and scents.
Nicaragua's wildflowers are absolutely gorgeous.

My students at Chacocente are also bright and colorful...
and sometimes I get to see them bloom, too:

On my keyboard that I use for music class there is a song bank with about 50 songs. One of them is La Cucaracha. My kids always want to "play" it. They sit at the piano and they mess around with the keys while the actual song plays in the background... Then there's Jonathan - he's a musical one. He started really listening to the keys as he played them, and trying to match them with the song. He had the beat going along with it, and was being so creative and risky. He also tried to imitate a pianist's hands, rather than just pounding. The cool thing was it actually sounded alright! (especially if you LOVE DISSONANCE! right Mr. Young???)

Lately, we've been singing "Busca primero el Reino de Dios." The first day I taught it to the Second Grade class they were so absorbant, and automatically wanted to do it "uno por uno" (one by one). Jonathan wanted to go first of course. I've already seen his music skills displayed many times. But WOW! He sang the song FLAWLESSLY and had just learned it!
In first grade, they too were surprisingly in love with "Busca primero." However, not so many were enthusiastic to do it "uno por uno," except for Douglas and Ramón; they wanted to sing it together! Not only did this surprise me coming from those two ripsnorts, while listening to them I was at first taken aback and then filled with pride. These two first grade boys sang with strength and emotion, and they HARMONIZED!

I recently taught "Dona Nobis Pacem" because the notes vary in that song, and it's helpful for teaching how to sing (as most of my kids sing monotone and shouty) or at least for understanding how a song isn't just a bunch of words put together. In the fourth fifth and sixth grade class things generally get a bit rowdy - the kids are older and don't always like to listen... and usually don't like to sing, either. This instance was such. I think about 4 of the students were actually standing beside me at the piano paying some attention while I played and led them... and in my ear I heard a beautiful soprano voice matching mine. I turned my head slightly to put a face to the unrecognized voice... YAMARA! I had never actually heard her while we sang - and to hear her sing out so clearly and in tune just tickled me pink!

Deyvín is a shy little one. He's 4 years old and in my Prescholar class. Recently he's opened up to me and will hug me, call my name, tease me, play with me, rest on my lap, etc. But generally he's very quiet and doesn't talk or interact very much. I taught the song "Cristo me ama" during one of our first music classes a couple months ago... back when Deyvín didn't fully participate and just kind of curiously observed me. Well, as I was leaving the Project, I heard a youngun's voice singing "Cristo me ama" at the top of his lungs. It took me a few moments to realize to whom the voice belonged - because never before had I heard Deyvín make so much noise!!!

I hope this collection of blossoms from the past week has blessed you, too.