Please forgive the interruption ...

       What can I say, I am back!!!  I made an agreement with my friends at New Day that I would continue to blog to stay in touch with them.  My last post was in December 2013, so what is the deal!!!  Right!!!!!  I have an excuse if you are willing to listen, but I still need you to forgive me for the interruption.
      So here goes the excuse.   My Georgia teaching certificate is up for renewal in 2016.  That means I have two years to earn 10 Professional Learning Units (PLUs).  I began last July investigating how to earn my PLUs.  The Georgia Department of Education called for applications for their three course English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsement class.  I dilly dallied, and finally put in an application ... one day too late.  The class is limited to 10 teachers and it had filled up while I dilly dallied.  They asked if I wanted to go on a waiting list in case someone dropped out, and I said yes.  Four weeks into the first class, Cultural Issues, I received an e-mail that basically said, "pucker up butter cup and catch up with the course work."  After two frenzied weeks I caught up and have now completed two of the three required courses, Cultural Issues and Applied Linguistics.  My final online class begins in a couple of weeks and finishes June 28th.  I will earn a total of 15 PLUs for the three courses and earn an endorsement on my teaching certificate in ESOL.
     So why did I choose these courses to earn my PLUs?  Two reasons that made sense to me at the time and now.  First, there are multiple opportunities to go on mission as an ESOL teacher ... missional living as my pastor calls it.  Secondly, I am a Student Support Team (SST) Chairperson for the 7th grade at Long Cane Middle School.  SST is an interdisciplinary group that uses a systematic process to address learning and/or behavior problems of students, K-12, in a school. I often have students that are also ESOL students, and I felt the ESOL endorsement would give me insight into helping my ESOL SST students. Most of my SST students have difficulty in either reading comprehension or reading fluency.  So, on April 10th (this Thursday) I will be taking the Reading P-12 teacher certification test.  Prayers are coveted and appreciated.
     You will remember I have a son, Stephen, and a daughter, Maribeth.  Stephen is at the local technical college working on an Associates Degree in Computer Networking.  He will be working at Latigo Ranch in Kremmling Colorado this summer.  Maribeth worked at Latigo last summer as a wrangler.  The owners of Latigo, Jim Yost, a linguist and still travels as a missionary to consult on Bible translations.
     Maribeth will be interning with Pioneer Bible Translators this summer for her Applied Linguistics degree at  Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.  She will spend several weeks at their headquarters in Dallas, Texas, before getting busy in Southeast Asia in un-reached areas.   Maribeth has always been adventurous, and this will prepare her for life as a translator after college.  Pioneer has also told Maribeth they are interested in her joining them after graduation. Maribeth would appreciate your prayers before and during her internship.
      Lynne has turned our property into a food producing ranch.  We have four laying hens and 5-6 that are growing up in pen that will hopefully be successful layers.  We have nine bunnies.   Mega-bunny is the mom, and the dad is normal sized.  They have so far produced 6-7 bunnies that will be ready for harvest in a couple of weeks.  We didn't name them so they aren't pets.  Lynne will be harvesting after the expert training she received from Noah last summer.   I am looking forward to tasting some rabbit.  My hope is the roasted rabbit will be on par with that cooked by Abbey, Elizabeth and Hilda during our stay at New Day.
     Spring has arrived in Georgia.  We are having cool nights and mornings and warm afternoons.  There are only 31 school days left before summer dismissal.  I have a couple of summer projects to compete, but nothing major.  Part of that 31 days will be eaten up by 5 days of state mandated testing.  Spring fever is in high gear though.  Our 8th grade students are ready to move on to high school, and the 6th and 7th grade students are just ready for summer.

Ferbie

     Did you just ask what we did for Spring Break???   Lynne and I were married in the courthouse in Opelika, Alabama.  Glenn and Cathy Adwell were our witnesses over 30 years ago.   We visited them in Rineyville, Kentucky.  This was the first time we had seen them since the "wedding."  During our stay with them we visited Mammoth Caves National Park.  The caves were truly  ...  well, mammoth.  Our last few days of Spring Break were spent in Petersburg, Kentucky at the Creation Museum.  It was very interesting and fun.  The most exciting part of Spring Break was the new friend I made at Glenn and Cathy's house.  That is Ferbie, my new cat friend.
      Now that I am back to writing, there are so many things to share with my friends in Zambia, but I don't want to regurgitate it in one blog.  Hope you all enjoyed the Rosemont Team.  Lexi Sewell delivered the hugs you sent me at school this morining.  Love your guys!!!