November 4

November 4, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Are we having fun yet? We certainly are. Last week was Spirit Week, so we celebrated with all the traditional craziness.

Not too many children felt comfortable wearing their clothes backwards on Backwards Day, but we ran the schedule backwards just to break the routine. Crazy Hair Day got full participation. Boys generally gelled or “dyed” hair, but the girls went into full design mode creating wild hairdos using water bottles, combs, pencils, and other accessories.

On Mismatch Day, the adults dressed weirder than the kids. But, we got a chuckle out of one student who traditionally matches flowers with stripes because she, for once, was not mismatched. It was fun to see everyone’s creativity at breakfast each morning.

Funny things happen all day long, but we can’t always remember them. We were making Christmas cards to send to the sponsors, and one little girl struggled with drawing a manger scene on the front. She finally made one that included zebras and bears. On the inside of the card, she sketched a fat turkey--just because she wanted to.

The children change into indoor shoes right at the door to keep the floors a bit cleaner. Today, a boy in a great hurry to go to recess, took off his slippers, but ran right out in his socks, leaving his shoes on the shelf.

One of the “magic” phrases around here is, “I have to do something about that.” When a child needs a warning or a delayed consequence, this phrase works wonders. It also is a great answer for a Bible test: Question: What happens if you sin after you have asked Jesus to be your Savior?  Answer: Somebody will have to do something about that.

And my favorite story this week. With the exception of two, everyone in my class was eligible to play in the volleyball game. The two that weren’t going to the game sniped at each other all day and complained that they had to be together after the team left. It was getting so bad that they were earning consequences. Anyway, after the team left, I took them to the computer lab for keyboarding class. Here they are in the lab with twenty empty chairs and where do they sit? Right next to each other!

We had a Harvest Party last weekend complete with a hayride, candied apples, and carnival–type games in the gym. Roger and I manned the bean-bag toss. The weekend before, the children went ice-skating.

So, yes, we want to teach the children about Jesus, and yes, education and manners are very important; but when you think of us this week, remember these are precious children, who love to laugh and have fun. And Jesus gives JOY here at Sun Valley every day!

The Everetts