The Teacher in Portugal

Last week, we finished off our big 100 square fundraiser. Selling all our squares earns $5,050 toward our adoption expenses. We are so thankful to have sold as many squares as we did!

Here's the incredible part.

The family who won the grand prize - a $125 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods - re-gifted it back to us. Wow! We could not have imagined that kind of generosity! Before we could even figure out what to do with that news, I stumbled across a website with English tutors for my kids. I had never considered a tutor, because... quite frankly, it would be rare to find someone fluent in both the languages, who is also a teacher. In addition, we don't have funds for tutoring, no matter how important it is that our kids learn the language we speak here.

Up until now, we have been using apps, worksheets and flash cards for their English lessons. It has worked, and they are slowly learning English words. However, I came across a little treasure.

Her name is Dina and she is an English teacher, who currently lives in Portugal. The best part is that she actually speaks my kids' native language. With only 1 million people speaking their language, you have no idea how extraordinary this is! Let me tell you... she speaks English spectacularly. She's not like the chaperones that come over with P143. I feel like I have to speak broken English with them so that they understand. Dina has speaks perfect English AND their language.  

She is a dream. She Skypes with Sunshine and even assigns homework. Sunshine really likes her too, because she's very likeable and smart and is helping pull Sunshine out of her shyness. Each very-detailed Skype lesson is $8.50. She is learning so much! We feel this is the best investment we could make with this $125 gift. Sunshine is a natural teacher, so we hope she will teach her brother and sister until we can get finances for their one-on-one tutoring.

Iceman is learning a lot by talking (he's very talkative). He also really likes English games on the Kindle.

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. Psalm 2:8