Heat and Phonics!

It's the first time that the heat has really gotten to me. We don't have AC in our apartment. In fact, I don't know anyone who does! And restaurants and stores rarely provide it. Sometimes I forget that AC exists somewhere out there in the world (lol). But in all honesty, I haven't complained about it or thought it was a big deal. That is.....until now. It has been so hot the past couple of days -- hotter than normal. It has been draining the energy right out of me. My roommate and I have two fans that we use but lately it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. I don't know how the Albanians do it! I don't know a single Albanian who owns a fan or AC. Some Albanians believe that having a fan on them or riding in a car with both windows down will make them sick -- no matter how hot it is. God must give them an extra dose of grace to survive in this heat without any cooling devices.

My trip to the Roma went well! I really enjoy being with them! They are such a wonderful group of ladies. They are sooooo sweet! I observed Hannah's class with them last Friday and noticed that they really struggle with phonics. As I was planning out my lesson for today, I remembered also struggling with this when I was little. My mom bought "Hocked on Phonics" and other materials but it didn't ever seem to help. But because my mom knew I loved to sing,  she bought "Sing, Spell, Read and Write." I loved it! I still remember some of the songs today! I thought that it might help the ladies too! I made flash cards with pictures and taught them the song today. I told them that it might be a little silly since the song was originally intended for children but that it would help them remember the sounds of the English alphabet. The hardest letter for them to pronounce is "a" -- like in "apple." There is no sound like this in Albanian. But little by little they are getting better! Please pray with me that God will pave the way for me to share with them.