English Activities, Talents, Blankets, and Pinatas (Monday)

Monday, January 21

(Click here to see additional pictures and videos!)

Monday was packed with English-intensive service activities, such as game-show-style "Cien Mexicanos Dijeron," a bilingual Spelling Bee, Book of Mormon Skit competition, a Lunar Survival Scenario, Karaoke, Talent Show and Cultural Exchange, Family Home Evening (making blankets as a humanitarian aid activity). Conversing in English to assist CEBA students in acquiring fluency in the English language is a high priority service objective for this expedition.

Ruel Haymond, Jacob Frazier, and Hector Gomez help serve tamales for breakfast. Yum!

"Cien Mexicano's Dijeron" consisted of teams of students answering questions previously answered by 100 individuals to guess what the majority of 100 people would say.

Emily and Alejandro face off in "Cien Mexicanos Dijeron."

The spelling bee tested CEBA students with English words and AHS students with Spanish words. Can you spell "ferrocarril" or "burbuja" or "granddaughter" in another language? Students from AHS and CEBA demonstrated impressive spelling expertise.

Book of Mormon Skits were well done, entertaining depictions using modern language. Skits included Alma and Amulek, Samuel the Lamanite, Ammon defending King Lamoni's flocks, and the award-winning Nephi and his brothers going for the plates.

The Lunar Survival Scenario required teams of CEBA and AHS students to prioritize in importance 15 survival items to survive a lunar crash. Students not only collaborated using their English, but also reasoned that teamwork almost always results in superior outcomes to solutions developed or decided upon in isolation.

This team collaborates carefully about a lunar survival scenario.

Talent and cultural exchange performances consisted of:

• Cierra Stice (Piano) "All of Me" by Jon Schmidt
• Michael Sorenson (Piano) "Viva la Vida" by Cold Play
• Juan Cristobal, Hector, Nathan, Ricardo, Alejandro, Enoc, Victor, Luis Miguel (Vocal) "Call Me Maybe" by Carli Rae Jeppson
• Olivia Bushman, Sidney Young, Luis Miguel, Alejandro (Vocal Quartet) "How Great Thou Art" by
• Leland Anderson, Ruel Haymond, Bob Sorensen, and Corey Young (Vocal Quartets) "Divina Luz" by John Newman and Henry Dyke (Himnos, 48) and "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy" by Phillip Paul Bliss (Hymns, 335)
• Claire Godlewski (Pop Dance) "Radioactive"
• Spencer, Peyton, Robbie, Luba, Lela, Monfer, Lily, Fernanda (Vocal) "What Makes You Beautiful"
• Brittani Bills and Michelle Morris (Vocal, Ukulele) "You Can Count on Me"
• Brittani Bills and Michelle Morris (Vocal, Ukulele) "Mi Ancla" by Mindy Gledhill.
• Brittani Bills, Michelle Morris, Ruel Haymond, Sam Haymond, and Taylor Welch (Vocal, Ukulele) "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"
• Abish, Camila, Ingrid, and Friends (Pop Dance) Medley
• Itzi (Ballet Dance)
• Karen, Kathy, and Anna Andelin (Vocal) "Do, Do, Do"
• Alejandro (Piano)
• Luis Miguel and Alejandro (Pop Vocal and Piano) "Alejate de Mi" by Camila
• Mextli and Maria Fernanda (Vocal) "Amor a la Mexicana"
• Ricardo, Nathan, Enoc, Brittani, Michelle (Vocal) "I'm Yours"

About the Talent and Cultural Exchange, Olivia Bushman said, "It was neat to see what so many students like to do and how talents can be so different."

Kathy, Karen, and Anna Andelin sing a fun love song in Sweet Adeline style!

Cierra Stice gracefully plays "All of Me" by Jon Schmidt.

Family Home Evening included a memorable lesson by Principal Alfredo Miron of CEBA and Principal Leland Anderson of AHS High School. Principal Miron shared three "L's" that will help us draw near to the Savior: "Look unto me in every thought," and "Learn of me. Listen to my words." Then Mr. Anderson shared two more L's, which result from applying the first three L's: "Love which He hath be stowed upon all who are true followers of his son Jesus Christ" (Moroni 7:48) and "He that receiveth light and continueth in God receiveth more [L]ight"(D&C 50:22-23; see also, "If your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with Light," D&C 88:67-68). We concluded by singing, "The Lord is My Light" (Hymns, 89).

After the Family Home Evening lesson, students spent another hour assembling and tying blankets--a service that will be much appreciated by recipients at a homeless shelter (Thursday), especially in the current cool-weather season in Mexico City where the night-time temperatures reach the low 40's and most homes and shelters rely solely on the sun's daytime radiant heating.

Alejandro, Spencer, Luis Miguel, Robbie, and Peyton tie blankets Monday night as an FHE service activity.

McKenzie and Camila prepare their blankets for tying.

Abish, Michele, Sandra, Kathy, and Diana proudly display the blanket they tied in record time (about 15 minutes)!
Way to go, Team!

Breaking five pinatas--which were very short-lived due to the skill of these students--was the final activity for the evening. Students enjoyed a wonderfully memorable time!

Click here to see more pictures and videos!