Many things to be thankful for….

First of all, I’m thankful to God for bringing me here to this beautiful country and allowing me to serve Him here and be a part of what He is doing. I’m also thankful for each of you who are a constant encouragement and support to me. Thank you!

Santos Pamba Preschool Update:
Last Tuesday I invited Pastor Pedro Pablo to our Elementary chapel. I told him I wanted him to share with our kids about his ministries and the preschool…but, he had no idea what the real reason was! The kids presented to him a paper check with the final amount they had raised in the Nickel Drive. They raised almost $1,800! (see the pic below) Our 3rd grade class raised over $500! We are working on purchasing different supplies for the preschool such as small tables, whiteboards, books, and much more! Pastor Pedro Pablo was in shock. He almost started to cry. He thanked the children for giving to those in need and then prayed for them. My favorite part though was that after the chapel, he came to my classroom to spend some special time with my students. My students asked him all kinds of questions about Santos Pamba, how the kids live, their family life, how to say things in Quichua, etc. They were in shock when they heard things such as: the kids go home after school and are by themselves until late at night when their parents get home from work. They don’t have anyone to cook them dinner or snacks. Many kids don’t do their homework because there is no one at home to help them with it. Three or four people sleep in one bed. Many kids have to go work after school to help earn money for their families….these facts really impacted my students. We ended with a time of prayer together for Santos Pamba. It was very special. (see pic)

I was unable to meet with Amanda and Mari 2 weeks ago, but we are working on rescheduling a time as soon as possible.

Compassion International Update!
Compassion unexpectedly visited last week and examined the Santos Pamba site. We were under the impression that we had met the requirements, however they have added more. The said that the church needs to build a cafeteria space and a big kitchen. They have started, but are out of money to be able to finish. Please pray that God will provide the finances to be able to finish the construction and invite Compassion International back to examine the site.

Bible Study Group:
Last week, a new guy who has been coming to our small group at church accepted Christ! Please pray for Marco.

I had one of the girls over from my church for dinner the other night. She had called me and told me she needed to talk to me and wanted counsel. That night she told me that she was pregnant and that the father of the baby has disappeared. This broke my heart! She told me she is ashamed to tell her family and friends, and that she doesn’t even want the baby. I spent hours with her, listening to her, and giving her some advice. She has decided to keep the baby and is now in the process of telling her family. Please pray for Narda and this precious baby. I thank God for the opportunity to minister to my friends here and that they see me as someone they can come to.

School:
Things have been busy at school. We had our 3rd grade Thanksgiving Feast with the maintenance workers at our school. My class dressed up as Native Americans- (it’s a tradition…not my choice- so strange to do that in Ecuador!)
The next day my students put on a reader’s theater called “The ABC’s of Thanksgiving”. Our classroom was packed! All the parents came, as well as other classes.

The Beach:
After that busy week I was ready for a vacation! On Wednesday I went to the beach with my friend Cheryl. It was great to be out of the polluted, noisy, busy city of Quito. There was no one at the beach because it wasn’t an Ecuadorian vacation time. It was perfect, just what we wanted! We had the pool and sauna at our hostel all to ourselves! We laid on the beach, read, and relaxed. The weather was beautiful, as well as the beach. It was a wonderful time. We flew back to Quito on Sunday. Christmas is just around the corner now….I’m looking forward to coming home for a bit and seeing many of you.

Praises and Prayer Requests:
Praises:
1. Thank you God for all the people You have put in my life who are an encouragement and support to me.
2. For the money the students at my school donated to help buy supplies for the preschool!
3. Marco accepted Christ

Prayer Requests:
1. For my health- I’m really sick right now with a sinus infection/cold
2. That the Lord will continue to provide the finances needed at Santos Pamba for construction.
3. For my friend Narda and her baby
4. That I will continue to be in the Word daily! I am reading through the gospels now.
5. For my uncle Peter, who is in the hospital.

Thank you for your prayers and support! I hope to hear from you too! I miss you and love you all!