Summer is here!

Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for praying for me. I have felt your support. Here's an update about what has been going on...

MY HEALTH
My eye infection is finally gone! Thank you for praying. I still have UV damage though that will never go away. I have to continue to use eye drops many times throughout the day. I have a cold right now that I got last week. Please pray that my cold will go away quickly and that I will be able to get needed rest.

VISA UPDATE
Last Monday I met with the visa lawyer and he said that I should get my visa back TOMORROW! Please pray that the process will go quickly and the authorities will give me 2 years.

ALLIANCE ACADEMY UPDATE
Two weeks ago I finished our school year- my third year of teaching at Alliance! Time has gone by fast. We had a fun last week together as a class. On Monday I took my class for the last time to say goodbye to their amiguitos at Santos Pamba. We had a wonderful time together. We sang songs- I told them to sing as loud as they could so Jesus could hear them in heaven- it was precious to watch them all sing their hearts out to God together. We then turned the cafeteria into a movie theater and watched a Veggie Tales movie about loving your neighbor. The Santos Pamba kids loved the Veggie Tales movie. Afterwards we made puppets and then played games outside. The mothers from Santos Pamba made a special cake for my students to thank them for being amiguitos. My kids ate every bite and were very thankful to them- I've trained them well :) We then ended by having lunch together and then my students prayed for their amiguitos. I love how my student's hearts have fallen in love with their little buddies and how they desire to help them know that Jesus loves them. It is what makes my heart beat- my passion and reason for being here. I am so glad that the Alliance Academy lets me be a bridge between the rich and the poor and allows me to take my students to Santos Pamba. It is a life learning experience that I hope they will never forget. Many of the parents have thanked me for the experience and said that it is their child's favorite thing about 3rd grade!
On Friday I had my students over to my house for a pancake breakfast together and a time of closure. I will miss them, but I'm glad summer is here! Next year I will have a new partner teacher in the other 3rd grade class. Her name is Courtney and it will be her first year as a classroom teacher. This year she taught ESL and we became good friends. We are excited to work together next year.

THE SANTOS PAMBA SCHOOL UPDATE
I was great to be with the Santos Pamba kids last week. I love every time that I can spend with them. They have grown so much this year and every one of them can read now! Parents are already lining up to register their children for next year! How exciting! Thank you for your prayers and support for our little school.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote up a project proposal for the Ministry of Education for Ecuador about our school becoming legalized, which we turned in on Monday. Right now Santos Pamba is still not an approved school by the government. They have so much paperwork and requirements to meet that it is a long process. This was one of their requirements and now we are working on the next requirements. Please pray for this process and that it will go quickly. Pray that God leads us to the right connections and that they will fall in love with Santos Pamba and help us be approved quickly.

Right now we are in need of 3 new teachers for next year (1 preschool, 1 kindergarten, and 1 1st grade!) Please pray that God provides 3 wonderful Godly, qualified teachers for next year. He has been faithful in the past, and I know He will continue to be, however I get worried often and just need to rest in Him and trust Him. A couple of weeks ago I interviewed a possible teacher for the preschool class next year. She has her degree in Early Childhood and was very professional, friendly, etc., however when I asked her about her faith she said she didn't know what she believed. I asked her more questions and she was very open. I told her that the main priority of our school is that the students learn about the Lord and receive Bible class daily. She told me that she would be open to do anything we wanted her to do, and would love to learn along with the students. I was impressed with her openness and honestly. I left feeling burdened for her and have been praying for her- her name is Esperanza, which means hope. My prayer is that she will come to know the only True One that can give her the hope she is looking for. Please join me in praying for her. I need prayer that God will give me wisdom about whether or not to have her be a teacher in our school. Is the Lord leading her to Santos Pamba so that she comes to know Him? Do I need to present the Gospel to her? Pray that the Lord gives me wisdom about Esperanza. Also, please pray for Pastor Pedro Pablo and I as we meet with Mari to tell her that we are not hiring her back next year. Pray that she receives the news well.

Pastor Pedro Pablo, the Pastor of Santos Pamba and Director of the school was hopitalized last week. He almost had a heart attack due to high blood pressure and stress. Please pray for him as he is at home recovering now, that he will rest and that I will know how to best support him.

I am very excited to share with you that this summer's VBS at Fox Island Alliance Church has chosen to help fundraise for The Santos Pamba Schoool! I will be sharing with the kids about the school on July 20th and hope to get them excited about helping other kids in Ecuador.

OTHER THINGS...
My roommate Laura got married on Saturday! Our home was wedding crazy the past month, but very exciting. Pablo and I helped entertain her guests from out of town this past week. Their wedding was like a dream wedding- it was beautiful. I was an honorary bridesmaid. I will post pictures soon.
Please pray that God will connect me with a new roommate by September. I am trusting His faithfulness because I really don't want to live alone.

I am coming back to Gig Harbor on THURSDAY and will be there until August 10th. I hope to see many of you! Please give me a call if you would like to get together (253-853-3829) Thank you for your constant support, prayers, and encouraging emails. I appreciate each of you!

God bless you!