Santos Pamba Easter Mission Trip with my 3rd graders
Egg Hunt!
The Resurrection Egg Story
Pablo and his student Ignacio
Hiking in Mindo at the Cloud RainforestThursday, April 16, 2009
Easter Pictures
Egg Hunt!The Resurrection Egg StoryPablo and his student IgnacioHiking in Mindo at the Cloud Rainforest
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Happy Belated Easter!
Dear Friends,
Happy belated Easter! He is risen, praise the Lord! I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating with friends and family on Sunday. You won't believe what I did- I sang at my church in the Easter choir. We had to sing for 3 services and finished at 2:30pm. After church we had lunch with Pablo's family. Here at Easter time they make a special soup called Fanesca. It is a soup made with 12 grains (1 for each disciple), milk, and fish. It is delicious! Thank you so much for your prayers and continued support. I thank God for each of you. Here is an update of what has been going on for the past month:
School:
My student teacher has finished her time in my classroom. We had a goodbye party for her last week. I'm excited to have my classroom back and be able to teach again. I missed teaching! Things are going well at school. We just had our spring break vacation, which was very relaxing. Pablo and I went to the cloud rainforest and went hiking to 5 different waterfalls. They were beautiful! We had a wonderful day together, but it rained on the way back and we got soaking wet!
Santos Pamba Mission Trip:
On April 8th my class went to Santos Pamba to celebrate Easter with the students at the Santos Pamba School. It was a precious day. We arrived and they reunited with their little buddies. Smiles were on everyone's faces. We then had a time of worship led by Pablo, and 2 of his guitar students who are from my class (see the pictures). We then broke into small groups and my students used the Resurection Eggs to teach the Easter story to the Santos Pamba kids. The Resurrection Eggs is a kit of 12 plastic eggs, and inside each egg is small toy to symbolize the Easter story. The first egg is a donkey and then the last egg is empty because Jesus rose from the tomb! The Santos Pamba kids loved opening the eggs. My students explained each egg and did such a great job. I was very proud of them! Afterwards, we had a chocolate Easter egg hunt outside! The Santos Pamba kids loved this American tradition and went home with baskets of eggs.
Please continue to pray for the Santos Pamba teacher, Mari, that her heart will be soften and she will come back to Jesus.
Ministry Update:
Thank you for praying for my talk with the Bible study girls. It was one of the hardest things I have had to do. The Holy Spirit gave me the words to say. Thank you for your prayers! I had to speak the harsh truth and confront them, and now I am trusting that God's will will be done in them. They have heard the truth, and now they have to choose to respond.
Health Update:
Thank you for your prayers for my eyes. I went to the eye doctor yesterday. Ahhh! So many things are wrong with my eyes. He said that I have very sensitive eyes and that the yellow spots are damage from the high UV rays here. Also, my eyes have been very red and watery, which is due to a viral infection in my eyes, and clogged tear ducts, as well as small growths in the bottom of my eyes due to pollution! I have medicine for the infection, and he had to numb my eyes and open my tear ducts. Please pray that my eyes heal quickly.
Please continue to pray for the bank issue with RCE. There is still a block and no money in our account. Thank you for joining me in prayer about this issue. I hope that it will be resolved soon!
Thank you very much for your continuous support, encouragement, and friendship. I miss you all and hope you are doing well. Let me know how YOU are doing! God bless you all!
Happy belated Easter! He is risen, praise the Lord! I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating with friends and family on Sunday. You won't believe what I did- I sang at my church in the Easter choir. We had to sing for 3 services and finished at 2:30pm. After church we had lunch with Pablo's family. Here at Easter time they make a special soup called Fanesca. It is a soup made with 12 grains (1 for each disciple), milk, and fish. It is delicious! Thank you so much for your prayers and continued support. I thank God for each of you. Here is an update of what has been going on for the past month:
School:
My student teacher has finished her time in my classroom. We had a goodbye party for her last week. I'm excited to have my classroom back and be able to teach again. I missed teaching! Things are going well at school. We just had our spring break vacation, which was very relaxing. Pablo and I went to the cloud rainforest and went hiking to 5 different waterfalls. They were beautiful! We had a wonderful day together, but it rained on the way back and we got soaking wet!
Santos Pamba Mission Trip:
On April 8th my class went to Santos Pamba to celebrate Easter with the students at the Santos Pamba School. It was a precious day. We arrived and they reunited with their little buddies. Smiles were on everyone's faces. We then had a time of worship led by Pablo, and 2 of his guitar students who are from my class (see the pictures). We then broke into small groups and my students used the Resurection Eggs to teach the Easter story to the Santos Pamba kids. The Resurrection Eggs is a kit of 12 plastic eggs, and inside each egg is small toy to symbolize the Easter story. The first egg is a donkey and then the last egg is empty because Jesus rose from the tomb! The Santos Pamba kids loved opening the eggs. My students explained each egg and did such a great job. I was very proud of them! Afterwards, we had a chocolate Easter egg hunt outside! The Santos Pamba kids loved this American tradition and went home with baskets of eggs.
Please continue to pray for the Santos Pamba teacher, Mari, that her heart will be soften and she will come back to Jesus.
Ministry Update:
Thank you for praying for my talk with the Bible study girls. It was one of the hardest things I have had to do. The Holy Spirit gave me the words to say. Thank you for your prayers! I had to speak the harsh truth and confront them, and now I am trusting that God's will will be done in them. They have heard the truth, and now they have to choose to respond.
Health Update:
Thank you for your prayers for my eyes. I went to the eye doctor yesterday. Ahhh! So many things are wrong with my eyes. He said that I have very sensitive eyes and that the yellow spots are damage from the high UV rays here. Also, my eyes have been very red and watery, which is due to a viral infection in my eyes, and clogged tear ducts, as well as small growths in the bottom of my eyes due to pollution! I have medicine for the infection, and he had to numb my eyes and open my tear ducts. Please pray that my eyes heal quickly.
Please continue to pray for the bank issue with RCE. There is still a block and no money in our account. Thank you for joining me in prayer about this issue. I hope that it will be resolved soon!
Thank you very much for your continuous support, encouragement, and friendship. I miss you all and hope you are doing well. Let me know how YOU are doing! God bless you all!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
God is Good
Santos Pamba Update:
Last Thursday all of the students at the Santos Pamba School went to the doctor and dentist. A team from the United States was here and they saw every student! They each received parasite medicine and lots of vitamins, as well as any other medicine they needed. No one cried, yeah!
The windows are now all installed! The classrooms are much warmer now. I will post a picture soon of the windows.
Please continue to pray for Mari. Please pray that the Holy Spirit works in her heart and that she comes back to the Lord.
BIG PRAYER REQUEST-
The bank that my organization (RCE) works with has put a block on wiring money to Ecuadorian banks. This means that the donations in my RCE account for the Santos Pamba School cannot be wired to the bank account here. Please pray for this situation to be resolved quickly! RCE is working on a solution. This affects me being able to pay the final payment to the window man, as well as purchasing the desks, and paying the teachers. Thank you for praying!
School Update:
My student teacher has 2 weeks left. I get to start teaching again full-time next week! I’m very excited. I have missed teaching and am looking forward to having my class back. We are planning an Easter trip to visit our amiguitos at Santos Pamba on April 8th!
My Health:
Thank you for praying for me. My cold is gone now, but I am having problems with my eyes. I have yellow spots in the whites of my eyes and they are constantly watering. I am going to make an appointment with the eye doctor. I am hoping it is just allergies. Please pray for healing for my eyes. Thank you.
Ministry Update:
Last Sunday, Pablo and I went with the Shafer's to visit Santa Maria Alliance Church. We had a wonderful visit. Pablo played the guitar for worship, while the Quichua women led (the music was on key thanks to Pablo!) Cheryl sang a beautiful song for the special. Mark didn't know it, but he was going to preach that morning! He did a wonderful job. I led Sunday School for the children. I taught about Joseph- they had never heard the story of Joseph and the colorful coat!
I continue to lead a Bible study for the new teachers. We just started a new Beth Moore study called Believing God. Please pray for our group. Many of the women are dealing with baggage and Satan is attacking hard. The issues have begun to affect our study time. This Sunday I am going to address the issues and challenge each one to examine their hearts with God. Please pray that the Lord will give me the right words to say. I'm learning that being a leader isn't always easy!
Thank you for your constant support and prayers. May God bless you!
Last Thursday all of the students at the Santos Pamba School went to the doctor and dentist. A team from the United States was here and they saw every student! They each received parasite medicine and lots of vitamins, as well as any other medicine they needed. No one cried, yeah!
The windows are now all installed! The classrooms are much warmer now. I will post a picture soon of the windows.
Please continue to pray for Mari. Please pray that the Holy Spirit works in her heart and that she comes back to the Lord.
BIG PRAYER REQUEST-
The bank that my organization (RCE) works with has put a block on wiring money to Ecuadorian banks. This means that the donations in my RCE account for the Santos Pamba School cannot be wired to the bank account here. Please pray for this situation to be resolved quickly! RCE is working on a solution. This affects me being able to pay the final payment to the window man, as well as purchasing the desks, and paying the teachers. Thank you for praying!
School Update:
My student teacher has 2 weeks left. I get to start teaching again full-time next week! I’m very excited. I have missed teaching and am looking forward to having my class back. We are planning an Easter trip to visit our amiguitos at Santos Pamba on April 8th!
My Health:
Thank you for praying for me. My cold is gone now, but I am having problems with my eyes. I have yellow spots in the whites of my eyes and they are constantly watering. I am going to make an appointment with the eye doctor. I am hoping it is just allergies. Please pray for healing for my eyes. Thank you.
Ministry Update:
Last Sunday, Pablo and I went with the Shafer's to visit Santa Maria Alliance Church. We had a wonderful visit. Pablo played the guitar for worship, while the Quichua women led (the music was on key thanks to Pablo!) Cheryl sang a beautiful song for the special. Mark didn't know it, but he was going to preach that morning! He did a wonderful job. I led Sunday School for the children. I taught about Joseph- they had never heard the story of Joseph and the colorful coat!
I continue to lead a Bible study for the new teachers. We just started a new Beth Moore study called Believing God. Please pray for our group. Many of the women are dealing with baggage and Satan is attacking hard. The issues have begun to affect our study time. This Sunday I am going to address the issues and challenge each one to examine their hearts with God. Please pray that the Lord will give me the right words to say. I'm learning that being a leader isn't always easy!
Thank you for your constant support and prayers. May God bless you!
Monday, March 16, 2009
God' Faithfulness
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your continued prayer and support. I praise God because the exact amount of money was donated from a faithful sponsor to purchase the desks and chairs! Praise God! God continues to surprise me with His faithfulness. We are now in the process of getting the desks made. Yeah! The windows are almost done being put in also! I will send pictures when they are finished.
Last Thursday I took the day off of school and spent the day at the Santos Pamba School. I had a wonderful day. I was able to spend one-on-one time with each student, which was very special. Many of the kindergarteners are reading now, which was exciting to see and hear. Everyone can write their names and are advancing well. I am impressed. I played with all of the kids at recess and read a book to each class, which was special. The day went by very fast. At the end of the day when I was saying goodbye to each student, a group of them came and hugged me and told me to stay and be their teacher and never leave. That touched my heart :) Above are many pictures from my day at the Santos Pamba School.
When I was there, I observed a child who the teachers have been concerned about. He is new this year and is in kindergarten. This little guy is very aggresive and unwilling to work. He refuses hugs and never makes eye contact. He comes from an abusive household. Please pray for Diego Querido. I am going to talk to the psychologist at my school to see if he can talk with him sometime.
After school I took the three teachers out for lunch and we began to talk about how their families are doing, what God is teaching them, etc. It was then that something very unexpected happened. Mari told me that she had become a Mormon. She was very defensive and told me not to say anything about it to her and that she was proud of her decision. My heart broke. The only thing I did tell her was that I still loved her. My heart is burdened for her. Please join me in praying for Mari, that the Holy Spirit will convict her and show her the truth. Please pray that God gives me wisdom for my next conversation with her. Prayer is powerful. Help me surround her in prayer!
Please also continue to pray for the legalization of the school and that the process will go quickly. It is taking longer than we expected. We continue to be in prayer for the personnel for running the Compassion International project. Thank you for joining us in prayer also.
Please pray for my health because I continue to get sick. Thank you for your constant support, friendship, and prayers. May God bless each one of you.
Thank you for your continued prayer and support. I praise God because the exact amount of money was donated from a faithful sponsor to purchase the desks and chairs! Praise God! God continues to surprise me with His faithfulness. We are now in the process of getting the desks made. Yeah! The windows are almost done being put in also! I will send pictures when they are finished.
Last Thursday I took the day off of school and spent the day at the Santos Pamba School. I had a wonderful day. I was able to spend one-on-one time with each student, which was very special. Many of the kindergarteners are reading now, which was exciting to see and hear. Everyone can write their names and are advancing well. I am impressed. I played with all of the kids at recess and read a book to each class, which was special. The day went by very fast. At the end of the day when I was saying goodbye to each student, a group of them came and hugged me and told me to stay and be their teacher and never leave. That touched my heart :) Above are many pictures from my day at the Santos Pamba School.
When I was there, I observed a child who the teachers have been concerned about. He is new this year and is in kindergarten. This little guy is very aggresive and unwilling to work. He refuses hugs and never makes eye contact. He comes from an abusive household. Please pray for Diego Querido. I am going to talk to the psychologist at my school to see if he can talk with him sometime.
After school I took the three teachers out for lunch and we began to talk about how their families are doing, what God is teaching them, etc. It was then that something very unexpected happened. Mari told me that she had become a Mormon. She was very defensive and told me not to say anything about it to her and that she was proud of her decision. My heart broke. The only thing I did tell her was that I still loved her. My heart is burdened for her. Please join me in praying for Mari, that the Holy Spirit will convict her and show her the truth. Please pray that God gives me wisdom for my next conversation with her. Prayer is powerful. Help me surround her in prayer!
Please also continue to pray for the legalization of the school and that the process will go quickly. It is taking longer than we expected. We continue to be in prayer for the personnel for running the Compassion International project. Thank you for joining us in prayer also.
Please pray for my health because I continue to get sick. Thank you for your constant support, friendship, and prayers. May God bless each one of you.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
February Pictures
My students with their Santos Pamba buddies.
Singing songs
Journal entry from a student. CLICK on it to enlargeand read. Remember they are learning English :)
Journal entry from a student. CLICK on it to enlargeand read. Remember they are learning English :)
Sunday School class at Rancho de los Pinos Church
Hugo, Solomon, Anita, Daniel, and Noemifrom Quitocucho
Quitocucho friends with their new wool hats
Pablo wants a guinea pig to eat!
Pablo leading worship for the church serviceFebruary Update
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your love, encouragement, and support. I appreciate each of you and hope that you are doing well! Here is an update about what has been going on lately:
Ministry:
Pablo and I went with Mark and Cheryl Shafer to visit one of my favorite churches in Quitocucho. Quitocucho is a very special place for me because I lived there with a family for a week and fell in love with my brothers and sisters there. We went to encourage them and have a time of prayer with them. It was a very special time. Pablo saw the guinea pig farm, but sadly he didn't get to eat one for lunch (lucky!) Over Christmas, my mom and some of her friends made wool hats for me to give to kids who live in the mountains. I was able to pass out the hats and they loved them! If anyone wants to make hats, contact my mom. :)
Last Sunday I went to visit some churches here in Quito with Mark and Cheryl. In the morning we went to one church in Rancho de los Pinos. This church is without a pastor right now and is really struggling. There are hardly any members. The church is mostly made up of children! This is why I went :) When we arrived there was only 1 little girl, but soon more and more children came and I had almost 20 by the end. I led a Sunday School lesson on the Good Samaritan and how we can love our neighbors. We sang songs, played games, and did a craft. It was a precious time with them (see the pictures above).
At the Alliance Academy:
I have a student teacher now. She is from Cedarville University in Ohio. She is teaching in my classroom until April. I feel like just yesterday I was a student teacher. It has been a great experience having a student teacher so far. I have needed the extra hand with my needy students.
For Valentine’s Day we went to the Santos Pamba School. (See the pictures!) Thank you for praying for us. My students planned a full day of activities to do with the students there. They led songs, did a drama about the Good Samaritan, taught them a Bible verse, did a Valentine’s craft, and played Valentine’s games. We then ate lunch together. My heart was so content watching my students interact and love their little buddies at the Santos Pamba School. I know that the Lord has me at the Alliance Academy so that I can continue to be the bridge between the rich and the poor, and to build future leaders who will love all, even if they are unlike them. When we returned to school I had them journal about their experience. I will post some of their entries soon for you to read. :)
Santos Pamba School:
We are currently working on getting windows installed on the 2nd floor of the school. We are also working on getting the school legalized this year and being an official school in the Ecuadorian government. Please pray that this process goes quickly! Our next project will be having 30 desks and chairs made for the kindergarten and next year’s 1st grade class.
*Please be praying that God provides the funding for having desks and chairs made ($1300)
Compassion International Update- Answer to prayer! We have been praying for God to provide the personnel needed to run the Compassion site. The main concern is finding a Director who has a University degree. God provided one! His name is Manuel. Manuel is going to be the new Assistant Pastor to Pedro Pablo and will be working with the youth and Sunday School program. He has agreed to be the Compassion Director also. Praise God! Manuel has studied Communications in the University, and also went to the Alliance Seminary here and has a degree in Theology. Thank you for praying! I am very excited for him to start working with us in Santos Pamba.
Please continue to pray for the following personnel to come:
*3 Tutors (graduated from high school)
*1 Health Director (graduated from high school and has basic first aid knowledge)
*1 Accountant (graduated from high school and studying accounting)
*1 Christian Education teacher (graduated from high school)
Thank you for your continued support and prayers. Please pray for me because I have a bad cold right now and need to get better! Thanks!
God bless you,
Kim
Thank you for your love, encouragement, and support. I appreciate each of you and hope that you are doing well! Here is an update about what has been going on lately:
Ministry:
Pablo and I went with Mark and Cheryl Shafer to visit one of my favorite churches in Quitocucho. Quitocucho is a very special place for me because I lived there with a family for a week and fell in love with my brothers and sisters there. We went to encourage them and have a time of prayer with them. It was a very special time. Pablo saw the guinea pig farm, but sadly he didn't get to eat one for lunch (lucky!) Over Christmas, my mom and some of her friends made wool hats for me to give to kids who live in the mountains. I was able to pass out the hats and they loved them! If anyone wants to make hats, contact my mom. :)
Last Sunday I went to visit some churches here in Quito with Mark and Cheryl. In the morning we went to one church in Rancho de los Pinos. This church is without a pastor right now and is really struggling. There are hardly any members. The church is mostly made up of children! This is why I went :) When we arrived there was only 1 little girl, but soon more and more children came and I had almost 20 by the end. I led a Sunday School lesson on the Good Samaritan and how we can love our neighbors. We sang songs, played games, and did a craft. It was a precious time with them (see the pictures above).
At the Alliance Academy:
I have a student teacher now. She is from Cedarville University in Ohio. She is teaching in my classroom until April. I feel like just yesterday I was a student teacher. It has been a great experience having a student teacher so far. I have needed the extra hand with my needy students.
For Valentine’s Day we went to the Santos Pamba School. (See the pictures!) Thank you for praying for us. My students planned a full day of activities to do with the students there. They led songs, did a drama about the Good Samaritan, taught them a Bible verse, did a Valentine’s craft, and played Valentine’s games. We then ate lunch together. My heart was so content watching my students interact and love their little buddies at the Santos Pamba School. I know that the Lord has me at the Alliance Academy so that I can continue to be the bridge between the rich and the poor, and to build future leaders who will love all, even if they are unlike them. When we returned to school I had them journal about their experience. I will post some of their entries soon for you to read. :)
Santos Pamba School:
We are currently working on getting windows installed on the 2nd floor of the school. We are also working on getting the school legalized this year and being an official school in the Ecuadorian government. Please pray that this process goes quickly! Our next project will be having 30 desks and chairs made for the kindergarten and next year’s 1st grade class.
*Please be praying that God provides the funding for having desks and chairs made ($1300)
Compassion International Update- Answer to prayer! We have been praying for God to provide the personnel needed to run the Compassion site. The main concern is finding a Director who has a University degree. God provided one! His name is Manuel. Manuel is going to be the new Assistant Pastor to Pedro Pablo and will be working with the youth and Sunday School program. He has agreed to be the Compassion Director also. Praise God! Manuel has studied Communications in the University, and also went to the Alliance Seminary here and has a degree in Theology. Thank you for praying! I am very excited for him to start working with us in Santos Pamba.
Please continue to pray for the following personnel to come:
*3 Tutors (graduated from high school)
*1 Health Director (graduated from high school and has basic first aid knowledge)
*1 Accountant (graduated from high school and studying accounting)
*1 Christian Education teacher (graduated from high school)
Thank you for your continued support and prayers. Please pray for me because I have a bad cold right now and need to get better! Thanks!
God bless you,
Kim
Friday, January 2, 2009
Home for Christmas
I had a wonderful time at home for Christmas with Pablo. I'm very happy that many of you were able to meet him. We were busy touring Seattle and seeing all the sights, as well as playing in the snow! Pablo saw snow for the first time. We also celebrated my birthday with friends and family. For New Year's Eve we went to see the fireworks at the Space Needle. Tomorrow we are returning to Quito. I look forward to seeing you again this summer. God bless you and Happy New Year!!
Compassion International update
On December 6th Pastor Pedro Pablo and I had a meeting with Compassion International. Pablo came with also. A representative for Compassion came to visit Santos Pamba and evaluate our site. Our building was approved, however we do not have the personnel to run the program. Compassion requires 10 personnel who have graduated from high school, and the Director needs to be graduated from college. They need to be from the community and be members of the church. Of the Santos Pamba church, there are only a few people who have graduated from high school. Many have not even completed elementary school because they have had to work instead. We were very discouraged when we received this news, however we are trusting that this is in the Lord's hands and in His timing Compassion will begin. In the meantime, all we can do is pray. I ask you to join with us and pray for these specific needs:
- 1 Director (gradute from college, passion for children)
-3 Tutors (graduated from high school)
-1 Health Director (graduated from high school and has basic first aid knowledge)
-1 Accountant (graduated from high school and studying accounting)
-1 Christian Education teacher (graduated from high school)
Thank you for joining us in prayer. Your prayers are powerful!
- 1 Director (gradute from college, passion for children)
-3 Tutors (graduated from high school)
-1 Health Director (graduated from high school and has basic first aid knowledge)
-1 Accountant (graduated from high school and studying accounting)
-1 Christian Education teacher (graduated from high school)
Thank you for joining us in prayer. Your prayers are powerful!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Class Misison Trip to Santos Pamba School
Dear Friends and Family,
Thank you for your prayers last Friday when I took my class on the mission trip to the Santos Pamba School! God heard them. We had a wonderful time. My students had been praying all week that it would be sunny and not rain. It didn’t rain until we were in the bus on our way home! I had been praying that this first visit to Santos Pamba would be an eye-opening experience for my students and that they would walk away changed. Prayers were answered!
We had 15 adults go with us, including my new Principal and his wife, as well as my Director’s wife, and many parents. Pablo also went with us. When we arrived I assigned each student with an “amiguito” from Santos Pamba to be buddies for the day. We then sang songs (Pablo played the guitar). My class presented the Christmas story play and we talked about how Jesus is the best Christmas gift ever. Afterwards we did a Christmas art project with them and then went to play games outside. We brought balls and big parachutes to play with. We then had lunch all together. The day went by quickly and soon it was time to leave. My students gave their amiguitos little Christmas candy bags and hugged them goodbye. Many of my girls cried because they didn’t want to leave their amiguitas. When we returned to school I had them journal and write about what they observed that day and learned from our trip. These were some of their precious comments:
“I observed that my buddies’ shoes were ripped and many of the kids were not wearing socks. Thank you God that I always have socks.”
“I was nervous to meet the kids because they are poor and I knew that my heart would be sad for them, but God helped me not be nervous and comforted my heart. I love my new friends and hope we can keep visiting them.”
“We need to love poor people like the kids at Santos Pamba because God loves them just as much as He loves us.”
“The gift that my buddy gave me (a paper angel) is the best Christmas gift ever because I know he made it with his heart. He doesn’t have very much, but he spent time making me a special gift.”
These are just some of their comments. My purpose of the trip was accomplished, Praise God! My students feel in love with the kids at Santos Pamba, and most importantly, they learned to love those who are unlike them. They are eagerly awaiting the next trip we will have to Santos Pamba.
Thank you for your prayers and constant support! Above are some pictures from our mission trip.
Thank you for your prayers last Friday when I took my class on the mission trip to the Santos Pamba School! God heard them. We had a wonderful time. My students had been praying all week that it would be sunny and not rain. It didn’t rain until we were in the bus on our way home! I had been praying that this first visit to Santos Pamba would be an eye-opening experience for my students and that they would walk away changed. Prayers were answered!
We had 15 adults go with us, including my new Principal and his wife, as well as my Director’s wife, and many parents. Pablo also went with us. When we arrived I assigned each student with an “amiguito” from Santos Pamba to be buddies for the day. We then sang songs (Pablo played the guitar). My class presented the Christmas story play and we talked about how Jesus is the best Christmas gift ever. Afterwards we did a Christmas art project with them and then went to play games outside. We brought balls and big parachutes to play with. We then had lunch all together. The day went by quickly and soon it was time to leave. My students gave their amiguitos little Christmas candy bags and hugged them goodbye. Many of my girls cried because they didn’t want to leave their amiguitas. When we returned to school I had them journal and write about what they observed that day and learned from our trip. These were some of their precious comments:
“I observed that my buddies’ shoes were ripped and many of the kids were not wearing socks. Thank you God that I always have socks.”
“I was nervous to meet the kids because they are poor and I knew that my heart would be sad for them, but God helped me not be nervous and comforted my heart. I love my new friends and hope we can keep visiting them.”
“We need to love poor people like the kids at Santos Pamba because God loves them just as much as He loves us.”
“The gift that my buddy gave me (a paper angel) is the best Christmas gift ever because I know he made it with his heart. He doesn’t have very much, but he spent time making me a special gift.”
These are just some of their comments. My purpose of the trip was accomplished, Praise God! My students feel in love with the kids at Santos Pamba, and most importantly, they learned to love those who are unlike them. They are eagerly awaiting the next trip we will have to Santos Pamba.
Thank you for your prayers and constant support! Above are some pictures from our mission trip.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
November pictures
The Santos Pamba School teachers: Amanda, Mary, and Soledad
Last weekend at Rancho de los Pinos
Pablo singing at Santa Maria Quichua Alliance Church
At Santa Maria Quichua Alliance Church
My little Native Americans and Pilgrims
3rd Grade Class Picture (with Amy their ESL teacher)
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