For the last two weeks we have had a group of four Americans that have been teaching English using the book of Luke. This is last week's party with a Mickey Mouse theme. The student's had fun playing a bunch of games, relay races and eating lots of great treats. Tonight is the next party with the theme of 'Christmas in July.' It should be lots of fun. We have had quite a success with this program, in fact Travis and I are teaching a group class for people who want to take the one-on-one classes but just don't have enough vocabulary to communicate very well. And Hermel who normally teaches that basic class during the normal year is teaching a large group as well. We will see what happens starting September when we start our regular classes again. It looks like I will end up teaching a intermediate class as well as the basic and advanced levels. But we have been glad to have this group here as Cuenca is a university town and many people are interested in learning English. It just gives us one way to gain friendships and hopefully in the future bring more people into a relationship with God. Please continue to be with us this next week as we wrap up the one-on-one classes and for the relationships being build with the students.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Mancora, Peru
At the beginning of July and right after the kids were done school we headed on a nine hour bus ride to the beaches of Mancora, Peru. It wasn't really in the plans for us but out of necessity more then just for fun. Due to some recent changes in laws for visas, we needed to reapply for our visas within 30 days of the expiry and with all the paperwork. Not knowing the the laws had changed we ended up missing the deadline by 4 or 5 days so they told us that we could not apply as we didn't do so in enough time. The only option for us was to leave the country when our visas expired and reenter as tourists. And then to reapply for our missionary visas. So knowing that we had to wait for a few documents from Canada we decided to take a vacation since we had to leave the country anyway. We spent the week in a small town of Mancora, enjoying walking along the beaches, trying some good food and taking a break from the work here in Cuenca. It's been awhile since living in a beach city and we enjoyed being able to go to the beach everyday, the warmer weather and time together. The kids loved the beach, loved playing in the waves and making sandcastles. We searched for shells and rocks to bring back home with us and watched the sunset every night. It was good to get away for a bit and enjoy just the family. We are glad to be back home and working again. We have almost all of the paperwork that we need to renew our missionary visa but still are asking for your prayers that this will happen quickly and that we don't have any more surprises. Hopefully by next month we will again have our missionary visas.
Susanna and Isaac Get Baptized!
Travis and I have been studying with twins Susanna and Isaac. They are the brother and sister of one of the evangelists, Pablo. They have been very interested in the Bible and what it means to their lives. On June 30th, our 11th wedding anniversary they dedicated their lives to God through baptism. Their friends, family and people from church came to watch this important time in their lives. The unfortunate thing is at the pool that we went to baptize them did not want us doing it without paying, so only a few of us went in and paid the price. I videoed their baptism and then let the others watch who stayed outside the pool area. Even though it was an unconventional way for a baptism, they really were happy (both a bit shy) that not everyone was there. Afterwards, we invited everyone to our place for some snacks and time to celebrate. We even got a special song sung to us since it was our anniversary that day. Please be in prayer for Susanna and Isaac as they begin their walk with God and continue to grow spiritually. And with their family, especially Pablo and their brother Manuel as they continue to help them grow in Christ.
Birthday Party!
Ceara and I went for a long trip one day to go to a birthday party of a friend from her school. We had received the invitation and according to the directions it was at a party house and seemed pretty close to where we lived. However, it took us at least 30 minutes to arrive and when we got there we actually were one of the first to get there. However, the party house was a neat place, it had a few inflatable toys to play on, a large yard for games and soccer and this pool. It was a very cold day so being outside was not as fun but after the birthday boy got there (who ended up with a fever) we were able to go into the pool room which to our surprise was heated and a needed break from the cold outside. Ceara had lots of fun playing with her school friends and I got to visit with some of the ladies. Unfortunately this was probably one of the last times Ceara will get to see those friends from school as next year she will be attending a new school. But like we tell her, you'll have lots of new friends next year and can always call your old friends for a play date. But it was good to get together one last time with them.
Bolo and Jenny Move!
About three weeks ago Bolo and Jenny moved into a new house on the other side of the city, closer to the church. We are sad that they now live further away from us but are glad they found a great house and are renting for less then they used to. Here is a picture of Jenny, Travis and Nuvia cleaning out the kitchen so that Jenny could put away all of her dishes. The great thing about their new place is the space they have for hosting. This past Sunday we had a bbq at their place with the group from LST and we were almost all able to sit at the same table, which usually in their old home we had three tables going in different areas of the house. We look forward to more times at their place, however, we are hoping to move ourselves in the near future. I guess we will see but hope to have news of that in the next few weeks.
Father's Day!
For Father's Day, I hadn't planned what we would do for lunch that Sunday but after church service we got talking with Ivan who studies the Bible with Travis on Tuesday nights and he didn't have plans as everyone else in his family was working that day. So we decided to try out a restaurant that we had tried the first time when we came to Cuenca in 2009. It wasn't hard to find and we enjoyed a lunch with potatoes, meat and corn as well as time with Ivan and his daughter Angelica. Plus you can't go wrong celebrating Father's Day with a BBQ lunch. The kids were able to play while we waited for our food and the guys got to chat about life. We are glad for our relationship with Ivan and his family, please keep them in your prayers.
Family Day Party
For family day, Calen's school held a party as a going away party as well as a family day. The kids all had dances that they made up to different popular songs as well as a song that they sung especially for their parents. Calen's song was lots of fun and he even likes to dance to the song know whenever we hear it i the streets. The kids also got to show some of their school work and we created a shield together as a family. It's fun watching Calen interact with his friends and protect the little ones. He is speaking so much more in Spanish and the teachers really loved having him in school. It will be sad not sending him there next year but we look forward to how much more he grows in his new school. Hard to believe he will almost be four and that he's grown up so quickly!
Martha, Martha
On one of the Saturdays we held a mini conference for the women of the church on the topic of Martha and Mary, focusing on Martha when Jesus came to her house and she got upset that Mary just sat around listening to Jesus while Martha worked. Jenny and the lady in the picture, Mirella gave two classes on the subject. Nuvia, Lucia and I planned the in between activities, a question time, a drama that we had volunteers play out the scene and a cooking time. I taught the ladies to make easy sugar cookies, which went over well. It was a great time to get together and share with each other and get to know the ladies better.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Jonathan and Sandra
Jonathan and Sandra have been a couple that we have been meeting with for a few months now. We first met Jonathan who at the time was working in a fast food place at the mall near our home. He had asked Travis if he would help them with their work to pronounce the words of their food correctly. Travis invited him to come to the English classes that we have been holding two nights a week. He and his wife started coming to the classes and really enjoyed learning. We had made plans to meet for coffee once when Craig and Leah were here but only Craig ended up going but they really enjoyed their conversation. We got to know them a bit better and had invited them to our home a few times as they live very close to us. After awhile we started studying with them using a marriage guide. So they come once a week to our house to study and then we see them on the nights we teach English. We also get together other times and are really finding them to be good friends. We pray that God will use this friendship to help them grow in their faith in God. Please also pray for Sandra's dad as he is in his final stages of cancer and not doing well. Pray for Sandra and he family as they wait and say their goodbyes to him. And be in prayer for them as a couple, that they can grow closer together and closer to God.
Bell Academy
We have been looking for awhile now and new school for the kids, one that they can both go to at the same time and that wasn't so far away from the city. We were tired of sending Ceara about an hour ride to and from school everyday and having to get up at 6am in the morning. We finally found a great school in the city called Bell Academy. It's a smaller and newer school which is great because that means that there won't be more then 15 kids in a class. As well, the school teaches three languages, English, Spanish and Portuguese. So our kids will be able to speak all three and be able to remember the language of where they were born. We are very excited about this. The director is from Cuenca and is married a to a teacher born in Brail but his grandparents are from England. We are glad that they will be able to relate well with our kid with their multiple places that they have lived and languages they have spoken. We are excited to see what this next year brings to them and what they will learn and experience in the coming year.
Open House!
Near the end of the school year, Ceara's class had an open house. They did a mini-day in the life of Ceara. They showed us the types of things they'd been learning, even including English class which was a bit funny with Ceara as she knew everything already. But it was a fun time watching how they teach here in Ecuador and how Ceara interacted with the students and the teacher. We are so proud of how well she'd doing in school and how well she's speaking Spanish. Next year she won't be going to the same school but I know she will do great in her new school. She already has accomplished so much.
Mother's Day Service in Azogues!
This Mother's Day landed on the day that we headed out to Azogues. It was a great time as we had quite a few visitors that day. Some of course were family members but a few were from the city. After the service and sermon by Travis we had a time of dedication for the Mother's. We had a few people sing some tradition songs and a few poems read as well. One of the members made lunch for everyone and we enjoyed having the day together and seeing them share their Mother's Day traditions with us. They sure do appreciate their Mother's in this country!
Daniel
For Mother's Day the mall hosted a mariachi band to play for all the mother's. We decided to go not because of the Mother's Day but because our friend from church plays the violin in the band. He also plays in the orchestra here in the city. So one more thing to put on my list, watch a friend play mariachi music!
Captain Calen
One of the things that Calen is into lately is the Avengers. When we were in Quito we stopped at a toy store and got a few little toys for them for Easter. One of the promotions when I got up to the till was an avengers cartoon video, so I got it for them and ever since then he has been obsessed with the Avengers. Specifically Captain America. He has been bugging me for awhile to make him something like the Captain America shield. So one day I did make him a shield with two plastic plate, he has taken it everywhere with him. In fact once we went to the mall and went into the main store. The guy guarding the entrance in fact made me put a sticker on his shield because he thought it was store made. It made us all laugh! Calen has used it so much since I made it that it finally broke the other day and I had to make another one for him, I have a feeling that it won't be the last one either. Good thing for plastic plates!
Dune Bugs!
When we were in Banos, we were surprised by the way that people got around. They used dune buggies to get around. So we were able to rent one while we were there and got to explore the town in a different way then normal. Here is Travis with the kids and their motorbike helmets. I especially like Ceara's helmet, reminds me of the old time bike helmets. They looked pretty good. Calen and Travis loved the ride but Ceara and I didn't enjoy it as much. In fact Calen asked everyday afterwards to go ride again. But there are some need things that you can do that you'd never do back home. So if you ever come to Ecuador and take a trip to banos, you got to try out their transportation.
Birthday's Galore!
Seth and Hannah are Nuvia's twins, the were celebrating their tenth birthday this March. They really haven't had the chance to celebrate a big birthday before and I decided that since they almost share my birthday that I would throw a joint party with them. I let them invite 6 friends each from their school and we invited many of our friends as well. I made up some games to play and made cupcakes with a boy theme and girl theme for them. The really enjoyed having the party focused on them, they have to share pretty much everything together but I made it so they both got their own time as well as together. I think they had fun and we got to meet some new people through their friends.
Youth Say Goodbye
After a few times with Craig, the youth wanted to say goodbye to Craig. They really felt empowered and excited about the future of the youth group after being invited to hear Craig speak and encourage them in their faith. They even all chipped in to buy him a really 'panama' hat which technically comes from Ecuador. Thanks Craig for all your help and your encouragement for the youth!
Azogues with the Family
Another thing that we were able to do was visit with the church in Azogues with our family. Craig was able to preach and do a class for them one Sunday. After the service the congregation got us to spend the afternoon at one of their houses and had prepared a meal for us. As well, when Len came he was able to give the congregation a class and Craig was able to preach one more time for them. It's always fun to be there as they are a small group and we are able to visit more with them. Thanks Len and Craig for encouraging this small congregation. Please be in prayer for this group as they continue to grow and learn more about God.
A Good Shower
Another activity that Craig was a part of, along with Travis and Len was organizing the construction of a new shower for Maria Anita and her family. They are members of the church here and they two boys are just heading into their teens. As active teens, they have been finding that hauling water to take their baths was just not functional anymore, so they had asked the church to help them build a shower at their home outside of the city. Our guys helped by organizing the build and visiting their home. They even helped fix one of their fences that held their chickens. Mary Anita and her family were very grateful for the help as well as the new shower that will make a huge difference for their family. Thanks guys for all your work!
Youth Retreat
When Craig and Leah were here we had a youth retreat for the youth group. Craig was well loved by the teens. He had them interacting by doing a photo scavenger hunt. So splitting up in different groups, the teens when around downtown Cuenca taking pictures of their group in different situations, including hiding under a table and standing in a truck bed. Afterwards they listened to Craig give them a devotional. They had lots of fun and since Craig was here they have been trying to get together more often for these types of activities. So thanks Craig for helping them to get excited again for this year and helping them to look at how they can live more for Christ this year.
Trip to Quito
Just before the Easter holidays we made another trip to Quito to trying and get our cedulas which are basically our national id's. However, when we got there we discovered that since Travis' last trip in January the laws had changed requiring anyone who gets a cedula to have a residence visa. So we ended up taking a trip for nothing but while we were there we spent time looking around the city that Travis spent a year of his life in. We saw a few museums and some churches in the downtown. We also got to see our friends, Nuvia, Hannah, Seth and Dothy who were visiting their family during the easter holidays. You would have thought that the kids hadn't seen each other in a very long time even though it had only been a few days. We treated the kids to an amusement park and then for Nuvia's kids McDonald's which was the first time they had tried it. Amazing what little things make kids happy. It was still a fun time even though we were unable to get our cedulas.