A few days left in Ecuador

Our last full day at Escuela de Amor y Esperanza was yesterday (Friday).  I'm in the music group and we worked with the 7th graders to make sure all three groups were ready to play their choir chime song on Saturday.  After school, we traveled a couple hours to swim in hot springs off of a volcano.  It was awesome!  The temperature outside was cold but the water was soothing and relaxing!  We were there for awhile and gathered around in a circle talking about God's creation and things that were on our minds.  Pancho and Pity led and we prayed for each person in our group and something they wanted to pray for.  This took awhile but it was really powerful and I'm so glad we got to do that.  Pancho and Pity are such a blessing to our group and their teachings have taught us a lot.  

Today we attended the fair at the school.  Each grade and classroom had something prepared and the families of the students could come into the classroom in shifts to see what they have been working on at school.  It was a little crowded but it was good to see many families come to support their children.  I visited the classrooms that I have been working with all week to see their presentations (5th A, 5th B, 6th, and 7th grade).  I stayed in the 7th grade class the most to help with the choir chimes.  They all did very well playing their songs and I was impressed how quickly they learned!  They played a few wrong notes here and there, but overall it was wonderful for learning the music and how to play the choir chimes in less than a week.  After the fair, we went to a smaller market similar to the one we went to last Saturday and then to a mall.  The mall was big and all the stores were really expensive.  It's crazy to me to see such a poor area in the beginning of the day and then go to a richer place where people are spending large amounts of money.  It makes me sad that we have so much and still want more when many people have hardly anything at all.  Let's just say from Pancho and Pity's teachings as well as our experiences on this trip, God is opening my eyes!  I'm very thankful for what I have and I want to serve Him more because I'm seeing that these kids just need to feel loved and that is something we can all easily accomplish without much work.

God bless!  Lindsay Meece

june 3rd by Joe Hannis

hey everbody today was a great day.  the kids at the school are great.  i mostly play games with the kids and they are so fun to play with even though i hardly understand a word that they are saying. i also worked in the arts today they learn pretty quick and love to be around us. we finished painting some rooms today and alot of the kids stayed around untill we were done just to be with us, so we could play around with them. they are so full of love they just run up and hug you it is really great. i was almost tackled by how many kids just run up and hug you all at once and it takes forevor to get them off of you but thats probably because we love them being around us and dont really try to get them off. i really like everything here the scenery is great with the volcano mountains everywhere it is great. are hosts are really great they are so nice and loving. well thats pretty much it thank you for all your support and for making this trip possible. thanks Joe Hannis

2nd Day at Carmen Bajo

Our second day at Carmen Bajo has passed and we are all winding down in the living room now. First, I must apologize, there may be times in the blog where I begin to blog in 'spanglish', I'll try to correct everything before posting but I can't promise anything. Second, I would like to thank everyone who made this mission trip possible for all of us. Third, I would like to ask all you to keep all of us in your prayers (if you don't already), a couple girls were sick today, but in the name of Jesus they are healed! I know this is devil attack our group because God has some amazing things planned for the remainder of our time here. Okay, so the reason I am blogging: to tell you what happened today!


During the morning, our group broke up into smaller groups doing crafts, music, games or teaching English, which is the group I was in. These past two days that I have spent with the children has been life altering. Every class we walk into, before we can get a word out, the children stand up and say "Good morning, God bless you, Teacher", without fail, even in the afternoon. The looks in their faces as we walk into their classes always causes my heart to soar. They are so happy to see us and spend time with us, I am just in awe. A couple of the classes my group worked with today were the same we worked with yesterday which in my opinion helped a lot! Not only did we not have to go through the long introductions but I saw even the little bit of work we did with the students yesterday helped them. There was a class we went to yesterday that I just wasn't sure if I was getting through to them at all, the whole entire time they looked bored and disinterested, not paying any attention to me, and then when we returned to their class today, they knew the vocabulary we went over yesterday and were kind of competing to see who could get the word right. It was such a humbling experience.


After our sessions with the classes, our groups got a much needed break (most of us slept during this time, on mattresses they provided for us, Thank you Lord!) before moving on to painting the classes on the top floor of the school. In my personal opinion painting those two rooms--which we did not complete--was harder than the six rooms, hallway and staircase we painted at Alliance Academy International...but just as fun. Part of painting job included painting the bottom half of the walls with an oil-based paint. Oh man. Oil-based paint does not smell good, think of a gallon of gasoline in a small (very small) classroom with little circulation and voila! You have the room we were in for an hour, needless to say, we were getting a little loopy at the end. 


To top off a fun day, we were invited to eat dinner with a future Greenville College student and his family. Where we played signs, which has become the choice game of the group, after eating pizza--from Domino's nonetheless.


Okay, if you make all the way down to the bottom of this post, I am sorry for the extremely long length but I hope what I have written was sufficient for you. God Bless.
-Maria Rodriguez :)

June 28 from Kim

Hello everyone.  We were so tired after yesterday that we all just went to bed when we got back.  We finished the stairwell we were painting.  We had to get more paint twice because it took so much to get in the texture of the wall. After lunch Dr. Sanders had arranged for us to tour the radio station that we just across the street from the school. I did not get to go.  A few of us were asked by one of the 6th grade teachers to help with the musical the students were putting on. The students did so good.  Their musical is about Pirates and how to be a thoughtful Christian. One of the volcanos stated spitting ash in the morning so when we were getting ready to leave it started raining.  When we got back to the apartment a lot of people took naps and we just relaxed.  Then after dinner we went to the movies.  Pity and Pontco came with us.  The movie we were going to see was sold out for the first time so we went to the 9:30 showing.  It gave us a little time to look around the mall and shop a little.  I am not much of a shopper but the other girls enjoyed it.  The shops were closing at about 8:30 so we just waited by the theatre until they let us in. We saw Prince of Persia.  It was really good! We did not get back until about midnight. But it was a fun day and we finished the work we were asked to do at Alliance Academy so we all slept well with that.

See you soon.  Love,
Kim

Update from the other leader!

Hello parents and friends!  You haven't heard from me because I didn't have the access information to post on the blog.  My name is Sandy Schmidt, and I organized the trip to Ecuador.  I had been here two years ago with my husband as consultants to both the schools in which we are working.  I was incredibly impressed by the Alliance Academy International's school facilities and curriculum.  However, I was even more impressed by the wonderful job the folks are doing at the Carmen Bajo school called Colegio Amor y Esperanza (The School of Love and Hope).  With little resources, those people are giving the children on one of the poorest neighborhoods in Quito a wonderful, transforming, and Christ-filled education.  I wanted the GC students to have the experience of working at both schools. 

So, here is my update:  Paint, paint, paint--that's pretty much what we have been doing for the last three days.  Yes, we took a break to help with chapel for the elementary school children at AAI, but other than that we painted.   This group of GC students are amazing!  Parents--you have done a wonderful job training these kids.  They have worked hard but never complained.  We worked with somewhat unorthodox materials, but we did it!  We painted 6 dorm rooms, a long (really long) hallway, and the stairwells of our side of the building.  We broke up in small groups, and each group tackled one room.  If one group finished sooner than another, they joined whoever needed help.  Then another mini-crew came around and cleaned up the drops of paint and whatever managed to get under the tape we used to protect the woodwork.  Some kids were "abused"--the tall ones like Bobby, Christina and Lindsay--they were always called on to give  an extra hand in hard to reach places.  There was even singing,(in harmony no less!), while all this painting was going on. Kim, Joey, Chelsea,Joey and some others became the paintbrush and paint tray cleaning crew.  At the end of the day we were exhausted but happy we had done such a wonderful job.  The maintenance director at the school was so impressed; she said ours was one of the best crews they have had work at the school.  We were neat, used our time well, and cleaned after ourselves.  She said she felt blessed by the group and their great work.
    Tomorrow we head out for some sightseeing.  We are going to Otavalo, the largest indigenous artisan market in the world!  OK, so do you hear the ca-ching?  Yes, this is probably where the kids will spend money.  Sorry parents, but it's an experience we didn't want them to miss.

Last Day at Alliance, visit to HCJB Radio

We have been at the Alliance Academy International school, the famous school in Quito for the children of diplomats, missionaries, and well-to-do Ecuadorians, for three days now. We have painted a dormitory wing, conducted four chapel services, are doing Bible Quizzing demonstrations today in two or three classes, and will visit the HCJB (Voice of the Andes) radio station today at 1:00 p.m. It has a tremendous place in missionary history, and still has a vital ministry. I'm excited to be able to go there; it's right across the street from where we are serving now at Alliance.

Tonight we go to the movies in downtown Quito, then tomorrow we head north for a field trip to the mountains, and to visit the largest artisans market in the world. All cameras will be on ready alert!  I know the kids will enjoy this great field trip! Next week we will work all five days in the Amor & Esperanza (Love and Hope) school in a poor neighborhood. Dr. Sandy Schmidt and I will be running three teacher's training workshops, and the rest of the time we will be helping to teach music, art, English, and recreation, along with help from our marvelous students.  Have a marvelous day!  Greg Sanders

Thursday, May 27, Second Day at Alliance Academy

Dear Parents and Friends,
Today has been a very good day. We had three chapel services for elementary school children this morning at the Alliance Academy, and we were in charge. I decided to utilize all of the students, so we proceeded as follows. First, I gave a team greeting, and then each student introduced himself or herself. Next, we led the audience in some songs - Allelu/Praise Ye the Lord (the children's version, with a little jazzing it up at the end), Lord, I Lift Your Name on High, and a chorus that fit the theme of the serve, Love, Love, Love, Love, the Gospel in a Word is Love.

Then I gave a 3-5 minute talk about how LOVE is the essence of being a Christian, but love takes practice - you can't just decide overnight to be a great lover. We start with small acts and work up to those that are bigger and harder.  Then the G.C. students came up, one group at a time, first the Football Players, then the Artist, then the Language Learners, then the Musicians. For each group, they would pantomine an activity (such as throwing a football around), and the children had to guess what the college students were acting out. Then I would interview the students about how to get good at that particular activity. Finally, at the end I gave a conclusion which incorporated Jesus' two greatest commandments (Love God, Love your Neighbor), and we talked about how to apply that to parents, fellow students, teachers, and then enemies.

While the students were painting, I worked this afternoon on finishing a summary of the NSO (New Student Orientation) evaluation that Norm Hall and his office want as they start their Fall planning.  Several classes also requested a few minutes of the students' time, so the students had fun visiting those classes and getting bombarded with questions.

Our hosts, Pancho and Pity, have been outstanding. They are warm and gracious Christian hosts, and our meals have been delightful. We almost always have fresh-squeezed juice of some kind, and not always of the standard juices either. Tonight, I think we had Passion Fruit juice, which they call "maraguiyo," I think. We had two different kinds of ice cream, one that looked like vanilla but was a fruit flavor called "guyabano," and then raspberry-chocolate, both topped with a swirl of chocolate syrup. Right now the students and Dr. Schmidt are playing a game in our spacious living room, the "sign" game, where each student tries to pass his or her "sign" (maybe flicking the hair back on one side, rubbing one side of the nose, etc.) while one person tries to guess who "has" the "sign" at any particular moment. They are enjoying themselves!

We have a fairly active itinerary. Tomorrow we go back for our third day to the Alliance Academy to paint the stairwell (we have already painted several bedrooms and hallway), and perhaps to give a demonstration of the Bible Quiz chairs to a class of Bible students. Tomorrow night our hosts have planned to take us out to the movies, a large Cineplex in the center of Quito, where they typically show American movies but with Spanish subtitles. Saturday we are going to a very large market for artisans, the largest in the world I am told, and then to church on early Sunday morning and then to "Mindo," a subtropical area where the equatorial line passes.  At least, I think that's the plan.  I'll let you know later how much of that transpires!

God is working in our group.  First, there were several "break-throughs" with Alliance students this morning, where, to give one example, a child with autism was actually persuaded by one of our girls to come up and sing and dance as part of one of the skits (with several other Alliance students as well), and a little boy from Russia who never opens his mouth in class gave an answer to one of my questions right in front of everything.  The way God used us to reach the kids brought visible tears to the eyes of several teachers.  It just goes to show you the truth of the Proverb, slightly paraphrased, "In our hearts we plan our course, but the Lord determines our steps."  We act out our plan, but God does the real work!  Peace to all.

Dr. Greg Sanders