This week has been quite an eventful one, for us, the school, and the country of Ecuador.

Yesterday, Sunday, was election day for Ecuador.  A news article here will fill you in a little more. The people of Ecuador chose candidates for the president and vice-president, 124 members of the national legislative assembly, 221 mayors, 24 prefects and 1581 municipal officials.  The final result was the re-election of the president (Rafael Correa), the election of a new assembly (formerly called the congress), and the election of new mayors for several of the provinces.  While we were happy that the election process appears to have gone smoothly, I must admit that several of us were selfishly hoping for strikes (so that school would be canceled on Monday).  Alas, there were no strikes and school took place as scheduled.

I have spoken (via telephone and facebook) several times this week with my mother, who has gone to Pennsylvania to help my grandmother who has been ill.  They tell me that my Granny is home from the hospital and is doing better, but still struggles with breathlessnes and joint pain.  She is in good spirits, but tires easily.

Rick and I were guinea pigs for the students in his video class today, as they record interviews with different staff members for supplemental chapters for Alliance Academy’s promotional video.  Perhaps future teachers and staff will get to listen to our opinions on life in Quito, school growth, and traveling tips.  I hope whatever we said was useful!

Rick continues to teach jujitsu to a growing number of students.  His class now consists of one adult and three teenagers, all of whom show a good amount of enthusiasm and potential.  Rick hopes to continue to add to the class, and is excited about the possibility of testing for the first part of his second-degree black belt while we are back in Kansas this summer.

I, along with the other counselors, will begin a Social Skills group for students in 3rd and 4th graders this coming Thursday.  So far it looks like the group will be all boys!  Please keep us all in your prayers, as we try to get referrals from teachers and consent forms from parents.  There is a great need for this type of group, but little time and energy!

Rick has begun writing music again, after a hiatus of several years.  He has been working on one song in particular (with several ideas in the wings), and is hoping to spend some time in a recording studio with some friends over the summer months.

He has also been working on a graphic design project for my brother’s employer (DTS), and is almost done.  He has really enjoyed being able to do graphic design work of that quality, and he and Jason seem to have worked well together.  It has been a good experience, and the extra money he will make will come in handy over the next few months.

I am currently working on creating a manual for the Counseling Department of Alliance Academy, including our purpose statement and standard procedure.  Apparently this has never been done at AAI, and it is my hope to have the basic outline in place by the end of the year.  It will require a little bit of research and typing, but I think it will fall into place fairly quickly.

As Rick posted last week, our schedule for the summer is falling into place.  Many friends have offered their homes, and are looking forward to spending time with you all when we are there.

May God bless and keep you all,
Rachel Sams

Hey guys.

Rick here.  Decided to temporarily take over the reigns of the weekly email update, just to prove that I could do something on a deadline.  Of course, Rachel’s brother Jason will know that I’m doing this instead of working on a project for his company for which I have a pretty tight deadline.  Can’t have it both ways, dude.

Anyway, the past week was great.  We finished up Easter break, and it was very relaxing.  Like Rachel mentioned a couple weeks ago, we’d planned a trip to Cuenca, which is by far my favorite city in Ecuador.  But to be completely honest, when Craig came down sick, one of the first things I thought (right after “Oh dear, I sincerely hope he mends quickly”) was “Ooooo, might I get to sleep in for six days straight?”  Really was just what we both needed (Rachel and I, not Craig and I).  I got a lot of work done on an on-the-side musical project I’ve been pluggin’ away at recently, read a couple of books, ate a lot of good food, and took several naps.  We really didn’t want to go back to work on Wednesday, but three days before another weekend was better than five, by far.

Opción de Vida this week was crazy.  It rained harder than it has since before we moved here.  The streets were flooded, and traffic was virtually at a stand-still.  We normally make the 20-minute walk on foot, but this time we decided a school van would work better.  Getting there wasn’t all that bad, but the drive back (which should’ve taken 5 minutes) took 45.  Incidentally, I drove.  I was just a little stressed out.  Some of the tunnels had flooded out, and many of the major thoroughfares were parking lots.  About every other street in Quito is one-way, and they’re known to change overnight with no warning (or change in signage).  Driving the wrong way on a one-way street here is a three-day jail stay, so trying to find an alternate route back to school was an endeavor fraught with peril.  (I’m much to pretty to go to jail.)  The street boys were all wound up, and in retrospect it probably wasn’t a good day to bring hard-boiled eggs and food dye.  Many of the kids we work with are street performers (jugglers), and I don’t think there was an intact egg left when we headed out.  I’m sure next week will be better.

Speaking of school-related oddness, it’s “baby” week at AAI.  All the seniors have been paired up in “husband/wife” couples, and are taking turns toting a watermelon “baby” around for a week.  Evidently it’s a requirement that they “decorate” their fruity offspring, and the lengths to which the moms are going to accesorize their children is amazing.  I’ll be sure to take some pictures.

Rachel has asked that you pray for her Granny Anderson.  She’s not been in fantastic health for some time, and has spent the last couple of weeks in the hospital with complications from lupus.  She’s a fantastic lady.  We appreciate you remembering her.

There’s some good money news this month.  Donations are already at $1,200 for the month, and Rachel’s bro hooked me up with a pretty easy (if a little time-consuming) job for his company that will add another nice chunk of change to the coffers.  This will help significantly toward spending money for the summer.

Summer plans are starting to come together.  We’ll be flying into Kansas City on Friday evening, June 19th.  We’ll be in KC for two weeks.  During that time, we’ve already got a couple of parties planned, plus a possible short camping trip for me.  I’ve also recently connected with a few of my buddies from college, and we’ve got a cookout tentatively planned with that group as well.  I talked to one of my best friends just yesterday.  He and his wife have moved away from KC, but are going to (coincidentally) be back in town during the time we’re there.  The KC time is shaping up to be perfect.  Our tentative plans after KC call for a few days in Springfield with my folks before we (Mom, Dad, Rachel, and I) head out to Colorado to spend five days or so with my sis and her family.  Mom and I have even chatted about the possibility of a night with the whole bunch at the YMCA of the Rockies just outside of Estes Park.  (I know, I live at 9,300 feet in the Andes … I shouldn’t miss the Rockies, but I do.)  We’ll then drive back to KC with my folks and spend one night before flying out on July 14th to Tampa.  The time in Tampa will be a hazy blur of pool/book/food/sleep/repeat, which will be  mind-numbingly awesome.  Again with the coincidences … Craig and Amanda will overlap with our Florida trip while visiting her parents in St. Pete.  We hope to connect with them for one day anyway.  All in all, it sounds like it’s really going to be a great vacation.  Hope to see as many of you as we possibly can.

Pray for us as we start to wind the school year down.  The next seven weeks or so will be some of the most stressful of the year.  Rachel asks that you pray specifically for spritual protection and guidance.  Amid all the noise and clutter, it’s easy to lose sight of important things and to stop listening.  Thanks so much for all your prayers and support.

We love you much.

Rick

Hello all!

The last week has been both challenging and wonderful, depending on the day.  We made it to Easter break, which will last for six wonderful days.  We have been enjoying sleeping in, running around town, and exploring new places.

Craig Black is doing much better, is out of the hospital, and back at home.  We have enjoyed spending time with him and Amanda over the last few days, too.

One of the challenges and concerns this week my involvement in getting a student of mine into the hospital.  She was recently diagnosed as bipolar and several different medical issues caused her medications to be off balance.  Thankfully, things appear to back on track and she returned home a few days ago.  Please continue to pray that her family will follow through with her treatment needs. 

We spent Easter Sunday at EFC (English Fellowship Church) with an amazing Easter service.  The worship team was not able to lead (for various reasons), but a number of ‘volunteers’ from the congregation helped lead us in several a capella hymns.  The sermon was amazing and it was wonderful to be with other Believers on such a significant day.

We followed our Easter Service with Easter Sunday dinner at the Saavedra’s house.  Dave cooked an amazing roasted chicken, along with a scalloped potatoes and green beans!  Leslie Foster joined us, and brought along a chocolate chunk banana cake, too.  Rick romped with the Saavedra’s boys, Rachel and Leslie helped out in the kitchen, and fun was had by all!

On Monday we went to Mindo with Blacks.  Mindo sits at about 4000 ft and is in the cloud forest.  The temperature is a little warmer than Quito, there are plants and greenery everywhere, butterflies, hummingbirds, and orchids galore.  We rode the bus from Quito there, and then rode from place to place in town in the back of their local cabs (read: pickup trucks).  With any luck, pictures and videos will show up soon on our website and facebooks.

We don’t go back to school until Wednesday.  One more day of leisure left!

We have purchase our plane tickets for the summer (did I say that last week?) and look forward to seeing everyone again very soon.  One of our friends (Nathan) has created a website with a countdown for the date and time that we will arrive. (http://grebowiec.net/rick.html)

Thank you all for your prayers and support.  We love and miss you!

Rachel (and Rick) Sams

For those of you who aren’t able to follow my Facebook countdown, here’s a page a friend of mine slapped together with a running countdown until we hit the ground in KC … to the second.

… while I’ll readily admit that “home” is a designation quickly becoming more and more muddy in my mind … and while I’ll also admit that calling a place like Kansas “home” still makes something deep inside me itch a little … the facts are that we’ll be in the U.S. for about 5 weeks this summer. Below is our travel itinerary:

Friday, June 19, 2009

American Airlines Flight #932
Departs QUITO 6:30 AM
Arrives MIAMI 11:35 AM

American Airlines Flight #2307
Departs MIAMI 1:40 PM
Arrives DALLAS 3:40 PM

American Airlines Flight #1862
Departs DALLAS 4:50 PM
Arrives KANSAS CITY 6:24 PM

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

American Airlines Flight #2023
Departs KANSAS CITY 1:15 PM
Arrives DALLAS 2:54 PM

American Airlines Flight #1564
Departs DALLAS 6:20 PM
Arrives TAMPA 9:40 PM

Friday, July 24, 2009

American Airlines Flight #478
Departs TAMPA 11:20 AM
Arrives MIAMI 12:23 PM

American Airlines Flight #931
Departs MIAMI 3:25 PM
Arrives QUITO 6:25 PM

It’s our plan to spend a couple weeks in KC, then a week and a half with my folks before heading to Tampa to spend a week and a half with Rachel’s folks. More details will be forthcoming soon. (Like which of you “gets to” host us!) Look forward to seein’ you soon!

Hello to you all!

I pray that this email finds you all well, and that you are gearing up for the week ahead.

The last week has been a whirlwind, but a very good one.  Dr. Roy Rotz arrived on Wednesday night, ready to head up the Parent Seminars for the school’s Counseling Summit.  Since the Summit wasn’t until Friday morning, we took Thursday afternoon off and explored Quito.  We went to the Teleferico (cable cars that take you up the volcano, Pichincha, and give a wonderful view of the city).  We also went to Old Town, where we toured a couple of the churches (the Basilica, San Francisco, and La Compania).  We then headed to the Mariscal district, where all the good restaurants are.  Dr. Rotz was, originally, interested in trying a very typical dish called Cuyi (translation - guinea pig).  But, once he saw the picture of the dish on the menu (imagine roasted guinea pig, whole, with feet up in classic cockroach pose), he decided to settle for another traditional dish called Fritada (deep fried pieces of pork), which is much more palatable to our western palates.

Friday morning’s Counselor’s Summit was very, very busy.  The students all headed off to their seminars (four, 45 min seminars throughout the course of the morning).  As is always the case, there were a few hiccups about who was to go where and when, but overall it was a success.  The first parent seminar was on the topic of Parenting the Adoptive Family, and I am happy to report nine different parents attended.  At the end of the seminar one of the mothers voiced the desire to form an informal support network for themselves and other parents.  I am excited to see them work together and share information and support over the next few years.

The second parent seminar was on the topic of Parenting the Challenging Child, andabout 45 parents were there!  Dr. Rotz says that the discussion was so lively that they only got to the third slide in his Power Point!  I have heard great feedback from the parents, who are also telling the teachers how much they learned.

On Saturday we borrowed one of the school vans and headed out for some shopping and sightseeing with Dr. Rotz and some friends.  We started out in Otavalo with one of the biggest artesenal markets in the Western Hemisphere.  The indigenous people of that area specialize in textiles, and woven crafts abound.  There are blankets, sweaters, scarves, wall hangings, etc. made from alpaca, llama, wool, and cotton.  I was able to find a replacement for my black scarf, which Rick has ‘adopted’, making it difficult for me to use.  :)  From Otavalo we headed to Cotocachi, which is a town dedicated entirely to leather goods.  The girls in our group were looking for sandals, I found a nice purse/bag, and Dr. Rotz found a nice jacket for his wife.

Rick dropped Dr. Rotz off at the airport at 6:20am on Sunday and then returned home.  I woke up long enough to make sure that Dr. Rotz’s flight was on time and to call them a cab.  We were both so exhausted that we didn’t get out of bed until noon!

We woke up at noon with a phone call from our friends, the Blacks.  Craigs pancreatitis has returned and he is currently in the hospital.  His pain is under control and he is in good spirits.  He will have a minor, surgical procedure tomorrow at noon and, hopefully, will be home by tomorrow evening.  Please keep him in your prayers.  This has also altered our Easter plans, since they were our travel buddies, and we will stick a little closer to home for Easter.  Even so, we hope to travel to Mindo, which is in the cloud forest (meaning it is a little bit warmer than Quito) and maybe an hour or so by bus.  There is a wide variety of butterflies and hummingbirds there, as well as other birds and wild flowers.  It will probably be an overnight trip, and we hope to take lots of pictures.

Thanks to donations and gifts from some of you, we have been able to purchase our tickets home for this summer!!!  We are so grateful for your love and support (financial, prayer, and/or encouragement!  They are all helping!) and look forward to seeing many of you come June/July.

May God bless and keep you all,
Rachel Sams

Hello to you all!

This week has been very overcast, rainy, and chilly.  We have had a few sunny mornings, so I can’t complain too much.  I am looking forward to the ‘dry season’, which is a little less damp!  The buildings here are concrete blocks, and there is no such thing as central heating.  But we do have a very nice gas heater that really cranks out the heat.  We have been using it often.

This Friday is the Counseling Summit.  Roy Rotz will arrive tonight, and will lead the seminars for parents.  Various and sundry teachers and staff will lead the seminar for students (19 different seminars to chose from).  Rick’s leading one on journaling.  God has been faithful and things seem to be falling into place.  Even the high school students appear to be interested!  At this point in the year, any sign of interest from them is a very good thing.  Please pray that the Lord will direct each student and parent to the seminars that will best guide them, and that no major complications will arise.

Rick has finished taking the last of the senior pictures for the yearbook!!!  While there are a few staff left without pictures, the worst of the scheduling is done.  The Yearbook students seem to be on target and on schedule so far.  They are a good group this year.

Please continue to pray with us for the political and financial stability of Ecuador.  Import taxes are increasing, which seems to affect everyone in one way or another.  Crime levels are also up, probably due to increase in financial hardship.  Four of our students, seperately, were mugged this last Monday at a local cinema/food court (two during their lunch hour and two after school).  We are thankful that they are all ok, just a little poorer in the areas of money/cell phones/iPods/etc.  Rick and I are always cautious when we go out, and I rarely go places alone.  We avoid wearing any expensive jewelry, don’t use our cell phones on the street, and try to be aware of who is around us at all times.  I actually carry my money in a seperate change purse than my documents, since the documents would be a lot harder to replace than a few bills.  God is faithful, and I know He will care for us at all times.
We continue to make tentative plans for our Easter break.  We hope to travel to Cuenca (Rick’s favorite town in Ecuador) with our friends, Craig and Amanda.  Our plan is to take the bus ($8 and 9 hours) there and to fly back, but we keep hearing about special promotions with the local airlines, and may be able to find round-trip tickets for $40 a piece (travel time = 45 min or less)…  It is always nice to get out of the city, and time spent with friends is always good, too.

We also continue to make tentative plans to visit friends and family in the States (Kansas, Missouri, Florida, and maybe Colorado) during Summer Break.  Tickets prices are currently very low and, if the prices hold, we are only $400 short of what we need.  Hopefully, we will soon be able to tell you exactly where and when we will be visiting you during June and July! :)  We hope to have at least a week in each location, which is a lot more than we had over Christmas break.

We will need to be back in Quito by the end of July, as Rick is signed up for an intensive Spanish course at that time.  We are thankful to Alliance Academy for arranging and financing these studies for any of their teachers who are interested. Rick is fairly excited about it!

As always, we thank you for your prayer and support.  We are looking forward to seeing you in a few, short months.

May God bless and keep you always,
Rachel Sams