Weekly Update - February 21, 2010
Dear Friends and Loved Ones,
It has been two weeks since my last email; therefore, I think that it would be best if the Monday Memo became the Sunday Memo. I hope that this is agreeable to all of our friends and family, and I hope that it will make me more consistent, even during vacation times and short school weeks.
As many of you know, this last Tuesday was ‘Fat Tuesday’, or the day before Lent. In South America the four days prior to Lent are called Carnaval and are usually celebrated with a variety of parties and excess. Thankfully, in Quito, the celebrations are limited to water balloons and cans of Silly String-like foam. We did, however, have Friday, Monday, and Tuesday off of school (both for Carnaval and so that many of the student groups could participate in missions trips). While Rick and I did not go on any missions trips, we were able to use the time off school to connect with many different friends. We actually had a double-date with two of our students (a senior and a junior) for Valentine’s Day, too. (Yes, we are actually allowed to do that here!)
Sadly, on Tuesday, one of our students was deported to Korea. Kay Jang and her mother have been in Quito for several years, and were hoping to stay just long enough for Kay to graduate this year. Unfortunately, due to complications with visas and some ill-will from former business partners of her father, Kay and her mother’s visas were canceled and they were unable to stay. The school had a small graduation ceremony for Kay before she left, and a reception afterward. She was, not only a wonderful student, but a beautiful example of faith in Christ. Rick and I went with a group of students to see Kay and her mother off at the airport on Tuesday. It was a sad goodbye, but softened by the knowledge that God is in control and that Kay’s future in Korea is bright.
Over that same weekend, one of our former substitute teachers (Ana Ladines), her husband (Emilio), and her son (Asaf - second grade) were killed in a car accident. Her daughter (Alejandra - fifth grade) survived the car accident, along with Ana’s father. Alejandra will be living with her maternal grandparents in Guayaquil for the time being. Ana and Emilio were Ecuadorian, but had served for several years as missionaries in Central Asia. They returned to Ecuador 1 1/2 years ago to raise support, with the hopes of returning to the mission field soon. They had just received word that they would return this coming June, and had taken the opportunity to move back to Guayaquil to be near Ana’s parents before they left. We are grateful that the students at AAI had a chance to have goodbye parties for Asaf and Alejandra before they moved back to Guayaquil, which made the grief process of Asaf’s death a little easier. Most of elementary was shaken by their deaths, and the chaplains and counselors spent most of this last week ministering to students and parents as they navigate the grief process.
The chaplains at AAI have instituted a monthly coffee shop, called BYOM 2 CHOM (bring-your-own-mug-2-coffee-house-open-mic). Different students from middle school and high school sign up to perform, and the coffee flows freely. This last Thursday was the most recent event, and Rick was able to perform a duet with one of his voice students (Josh Zook). Many of our students have never heard Rick sing before, so it was a very pleasant surprise. He will also be involved in the BYOM 2 CHOM next month. I will try to get some video clips and, perhaps, post links to them on our website.
This last Friday night was also eventful. The dorm parents at AAI had evening plans, and asked if Rick and I would dorm sit for the evening. We actually took it a step further… Rick hosted a Guy’s Night at our house, which had 16 boys attend, and 8 spend the night. I spent the evening at another teacher’s house (Stephanie Taylor), along with the elementary chaplain (Lauren Green… not the guy from Bonanaza, but a wonderful young woman from the US), and all of the girls from the dorm. The boys watched movies, ate popcorn, and other sorts of guy-stuff. The girls made the largest chocolate chip cookie I have ever seen, and each of us got to decorate our part. All of the girls in the dorm this year are Asian, and the ESL aspect of the evening was fun and enlightening. I am especially grateful that Rick promised to clean our apartment once the boys left (a promise which he has definitely kept) so as not to leave me too much of a mess. I am really loving the blossoming relationships that we are beginning to see with our students!
Well, that is all for now. It is my hope in future weeks to keep the weekly emails brief (perhaps just a few bullet points), with one email per month that will be longer and more in depth. We will try to keep many of you updated via our facebook sites, too.
May God bless and keep you always,
Rachel Sams
