Weekly Update - March 14, 2010
Hello, once again, to all of you!
I thank the Lord daily for all of you, and the role that you play in our ministry here in Quito. It is wonderful for us to see how God is using us to reach out to staff, students, and families here at Alliance Academy.
First of all, a quick follow up (and praise) from last week’s update, regarding the family with suspected child abuse. A meeting was scheduled on Monday with the parents, two school counselor’s, a teacher, and the elementary principal. The school counselors began the meeting by letting the parents know how much we care about their family and their children, and that we were concerned about changes we had witnessed recently in their kids. The teacher talked with the parents about a recent journal entry, written by one of the sons, that talked about family conflict, physical aggression, and feelings of despair and worthlessness. Much to our surprise, and relief, the parents immediately recognized the conflicts that were happening in the home, the father immediately accepted responsibility for the incident which left a mark on on son’s face, and then they told us that they were already seeing a counselor outside of school to address these issues. They were more than willing to work with the school to make sure that their children were doing well, and that they were able to improve the family situation. Praise God for his work in this situation!
For those of you that have been praying for Rick, you will be happy to know that he passed his kidney stone on Tuesday without excessive pain (although considerable discomfort for several days). We never even had to go to the doctor or the emergency room, for which we are very thankful!
Friday was the Teachers Teaching Teachers conference at another international school (Cotopaxi). All of the staff from AAI attended, along with the staff from several other international schools locally (Colegio Menor, Americano, The British School, Cotopaxi, and Albert Einstein). Each person attended four different seminars of their choice throughout the day. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet other people who do what we do! While AAI was the only school present with a Christian philosophy, many of the staff from the other schools are also professing believers. It was a chance for the staff of AAI to minister to others and to be examples of Christ to other schools. The day was amazingly well planned, and all of the seminars appear to have gone very well.
Yesterday was AAI’s Quito Cup, which is a soccer tournament hosted by the junior class every year. This year there were 10 teams (teachers, seniors, sophomores, Youth World, Extreme Response, and even a “Rejects” team made up of h.s. students for whom soccer isn’t exactly a “first” sport … the Rejects were a fan favorite all day long, even long after they were disqualified). The games went from 7am to about 3pm. Rick was present most of the day, taking pictures for the school yearbook. I was there for a few hours in the afternoon. It is a wonderful opportunity for students and parents to spend time with one another, outside of the academic setting. Rick spent several weeks putting together a playlist of approved music, so that the students who were manning the sound booth would have an easier time finding music that was appropriate for the day (this is often a challenge, and no small point of contention between students and staff at times). Rick and I are both a little sunburned, despite our use of sunscreen and shade.
Yesterday was also a birthday party for our friend, Stephanie Taylor. At her request, we had a picture scavenger hunt, which had groups of four (each group armed with a camera) running around a mall and a park taking pictures of ourselves (and total strangers) doing silly things. Mine and Rick’s team got the most points for the picture of us playing Duck, Duck, Goose with a group of strangers (they were preparing to play soccer when we showed up and asked if they would pose for a picture with us… ). All in all, it was a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate a friend.
Last night Rick and I purchased my plane ticket to visit my parents and grandparents this summer for two weeks. I am sad to say that we will not be able to visit our friends in KS, MO, or CO this summer. Rick will stay in Ecuador and travel with different ministries groups throughout the summer. I will try to join him on some of these trips, once I return from my trip to FL (and PA and TN). The ministry trips will allow us to see more of Ecuador, outside of our regular ‘bubble’ (which is pretty Americanized).
Tomorrow, Rick has promised to give a student (the one that he tutors) a mohawk. (He was careful to get permission from anyone who might care.) I am sure that pictures will surface on facebook, for those that want to see.
One prayer request … we’ve mentioned that over the last couple of months, our monthly support has dropped. The current numbers are a little discouraging. So far, for the year, we’re a couple hundred dollars a month below last year’s averages (which were already not as high as we’d really like to see them). Our continued ministry here is dependent on the generosity of our supporters. We know that God has resources we can’t begin to imagine, and that He has a plan for us. Please help us pray.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. We look forward to hearing from you.
Blessings,
Rachel Sams
