Today is the fifth day of school! Everything has been going really great. This week we are working on the kids assessments and seeing what they remember from last year and who needs tutoring. I am so excited for my classes this year! I have the second and third grade classes four times a week; two art classes and two music classes. Then I have the fifth, six and seventh grade classes three times a week; one art class, one music class and one home economics class. I let the older girls pick the units that they wanted to learn in their home economics class. They were so excited to choose what they were going to learn!
This year I am only teaching three classes each day. This is because along with teaching I will be doing a number of other things. I am in charge of all the art/school supplies and handing it out to the teachers as they need it as well as keeping it organized when we get new donations in. I will also be helping with the groups who come through and sort of leading them with projects that they can be working on while they are here and after all the assessments are finished with the kids; I will be helping with tutoring and filling in any extra holes in my schedule with helping with therapy. It sounds really busy but I will actually just be working your regular 40ish hour week.
This school year, like the others, has changed and grown so much again. We now have more Ecuadorian teachers in the school than American teachers and the kids are getting more subjects in Spanish. The school’s Director of Education is a lady who is a Pastor at a church here in Shell. She is also teaching Bible for the kids so that they can hear God’s word in their own language, something that is very important. I can relate to this because I am now attending a church in Spanish and it is just not the same as hearing it in English.
WOW!
I have almost been here for three weeks! That is so hard to believe. On one hand it seems like I have been here longer, almost as if I wasn’t even home for the last year, and on the other hand I am not sure where exactly the last three weeks have gone. It’s so great to be back here in Shell where all the time, everywhere I look I am reminded of God’s creativity! I love walking to school and seeing the mountains and on a clear day the volcanos! I love sitting at my desk upstairs on the third floor and all there is in front of me is a big screen wall where I can just see the jungle outside. I love sleeping in my room when the rain is falling. I love a lot of things about being here but most of all I love being able to be a part of these kids’ lives again. Being a part of their every day and seeing them grow and seeing how they’ve grown over the last four years. It’s a really big blessing to have been a part of this for as long as I have; seeing the kids in three different buildings, now finally on the property. I am excited to see what God brings here to the orphanage in the future, how much it changes and grows and seeing the kids fall in love with Jesus. I am very fortunate to be here and see the love that He has for this place!
I will try to get some pictures up very soon! There are so many new things from the last time that I was here and the kids have grown so much! I cannot wait to share this whole year.
OH HEY!
I got a new email address! Feel free to write me! I love emails!
Melissa@lacasadefe.org
Also find out how you can support me at:
www.cornerstoneinternational.org/staff-short-term
You can find my name under the short term missionaries! (All donations are tax deductible.)
And you can read more about La Casa de Fe at:
www.lacasadefe.org
On the website for Casa de Fe you can read the blogs of others who are working here as well!
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