Christmas Time is Near!

 Just a week and a half away...I can't believe our Christmas program is already coming up. I wanted to try my best to get these kids prepared for the best Christmas program ever! :-) When I was younger, the Christmas program was always the highlight of the Christmas service at church. I love the feeling you get remembering and celebrating Christ’s birth.

We have been working on our Christmas program for almost 2 months; learning our lines, songs and dances, sewing costumes, painting backdrops. It has definitely has been a busy and overwhelming. At times I have wished that it would just be over so I could get a little rest between all the sewing, fabric dying, hot glueing, painting and homework. However, today when we were finishing up the last backdrop, a huge relief came over me. Along with that, rehearsal for the play went perfect yesterday! Where there were bad attitudes of "this is ALL we EVER do", they were replaced with good attitudes of "this is almost here, let’s work hard and get things done".

I have had the privilege, lately, to stay extra late to work with 5 of the older girls on a ribbon dance. We finally finished the choreography yesterday! As they were rehearsing, they looked like they were trying to remember each step and it wasn't flowing together very well. It looked more like work than dancing. So I stopped the girls and we talked a little bit about the music, "Star of Wonder", by Sufjan Stevens. I asked them what the song was about and Thalia answered "It's a Christmas song about the Christmas star that the Reyes Magos (Wisemen) followed". Then we talked a little about what Christmas was, what we were celebrating with our Christmas program, how the different people went to adore Christ the night that He was born and how dancing is a form of worship. I told them to put in all of that emotion and dance for the Lord. The last time we practiced our dance....it looked AMAZING! I am sooo in awe of how much talent these girls have! They are good at EVERYTHING! :-) But maybe I am biased....

Today after we finished up the last backdrop, Mami Ines asked me for some help cutting Edison’s hair. They had messed up a little bit and they weren't sure how to fix it. I went down to try to teach them how to blend in the lines. I thought of the very first time I came to Casa de Fe in March of 2008. Ines was there helping me cut hair the very first time. Just thinking back on all the time I've spent with these kids and these people in Shell gave me this overwhelming, blessed feeling, That same feeling you get when you think of your family and all the memories over the years. The ups and the downs. I can't say enough how thankful I am for this family. Even the teenage attitudes. :-)  I never knew that so much love could come from one small organ that fits inside your body.

God exceeds my expectations everyday. He fills me with so much love so that I know how much I am loved by Him. No matter if I give Him a bad teenaged attitude, His love for me never changes. His love is bigger than this great love that I have inside of me. That's so incomprehensible! But I am so grateful for all of it...and for everything He has done for me...and for my family...here and in the States.

:-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I forgot to mention that on Thanksgiving Day we were in a parade! I will post some pictures below! We got to dress up in traditional Quechua clothing and do a dance from a town called Otavalo. That was another thing that we practiced A LOT. Everything turned out great! While the older kids and teachers did the dance in the parade, the younger kids got to choose what they want to be when they grow up...and they rode in a float dressed as their chosen profession. We had a doctor, nurse, vet, firefighter, baker, ballerina, military, pilot...ect. Everything turned out so cute!

Año Escolar 2011-2012

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!

KENTUCKY

JEFFERSON LEDONNE

I have attached my support letter to my blog (the post below this) just in case I forgot to add anyone to my mailing list! If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive my newsletters and prayer cards, just send an email to medlin.melissa@gmail.com with your mailing address and I will be sure to add you!

Also....

I wanted to share a little bit about my time in Kentucky visiting CornerStone and the LeDonne family. :)

The first experience that I had, I must tell you, is that I could have driven to Wilmore, KY about five times in the time that it took me to fly from KC to Louisville. It was a long day, I remembered how much I really do not enjoy the actual traveling part of going somewhere. Not only was I stressed about being late to the airport but just as soon as I got through security I realized my flight had been delayed for an unknown amount of time. Chicago was having severe thunderstorms, which delayed all the flights out of Chicago. When I finally got to Chicago thinking that I would barely make my next flight, I found out it too had been delayed. I should have known. There were so many people in that airport you hardly had anywhere to stand. I also received several text messages upon my arrival to the Chicago airport that there was a tornado in KC that I apparently had just missed. Then, I finally made it to Louisville, KY to pick up my rental car and drive another hour and a half to Wilmore. I was so relieved to get into Wilmore! Arriving at the Joneses house I was made aware of the tornado warnings that were now there. So we drove out to CornerStone (a very cute house transformed into offices, in the middle of nowhere) and Duane and Suzanne equipped me with all the information, candles and matches in case of a tornado. I was extremely tired from traveling and sitting in airports all day, so the Joneses left and I went to sleep. I was asleep for maybe four hours with tornadoes on my brain when I woke up to a terrifying noise. I grabbed my pillow and ran to the basement, forgetting about the candle and the matches. After a few moments of silence and prayer I headed back upstairs. Worrying about the weather and if I would wake up if a real tornado came, I heard another noise like before. Again, I ran downstairs, this time with nothing else. I thought I was going crazy. After about the third or fourth time of hearing this tornado like noise and running downstairs for cover, it hit me that this “tornado like noise” was possibly a train. Finally I grew so tired that no noise mattered and hopefully if there was a tornado I would wake up to the call I should get from either Duane or Suzanne. The next morning I did in fact find out that there was a train very close to the house. Sometimes when carrying heavy loads it causes the house to shake. It's been said that trains and tornadoes do sound the same...so I am not completely crazy. Every night after that I had amazing sleep, just for the record.

Aside from that first day, my trip was PERFECT. I was extremely blessed to get to know some of my new family at CornerStone. The first full day that I spent at CornerStone was a Thursday. I think I mentioned before that on Thursdays they pray for their missionaries by name. I got to experience what a Thursday looks like at CornerStone and it was very encouraging. I woke up and after breakfast and coffee we started off the day reading through some of the Psalms together. After that we had a short lunch break and then went on to the missionary prayer set. They put up pictures of each of their missionaries and read aloud that persons prayer request. After discussing what was going on in each person's life there was a chance for anyone to get up and pray for whoever they felt led to pray for. I remember hearing names several times throughout the prayers. It was so encouraging to know that when I am in Shell, I will have people praying for me like that EVERY THURSDAY! At the end of the set everyone took turns praying for me. Everything that people were praying about for me or even the words of wisdom and encouragement that they had for me, was everything that had been on my heart and everything I needed to hear. God is so good and He knows us so well. <3

Friday I got to drive out to Danville to spend some time with the LeDonne family. They are the family who adopted Jefferson, who was in my kindergarten class. What an amazing thing that God allowed to happen! It was so incredible to see Jefferson with his family, where he fits in perfectly. God made him just for the LeDonne family. His personality completely matches theirs. You could tell how much he loves his family and how much they all love him. He is so happy and so comfortable. God worked in such a unique way getting Jefferson to the LeDonnes! His parents (Tim and Lisa) are some really neat people, with extremely huge hearts. We did a lot in the 2 days I spent with them. The first day Jefferson's brother and sister had softball and baseball practice. (Jefferson is also playing baseball!) While they were practicing Jefferson and I played in the skate park, one of his favorite places to be. After practice we went to his grandparents for dinner and after dinner we sat in the living room watching TV and talking. The next morning we ran a 5k. My first 5k ever. I got 3rd place for my age group 18-29! Jefferson's mom Lisa and his sister Lizzie also placed! After the race we did a little bit of shopping and then Lisa and I spent a couple hours talking about Jefferson's adoption. It was so moving to hear how God was in EVERY part of this adoption and how He set things up to work for their good.

I know that I never write blogs this long! There's so much about this trip that I wanted to share because it meant so much to me that I got to go. To meet with CornerStone and meet Jefferson's family. This blog is already really long and I don't think I even did the trip justice with describing how much of a blessing and how encouraging it was. This trip was even more of a confirmation that this is what I am supposed to be doing. I am so thankful that I get to be a part of what is going on at Casa de Fe and watch these kids grow more and more every year. Although it's not always easy, it is such a blessing that God has allowed me to be a part of the plans that he has for this place.

Support Letter

So here is a really small image of my support letter. I can not figure out how to actually upload it onto this blog.
It reads...

Dear Friends and Family,
After being in Kansas City for a year, God has called me back to Shell, Ecuador to teach at La Casa de Fe Orphanage. I always knew that it was God's plan for me to end up there again, but I didn't imagine that it would be this soon! I am very excited to be the Art and Music teacher for the next school year! I am also blessed to be a new member of the CornerStone International family. CornerStone is a non-denominational missions organization that exists to train, equip, send and cover those who are called to cross-cultural missions. I spent a weekend at their missions base in Kentucky getting to know them and beginning to prepare for Ecuador. I am so thrilled to be going back to my other home and to have the chance to see the kids at Casa de Fe grow for another year.Previous to this past year in Kansas City, I was a volunteer teacher at this orphanage for two years. It is named La Casa de Fe (The House of Faith) and that is exactly what it is. It is home for about 60 abandoned and special needs children. The first year I was there, I taught 4th-6th grade Math and English. The second year, I taught Kindergarten. I learned so much more of how great God's love for us really is and how much He provides for us in ways that we sometimes don't even see. My budget for the nine month school year is $8,000. This includes everything...housing, food, travel, health insurance, supplies, etc. Would you like to be apart of my support team? Please see the enclosed insert for info. Thank you!

In Love,

Melissa

Email: medlin.melissa@gmail.com

Websites: http://www.lacasadefe.org/
http://www.cornerstoneinternational.org/

If you'd like to help support my trip

please make checks out to and send to:

CornerStone International

PO BOX 192

Wilmore, KY 40390

Write "ST-Medlin" in the memo of the check.

You may also donate by paypal, automatic withdraw or credit card on CornerStone's website..
www.cornerstoninternational.org/staff-short-term

Ecuador and Etsy.com

So...after a long time of praying and talking to family and friends......and praying and talking to family and friends....I finally felt at peace with my decision to go back to Ecuador for this school year. I really, really wanted to go but I wanted to make sure that it wasn't just me wanting to go back, but that it was really what God had in His plans for me in this next season of my life.

This means I am leaving in August!

This time I am going to go through a wonderful organization (Cornerstone International) who will help me with my budgeting, send out my news letters, a million different other things that will be extremely helpful BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY...THEY WILL BE PRAYING FOR ME EVERY THURSDAY! Prayer is so important. It will be so encouraging being down there and knowing that I have prayer warriors who are praying for me BY NAME every Thursday.

I get the opportunity to go and meet everyone at Cornerstone next month and see what goes on at their "headquarters" or "home base" or whatever you want to call it. The prayer room and where all the behind the scenes stuff takes place. While I am in Kentucky visiting Cornerstone I also am SUPER BLESSED to be able to go and spend a little time with JEFFERSON! I get to meet his family! I get to see where he lives and what he does and how much he's grown!

AHH!

WWW.NICOLESANTI.ETSY.COM

This is the link to my new Etsy Baby Shop. I named it after one of my little girls that I spoil from La Casa De Fe. <3 Nicole. I am using it as a way to help support myself while I am down in Ecuador. So if you know someone who is going to have a baby or if you have a baby CHECK IT OUT!

please ;-)

I haven't even looked at this...in...forever!

DANZA KUDURO

I am so bad at blogging! It's been about a year and a half since I've even really thought about writing on this thing. Good thing that the people who read it, are also my fb friends and probably are caught up, sort of, with whats going on in my life.





I've been back in Kansas City for about....9 months. Working at a daycare at a country club called The Carriage Club. I like it! It's really flexible and kids are kids! However, these kids, instead of playing with anything they can find on the ground, like empty yogurt containers, play with their Iphones that they get for being good for a week. They do still play some of the same games and when watching a movie or reading a story say "I'm Superman, I'm the bad guy, I'm the princess, I'm the blah blah blah"-whatever the best character in the story/movie is. :-)


I always loved when my class would do that last year.





SO, in January I got to take a little trip and visit Casa De Fe and see the new building! IT IS BEAUTIFUL! <3 href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kTHpbUPPPAQ/TYS-yCYHocI/AAAAAAAAAEY/b7wGljHHszQ/s1600/1.jpg">


This is an unfinished sample of the baby cacoons that I am making. I want to add buttons and some other decoration stuff to this.



I have been thinking about moving back to Ecuador in August, to teach again. If you guys would be so kind as to pray for me and direction and wisdom and all that stuff I need to correctly decide , that would be great and infinitely appreciated.



Princess Nicole ;-)




OH! Remember Jefferson? He was in my class last year. Anyway, this year he was adopted by a family in Kentucky! He's been doing really great in school and at home. He loves his family and tomorrow he is having his very first BIRTHDAY PARTY! He called me the other day! I got to talk to him on the phone! It made my whole week. He told me about school and how he always gets smiley stickers, how his favorite part of school is recess and lunch. He loves to eat chicken nuggets and hot dogs with ketchup. It was so good to hear his voice and talk to him and hear how happy he is! His English is so good that they wouldn't even accept him in the ESL program! He is doing a excelled reading program! And he has friends at school that speak Spanish, so that he doesn't loose it since he refuses to speak Spanish with his family :-)