Sorry it´s been so long, but blogs are hard to keep updated...
Let´s see... the 5 volunteers from the States came over a week ago and it´s nice to have the extra help and company. It´s fun translating for them the odd time I´m working around them... I´ve been mosting re-organizing the Bodega (storage room) where we have all the donated toys/clothes/shoes. Teaching pre school has been good and we have a new student just for this week. The kid is getting adopted to the US next week so I´ve been teaching him preschool in English even though he usually goes to elementary school. I´ve been teaching him the colors, numbers, shapes and stuff like that in English.
Just starting this Monday I´ve been teaching a 2 hour beginner English class and then a 1 hour advanced class in the evening... I definitely enjoy the advanced class cuz it´s mostly conversation. Today we´re going to go for pizza as something fun to do. Next week I´m supposed to start a children´s class where I just sing songs and teach them colors, etc.
Recently, some friends of mine started renting an apartment for the homeless. It´s cool to see people buying stuff for the apartment and being able to meet there for prayer meetings and street church if we want. There aren´t any beds yet, but we do have some mattresses and blankets from the Ark.
I got an email from 2 friends living in Jacmel, Haiti. One of them is living in his van and says the city really stinks. Lately, he´s been translating for doctors that have come to help. The other one said that there are bodies everywhere, there´s no water, gas costs like $18 a gallon, and the city is a wreck. He´s really discouraged right now... please pray for Amos and Candace and Lubens and his family. Thanks.
So I officially got accepted into the Children at Risk school in Colombia. It starts March 15th and ends July 3rd. I can´t wait to go and learn and then work with street children. It sounds so cool. Now I have to buy a plane ticket and pay for the lecture and outreach fees... please pray that God will provide.
Miss you all and have a great day.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Earthquake in Haiti
Right now I want to ask that everyone pray for the situation in Haiti. I have a sponsor child in Port-au-prince, Haiti and I don´t even know if she is alive. I also have a lot of friends there and I don´t know if they or their families are okay either. Communication is very bad right now and it´s really hard on me. After spending 2 weeks in Gonaives and a month in Jacmel, I really feel a connection to the country and it hurts to see this happen. I thought the 4 hurricanes in 2008 were bad enough, but now this. I´m trusting in God and would appreciate your prayers very much.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Volcano Tungurahua and Rabbit
So today we woke up to cars covered in ash from the volcano Tungurahua... just last Sunday I was driving to Baños on a road that passes right by the volcano. You can still see the devestation from the last time it erupted a couple years ago.
I´m still living in the house of the English school director, which has been good. I like spending time with her family and being more ¨on my own.¨
All last week I helped out at the Ark, taking care of babies and teaching preschool all by myself! It went really good even though the kids can get a little more out of control. I prepared all the lessons and used all the spanish I know! haha.
On Friday, I spent the night at Jessica´s and stayed there all Saturday. It was like a mini retreat. Then I went to the radio and then to street church. Last Saturday on the radio I was interviewed by a friend. One of the questions was if I preferred rabbit or guinea pig (which is totally normal to eat here). I had to say I had never tried either cuz I had both as pets! But just last Sunday I tried rabbit (conejo) and it was delicious! just like chicken! haha. Now I just need to try guinea pig (cuy).
Sunday was my laundry day on the roof of the apartment... there´s such a beautiful view. Then I attended a 5 year old´s birthday party. We had a turkey lunch with some chocolate and a yummy cake. It´s tradition to push the birthday person´s face into the cake, but the kid got really angry that we did it and he started to cry! He got over it fast though.
Tomorrow 5 volunteers from the States are coming and we finished making their room this morning. I was spoiled with my huge bed and room all to myself... now there´s 3 bunk beds and not a lot of space.
So I´m officially going to Colombia in March and will be buying my ticket soon. Dios les bendiga.
I´m still living in the house of the English school director, which has been good. I like spending time with her family and being more ¨on my own.¨
All last week I helped out at the Ark, taking care of babies and teaching preschool all by myself! It went really good even though the kids can get a little more out of control. I prepared all the lessons and used all the spanish I know! haha.
On Friday, I spent the night at Jessica´s and stayed there all Saturday. It was like a mini retreat. Then I went to the radio and then to street church. Last Saturday on the radio I was interviewed by a friend. One of the questions was if I preferred rabbit or guinea pig (which is totally normal to eat here). I had to say I had never tried either cuz I had both as pets! But just last Sunday I tried rabbit (conejo) and it was delicious! just like chicken! haha. Now I just need to try guinea pig (cuy).
Sunday was my laundry day on the roof of the apartment... there´s such a beautiful view. Then I attended a 5 year old´s birthday party. We had a turkey lunch with some chocolate and a yummy cake. It´s tradition to push the birthday person´s face into the cake, but the kid got really angry that we did it and he started to cry! He got over it fast though.
Tomorrow 5 volunteers from the States are coming and we finished making their room this morning. I was spoiled with my huge bed and room all to myself... now there´s 3 bunk beds and not a lot of space.
So I´m officially going to Colombia in March and will be buying my ticket soon. Dios les bendiga.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Feliz Navidad, Feliz Año Nuevo y mucho mas...
Hey everyone! The last little while has been pretty busy and I´ve had a lot on my mind. Now things have quieted down and it´s time to let you in on a few things.
Christmas: Last year´s Christmas was spent in Haiti where we were given $4 to spend on a present for the gift exchange, where there was no snow, and where we did a Christmas program for a bunch of Haitian orphans. This year I spent Christmas in Ecuador where I got a few more presents than last year (a cool scarf, earrings and a bunch of pens for example), where there is no snow (except on the mountain tops), and where I worked with orphans the whole day. It was great because there was a huge donation of toys for the kids just before Christmas, including Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers dolls, Prince Caspian action figures, Nascars, and Pokemon stuffed animals. Also, we had crepes for breakfast with a good turkey dinner... Mmmm. Christmas Eve is when we finished picking the toys out and filling stockings!
The next day I went to Jessica´s where I had another amazing turkey dinner and the best mocha pie ever!
At street church we have a new member that I´d like to mention. His name is Bienvenido (meaning welcome) and he came to Christ recently. He used to rob people for a living and apparently the tattoo of 3 tear drops on his face represent the 3 people he killed. I think it´s so cool how the Christian youth here are preaching to gang members and thieves.
On New Year´s Eve I had quite the cultural experience. In the afternoon we made a doll (dressed like a skateboarder) and a gigantic light bulb for our Año Viejo celebration. At night in the Ark we had a huge bonfire where we burned the light bulb, symbolizing the burning of the old (having the power or ´luz´ turned off all the time). We also had fireworks that Jessica´s dad brought over. Then a bunch of us went downtown to walk the streets and burn our own ´viejo´(the doll). The streets were filled with cars and men dressed like women (called crazy widows) pestering the people driving be. At 12:00 there were lots of fireworks and smoke everywhere from people burning their own dolls.
This Saturday I ended up moving out from the Ark. Right now I´m living with the English school´s director and her family. I´m waiting until the apartment above the English school is free and then I´ll move there. It´s right downtown and I´ll be able to experience living on my own for the first time. On Sunday the family took me out to lunch to try rabbit. I was scared at first, but it´s actually really good. They also serve guinea pig there, but I have yet to try it. Then we ended up going to Baños: a major tourist city where there´s a lot of extreme sports and pretty waterfalls. We also went to this place where you can fill your water bottle with ´blessed´or ´holy´water. I thought it tasted funny (like Guitig: a type of water they sell here that´s carbonated), but I was super thirsty so I drank lots! haha.
The night before at the radio Danilu interviewed me on their radio program they have on the weekends from 6:00 to 8:00. I made Naomi translate though cuz I was scared enough as it was!
I also want to add that I applied to go to this Children At Risk school they have in Bogota, Colombia in March for 4 months. It´s with YWAM and seems really relevant to what I´m doing and hope to do in the future.
Christmas: Last year´s Christmas was spent in Haiti where we were given $4 to spend on a present for the gift exchange, where there was no snow, and where we did a Christmas program for a bunch of Haitian orphans. This year I spent Christmas in Ecuador where I got a few more presents than last year (a cool scarf, earrings and a bunch of pens for example), where there is no snow (except on the mountain tops), and where I worked with orphans the whole day. It was great because there was a huge donation of toys for the kids just before Christmas, including Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers dolls, Prince Caspian action figures, Nascars, and Pokemon stuffed animals. Also, we had crepes for breakfast with a good turkey dinner... Mmmm. Christmas Eve is when we finished picking the toys out and filling stockings!
The next day I went to Jessica´s where I had another amazing turkey dinner and the best mocha pie ever!
At street church we have a new member that I´d like to mention. His name is Bienvenido (meaning welcome) and he came to Christ recently. He used to rob people for a living and apparently the tattoo of 3 tear drops on his face represent the 3 people he killed. I think it´s so cool how the Christian youth here are preaching to gang members and thieves.
On New Year´s Eve I had quite the cultural experience. In the afternoon we made a doll (dressed like a skateboarder) and a gigantic light bulb for our Año Viejo celebration. At night in the Ark we had a huge bonfire where we burned the light bulb, symbolizing the burning of the old (having the power or ´luz´ turned off all the time). We also had fireworks that Jessica´s dad brought over. Then a bunch of us went downtown to walk the streets and burn our own ´viejo´(the doll). The streets were filled with cars and men dressed like women (called crazy widows) pestering the people driving be. At 12:00 there were lots of fireworks and smoke everywhere from people burning their own dolls.
This Saturday I ended up moving out from the Ark. Right now I´m living with the English school´s director and her family. I´m waiting until the apartment above the English school is free and then I´ll move there. It´s right downtown and I´ll be able to experience living on my own for the first time. On Sunday the family took me out to lunch to try rabbit. I was scared at first, but it´s actually really good. They also serve guinea pig there, but I have yet to try it. Then we ended up going to Baños: a major tourist city where there´s a lot of extreme sports and pretty waterfalls. We also went to this place where you can fill your water bottle with ´blessed´or ´holy´water. I thought it tasted funny (like Guitig: a type of water they sell here that´s carbonated), but I was super thirsty so I drank lots! haha.
The night before at the radio Danilu interviewed me on their radio program they have on the weekends from 6:00 to 8:00. I made Naomi translate though cuz I was scared enough as it was!
I also want to add that I applied to go to this Children At Risk school they have in Bogota, Colombia in March for 4 months. It´s with YWAM and seems really relevant to what I´m doing and hope to do in the future.
Friday, January 1, 2010
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