This morning we visited a private Christian school called Casita de Adonai located in one of Guatemala City's poorest areas. The teachers and children were so kind to our team. The kids sang for us, gave us letters and cards they had made for us, performed a traditional Guatemalan dance and gave the ladies on the team each a beautiful rose. It was such a sweet way to greet us and they made us feel so welcome.
A woman named Delmie and her husband work as co-pastors of the church that is connected to the school. Delmie explained that in the section of the city where the school is located, there is only one public school which does not have space for all of the children living in the district. Children who are not accepted into the public school don't get any education at all and are often left on their own all day while their parent(s) work. It's not hard to imagine what kind of problems this can lead to.
Delmie and her husband had a vision several years ago to offer another chance at an education to these children. The school, which began as a pre-school and Kindergarten, now also offers first and second grades. They are praying that God will provide the money needed to buy some adjacent land and add on to the school so that they will also be able to offer third grade. Will you join them in prayer?
While at the school, our team did another teacher training workshop. While the teachers were learning, we held a carnival for the kids, complete with singing and dancing, games, balloon animals and lots of prizes and treats for the kids. Before we left, we gave each of the kids a school supply bag and presented the school and teachers with a box full of supplies. The kids were precious as they looked through all of their goodies. They got so excited over simple things like glue sticks, toothbrushes, combs, pencils, washcloths and rulers. It was a powerful reminder of how much we take for granted.
After the school visit, we took a small group of kids from the school who were being rewarded for remembering thier Bible verses to the Guatemala National Zoo. The children were so excited and happy to be there and so were we...even though it rained pretty hard while we were there and we all ended up soaked through. It was really sweet to see the children walking around the zoo wearing the jackets that many of our team members had taken off themselves to help the little ones stay warm and dry. I know that many of us will remember the little friends we made at the school and the zoo today for a long time to come.
Tomorrow, team 1 spends the day at the hotel and team 2 arrives from Greensboro. They will travel with Lisa and David Holbrook back up to Eagle's Nest for a second week of ministry in and around Solola. Team 1 leaves for home on Saturday. Please pray for safety for both teams.
A woman named Delmie and her husband work as co-pastors of the church that is connected to the school. Delmie explained that in the section of the city where the school is located, there is only one public school which does not have space for all of the children living in the district. Children who are not accepted into the public school don't get any education at all and are often left on their own all day while their parent(s) work. It's not hard to imagine what kind of problems this can lead to.
Delmie and her husband had a vision several years ago to offer another chance at an education to these children. The school, which began as a pre-school and Kindergarten, now also offers first and second grades. They are praying that God will provide the money needed to buy some adjacent land and add on to the school so that they will also be able to offer third grade. Will you join them in prayer?
While at the school, our team did another teacher training workshop. While the teachers were learning, we held a carnival for the kids, complete with singing and dancing, games, balloon animals and lots of prizes and treats for the kids. Before we left, we gave each of the kids a school supply bag and presented the school and teachers with a box full of supplies. The kids were precious as they looked through all of their goodies. They got so excited over simple things like glue sticks, toothbrushes, combs, pencils, washcloths and rulers. It was a powerful reminder of how much we take for granted.
After the school visit, we took a small group of kids from the school who were being rewarded for remembering thier Bible verses to the Guatemala National Zoo. The children were so excited and happy to be there and so were we...even though it rained pretty hard while we were there and we all ended up soaked through. It was really sweet to see the children walking around the zoo wearing the jackets that many of our team members had taken off themselves to help the little ones stay warm and dry. I know that many of us will remember the little friends we made at the school and the zoo today for a long time to come.
Tomorrow, team 1 spends the day at the hotel and team 2 arrives from Greensboro. They will travel with Lisa and David Holbrook back up to Eagle's Nest for a second week of ministry in and around Solola. Team 1 leaves for home on Saturday. Please pray for safety for both teams.