Getting with the Program!

            It’s hard to believe that I have been back for over a month already. Time flies when you’re busy. It’s been a crazy month and I have a lot to share!

            When I first got back my priority number one was to look into how I was going to do the visa this year. It was a difficult process. I wasn't sure where to turn and how I was going to still fit in with Action Ecuador seeing as I am no longer connected with Action Canada. But after some discussion with the board they decided that they would give me the visa I need for this year. It was a huge blessing to know that there were no hard feelings about my split from Action Canada and that the work I am doing is valued, not only by foreign missionaries, but by nationals. It’s hard to put in to words the good feeling it gives me knowing that Ecuadorians think I am doing a good job working with Ecuadorians. I feel…accepted.

            After being here for only a week and a half I was off to Peru to investigate a program that is running in Cuzco that is very similar to what I have been doing in Quito. I went with my friends Bart and Tracy who have spent the last several months in Quito volunteering in an orphanage in the North.

            The program is called Niños Hotel. It was started by a woman who saw the kids working on the street in Cuzco and who wanted to do something to change it. She took in 12 street boys, and opened a hotel to help support them and give them a future. Now she has 4 hotels, 600 children, and 80 employees. The kids come before or after school to get two meals, do their homework, and they even get to brush their teeth and take a hot shower if they want. I left inspired to do more for the kids in Paquisha.

The tooth brushes for some of the kids at Ninos Hotel.

            Upon my return from Cuzco I had a bad cold and so was out of commission for another week. As of last week the club has been up and running and you would hardly recognize it from last year. Last year it was very loose. The kids would come and go as they pleased. There was very little consistency given by them and we really just spent the time doing homework, reviewing what we had learned from the Bible, and playing games. Now we have a routine. There is a point system that allows me to encourage them to come every day and show up on time. We started an oral hygiene program and I give them all food every day. The games we play are geared towards learning and we introduce a new English word every day. The kids are coming consistently and happily! I have been so pleased to see how quickly they adapted to the new routine.

When they don't have homework they can colour, play outside, or do a puzzle.

            I think my favorite part of the club is on Thursdays. We do circle time with the objective of improving self esteem and changing their victim mentality. The kids are encouraged to share about their triumphs and disappointments through the week. Everyone listens and is supportive. Then the kids are supposed to come up with a way to change their situation in the upcoming week. They set goals and the following week they are asked if they accomplished them. It hasn't been running long enough to know if it is working, but I could tell that he kids were sharing things they have never talk about before. Some were on the verge of tears as they talked about their parents hitting them and each other or about their fathers coming home drunk. Others have troubles in school or with their siblings. We end the circle time with all the kids praying silently about their problems and asking for strength to deal with them. They love it. They've been asking when we get to do it again.

            With all the extra programming comes a lot of extra responsibility. My friend Dan has been coming out with me some to help watch the kids and I've had a couple of other people come out for a day at a time, but I need a full-time helper. I’m praying for an Ecuadorian volunteer who loves God, loves kids, and can fully commit to helping with the club. I used to think that I would never find that, but I know that with God, all things are possible! Please be praying with me. As of today I have 28 kids registered for the club and I am often dealing with them all alone. Try helping 28 kids do their homework in Spanish when half of them don’t even have a pencil! It’s exhausting.

            Please also pray for me. On club days it can be hard to stay sane at times. Pray for my patience and my Spanish. Praise God it has improved by miles. Conversation is a breeze, but telling Bible stories often involves using a lot of vocabulary that I’ve never had to use before. My next project is to summarize the entire book of Daniel. It’s a daunting task, but it has to be done.

            I would also like to ask for prayer for one of the girls at the club named Katerine. She was absent for three days. When she finally showed up again it was with a swollen hand and a thumb that just didn't look right. She had fallen a week before and done something to her hand. One of her neighbours pulled her thumb around and straightened it out, but I think it might be dislocated. We took her to a doctor today but she said that Katerine has to go to the hospital and get x-rays (which is probably exactly what her parents were dreading as they are very poor). Her parents have been spoken to but I am not sure what was said to them or how they responded. Please pray that this will be dealt with. She has no use of her left hand until it is.

This is Katerine in the green a year ago. I know it's not a flattering picture, but it actually captures her personality amazingly! Haha.

            I appreciate all of you who have been praying for me, writing me, and encouraging me! God has been so good in this new season and I have seen Him a lot through all of you! Please keep in contact and let me know what’s happening in Canada. I don’t want to get home and be totally out of the loop!