A new semester, January 2012

With the new calendar year has come a new semester! We are starting to fall back into our school routine with a few changes. Though changes take place here, we are thankful for your continual prayer and support remaining constant.

Steve is no longer teaching the self-defense class; instead, his schedule has become more open to meet with students who need some academic or personal direction. He is also presenting several parenting seminars to the parents of ECA. We are excited that he will be able to not only touch the students at ECA but also the school families.

Marlayna has a couple opportunities to tutor in our home, which will keep Marlayna and Elleazah at home more days a week rather than going into school. These opportunities are a blessing because Elleazah has more freedom at home than at school for her increasing mobility.

However, some things will remain the same. Marlayna and Elleazah will not be strangers at school. Small groups and discipleship are still a priority which will bring the two of them to school at least two afternoons a week in order to meet with students. This semester, Marlayna will be working through the book Living the Cross Centered Life, with the two girls she is discipling and she is continuing the Every Young Woman’s Battle in the small group.

The students Steve disciples are very much at different stages in their walk. The topics he is addressing ranges from helping a student grow in his self-control and being a spiritual leader to studying some basic tenants of the Bible and what it means to have our identity in Christ.

Prayer requests:

1.      God would continue to soften the hearts of the students in serving the lost.

2.      We have another high school retreat this month; pray that God will bring revival amongst the student body.

3.      Staff needs for next school year are great; pray that God brings people to join the ECA staff.

If you, or someone you know, are interested in working at ECA, check out their site to learn more or contact us for more information.

Elementary Three elementary teachers Middle School 5th grade Bible teacher Computer teacher Science teacher   High School Chemistry English teacher Math teacher Social Studies teacher General Academic director Art teacher Director of community care Director of development ESL teacher Guidance counselor Music teacher PE teacher Special Ed/Learning Center teacher Student activities coordinator

One year down, Seventeen to go.

This week, Elleazah knocked off one birthday, she only has seventeen more to celebrate with us before she will move on to a new chapter in her life... so we hope. Our time is limited with her under our direct care. We made the most of this birthday with great memories. Her birthday fell on a regular play date day, which we had a little celebration with her playmates and the other moms.  Elleazah is really starting to interact more with some of the other kids and it is fun to watch her grow and develop more skills. We later inviting some friends over to have popcorn and cupcakes and enjoyed the time of fellowship.  Elleazah had a small cupcake. Though the cake was small, she was still able to make a mess of it. She really enjoyed the sweets and we enjoyed watching her eat! She did not disappoint us in her fine motor skills of eating!

Christmas Break has ended...

Our Christmas break is over, it was a wonderful time of relaxation and being refreshed both physically, mentally, and spiritually. Here is an overview of our break.

Santa Marta. We started off on a trip with a school family, a couple ECA students and some ECA graduates. We used some of our personal savings to cover the cost of the trip. We flew to the coast to scuba dive and stay with an ECA missionary family. It was fantastic to see God’s creation underwater. The diversity of species were fantastic! Steve got scuba certified and Marlayna worked toward increasing her certification. Our exploration of the city took us to the oldest cathedral in South America, to a couple parks, and a beach. We spent Christmas with the missionary family and experienced a ‘Colombian’ Christmas. The family gathered late Christmas Eve, with a lot of music, food, and conversation. At midnight they exchanged some gifts.

Once we were home in Bogota, we laid low for a couple days, recovering from ‘something,’ something we probably ate.  So we used the time to read.  Over break, we each finished three books; the books were either for pleasure, personal growth, or to implement with the students we disciple.  Steve finished: Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul Tripp, Teaching Preemptively by Donavan Graham and Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper. Marlayna read: Living the Cross Centered Life by JC Mahaney, Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury, and Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper

 Upon feeling better, we started to explore our city. We visited three different parks and successfully made it to and from the parks without getting lost on the public transportation. The first park was a petting zoo, which we actually met-up with other ECA families to see the animals. Elleazah did rather well with the animals. She was a bit timid with some of them but really enjoyed others. The second park we went to was similar to central park in New York City. It was a large green area with many paths to walk on. A botanical garden was next to the park and we loved the tranquil environment of the garden. The ‘jungle’ portion and the rose garden were our favorite parts. The last park we went to was Parque Jamie Duque, which was a cultural history park with a zoo. There were many monkey exhibits, which were our favorite area, but we also liked how close you could get to some of the large cats (tigers, pumas, etc). Lastly, we had to chuckle when we saw the squirrel exhibit, but the Colombians LOVED the little rodents! The squirrels were some of the smallest squirrels we had seen! It was such a blessing to go; a relative from a school family owns the park and admits ECA workers into the park for free! It was so good to get out and enjoy the warm, sunny weather of the season, especially after the rainy season we had up until the end of the semester.

But now we are getting back into the school routine with our discipleship continuing, both one-on- one and in small groups, and preparing for class lessons.

Semester's End and Christmas Festivities

The end of the semester is always a busy time. Furthermore, holidays add to the busyness of the days. There is much to write about from the last few weeks, so this will be a brief overview.

December 7^th is a very important Catholic holiday which is celebrated with many candles, music and fireworks- the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary. That evening, Steve was at the school Christmas program (which was amazing to see all the different grades singing and the skits preformed) while Marlayna and Elleazah stayed at home due to the nature of the event and the late evening. In our conjunto (or gated neighborhood), people started to light a line of candles to light the way for Mary. Elleazah and Marlayna went out to walk around some and watch the lighting the candles, children excitedly running around, and load music playing in the background. The administration of our conjunto provided drinks and snacks for the festivities.  


Steve had the opportunity to go to another part of Bogota before Christmas break, to a school that is a ministry outreach for ECA elementary students, to give a presentation on working with students who demonstrate behaviors often related with ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). He identified different causes to the behaviors, different strategies with working with the students who do and do not actually have ADHD, and ways to reach out to the families (considering this school is also a Christian school in a very high risk area). However, this school is Spanish speaking so Steve had an interpreter. The meeting was very productive and helpful for the teachers and appreciated his insight. They even asked that he return with a follow up meeting after some implementation time to answer further questions.

Marlayna was able to meet with the 11^th grade girls and other small group leaders after the student’s last final of the semester to make soup, cornbread, and ‘gingerbread’ houses.  We taught the students how to make these simple dishes because most of the students do not ever cook since their families have maids who do the cooking (a very common practice here because labor is really cheap).  Marlayna had a bit of a cultural lesson as she was preparing the devotional about the symbols of Christmas that point back to Christ. Some of the examples of symbols were the star, angel, and the candy cane.  But when she went to find some candy canes as a visual aid that they students could also use on their houses, Marlayna learned that candy canes are not sold here.  Mint just doesn’t seem to be a common flavor, not even for ice cream.

Another activity we participated in with some of the other staff at ECA one evening was to go on a tour of Bogota to see the Christmas lights at some of the parks.  This was a fun way to see different parts of Bogota that we have not ventured out to but like to return for some more exploring.


Pictures from some of these events are limited due to our camera breaking at the high school retreat, so please be patient as we wait to take some pictures from other staff members who also went to the events.

December Prayer Update Letter

HOLIDAYS:  These past 3 months have been jammed pack with Colombian holidays; so much so that in the month of November, we only had 1 full week of school and the rest were partial weeks. For the first main “holiday” of Halloween, we went to serve at the ministry called “the Jungle”. The Jungle is a haven for children to play and learn about God (very similar to Inner City Impact) in a neighborhood ravaged by poverty, drug use, and prostitution. Halloween was a critical day for the ministry because the area has a strong connection with death, since the main source of income is a local cemetery. As such, satanic worship is big in the area and has historically led to child kidnappings, which some suspect to be for sacrificing. Please be in prayer for these children and the community, that they might experience freedom from the bondage of sin and poverty. Some of the Juniors will be going to the Jungle for some of their ministry hours next semester.

11^TH GRADE CLASS:  We have recently begun getting to the heart of why students have been struggling with going to the orphanage. We have found that one main reason is that they don’t “feel” like they accomplish anything when they went in the past. With Mark, the other class advisor, we talked about having a servant’s heart and the responsibility of fulfilling a commitment. In future weeks we plan to directly address ways we serve with sinful attitudes and what a Christ-like attitude looks like. In the last 4 months, we have only gone to the orphanage twice because we have not been able to get enough juniors to sign up to go. This past month we enjoyed the company of some recent graduates who joined us in ministering to the orphans for Christmas. Unfortunately, two of our 11^th graders got phones taken from them as they were mugged in broad daylight soon after we dropped them off outside a McDonalds. Please pray for Andrea and Santiago as they recover from the experience and that it may deepen their dependence on Christ.

SMALL GROUP: The Junior boys went on their first outing to do indoor go-karting. Steve was able to build relationships with the guys, and the six of them had a fun opportunity spending time with each other outside of school, which doesn’t happen very often due to the fact that they all live in different parts of Bogotá. During Chapel, the guys have been focusing on what it looks like to hold one another accountable. The girls have been continuing through Every Young Woman’s Battle. With the 5^th grade boys, Steve has been going through the life of Joseph with them, talking about what to do when we engage in the sins of jealousy, bitterness, and boasting: Repent and Believe!

1-on-1 DISCIPLESHIP: Marlayna is now discipling 2 students, who happen to be close friends and in her small group. She has been focusing with them on staying accountable with their spiritual disciplines and discussing various relationship issues that arise. Steve is going through 2 books with his students: Samson Syndrome with a 12th grader talking about the susceptibility “strong men” have to different failures and Spiritual Leadership an 11th grader, talking about being a spiritual leader and what steps we can take, with God’s intervention, to be a godly influence on others.

SERVICE UPDATE: Marlayna is now coming to school 4 afternoons per week. In addition to leading a small group, discipling the 2 Juniors, going to Spanish classes, she teaches English 2 days per week to people from ECA and the community. She believes that at least 1 of her students is not a Christian, so please be in prayer for God’s Spirit to come upon him. Furthermore, she is tutoring a potential student in math 2 days per week.

Steve has finished designing the framework of the Learning Center and is overseeing staff provide small group study skills instruction for grades 2-12, and administering the instruction for middle school and  high school. He has also been running an anti-bullying group for some 4^th grade boys, and providing 1-on-1 counseling for 2 middle school boys who have been struggling with motivational and emotional difficulties. His 1-on-1 math instruction with the 10^th grader has been quite the learning experience, as the student also has difficulties with motivation to learn. He has very much enjoyed teaching his self-defense class to 8 high school students. Beginning this month, Steve will be providing monthly parent workshops, with the first one on dealing with stress and how to develop and sustain a homework routine.

Prayer Request Summary:

1.       That we can have joyful hearts emanate to those around us, particularly our neighbors and other staff and through the parenting workshops.

2.       The Junior class: to have the love of Christ as they minister to the orphans with special needs; a heart of unity and accountability among the class.

3.       Our meetings with our disciplees. Pray that we will be able to build them up in love.

4.       Salvation of students

5.       Our fellow supporters: that the Lord will continue to bless them and the ministries He has called them to advance His kingdom.

We are very thankful for your partnership and encouragement. God has truly blessed us through YOU! If there is anything we can do to encourage you or lift you up to the Lord, please let us know!

High School Retreat!

As eleventh grade small group leaders we were able to participate in a wonderful weekend with the high school student with challenging spiritual devotionals and small group sessions. The sessions were 30 minute devotionals followed by 20 minutes of meditating on a single verse and ending with small group discussion. The devotional topics included: God’s holiness, importance of repentance to someone as an accountability partner, unity and love of the body of Christ, and confession/ reconciliation with each other.  These topics really challenged the students to reflect on their attitude and relationships with their classmates, family members, and other relationships.

The time of meditation was also a great experience for the students because the students have heard for years that they should be meditating on the Word, but they really didn’t know how to meditate on the Word until this retreat. So often it is easier to talk and pray to God but never take the time to listen and reflect on the words in the Bible. We had exciting conversations during small group about some of the observations they made during the time of meditation on the single verse and how the verse applied to their life.

Another significant highlight from the small group times were the activities that went along with the discussion. During one of the small group sessions, the students were partnered up and then asked to share a struggle, or a sin that they are dealing with.  Fortunately, the students know each other rather well, which allowed for them to trust another classmate enough to be an accountability partner, so they can pray for each other in that area of struggle in their life.

A second small group activity was the “confession caterpillar” in which each student had just a couple minutes to talk with each one of their classmates and ask the partner: How have I offended you?  By asking this question, it allowed students to bring up ways in which they have been hurt by the other person. This was a significant activity for our 11^th graders because many of the students have gone to ECA since early elementary school and have been offended by a classmate, but rather than confronting that classmate, they shove those feeling and hurts deep down and become bitter toward their classmate. One student said, “I didn’t realize that some of my facial expressions can be offensive because they think I am judging them and that I am better than them!” Another student said, “I didn’t realize that my jokes are so offensive.”  Lastly, one student said, “I didn’t realize how proud I was and how arrogant I am toward my classmates!”  The students had deep wounds from each other while the offender had no idea! Some students were bitter toward each other and through this weekend, they are able to start the healing process through reconciliation and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Holidays in Bogota

For Halloween last week, decorations were commonly put up in windows of the apartments and at the gates of the apartment ‘complexes.’ We went to the mall for our monthly "end- of- the- month" treat: an ice cream cone. The mall was packed with dressed up parents taking their dressed up kids to go trick- or - treating from store to store!  Wow! It was crazy to see some of the outfits, some cute, but most of them scary... even the adults! I can see why many Christians here stay sooooo far from the Halloween scene as possible. 

 Looking onward to this month , according the school calendar, we have multiple days off of school we have a day off for “All Saint’s day,” “Independence of Cartagena,” and two days off for Thanksgiving (thanks ECA being an  American school). We are thankful for the days off of school to relax a little bit at home and visit with others. We are not sure what we will be doing for Thanksgiving.  We decided not to go on a get- away trip for three days with a number of other staff from the school. We intend to keep it low key, maybe get together with another family or two.  One thing we made sure we packed to bring down with us for our tradition was: Thanksgiving, a Time to Remember by Barbara Rainey. Last year, we read this book for the first time, which is about the Pilgrim’s sacrifices and God’s provision for them.  The book is arranged in such a way that it can be a short read or a longer more detailed account of history, which will be nice to alter the story/ devotional as the our family grows. Plus, it comes with a CD of worship music… wonderful!

Christmas season is in full swing! It is a bit weird to see the Christmas season without seeing Thanksgiving or fall seasonal items out. Considering they don’t have fall and Thanksgiving as we do in the States, it makes sense that the Christmas items are out now since Christmas is the next major holiday.  The mall has a big Christmas tree, snow- flake lights up on light posts,  ‘snow drifts’ made of plastic hanging over the side of the mall to look like icicles, and oversized presents that decorate the outside walking areas.  Seeing the snow decorations makes us chuckle because Bogota never sees snow, yet they associate Christmas with snow. Infact, most of the world does not have snow at Christmas time. The Christmas music we have heard thus far in the mall has been the same Christmas music we would hear in the States.   The decorations are not yet finished but we have been told that once all the lights are up, there are multiple power outages in our area due to the energy being used for the decorations! Guess we will get to have a cheaper electric bill with all the blackouts!