Prayer update for February

January ended with a fantastic conference where Steve learned how to counteract bullying, helping students with dyslexia and written language difficulties, ethics involving standardized testing, and counseling children with anxiety. We also celebrated Elleazah’s 2^nd birthday, and we praise God for her in our lives. It is a joy to watch her grow and learn each day.

 We are full swing in our second semester. Steve is planning professional development for teachers in response to his conference, problem-solving with principals & teachers on student issues, prepping a senior to speak at chapel, and doing educational planning for the influx of new students with learning challenges. Marlayna is teaching at school Biology to 10^th graders and Health to the second half of the 9^th graders. We are thankful for a new lady volunteering at ECA who is able to help watch Elleazah during the periods Marlayna is teaching.

 This month, our senior class will be going on a class retreat. This overnight retreat will be to discuss being salt and light to the world as they transition from a Christian high school to a secular college life. We, as the class advisors, are planning this retreat. In addition the senior retreat, we will also be going on the high school retreat, which is at the end of February.

Pray for:

1.      Pray for the new students who are starting new mid-year as they transition. New students, especially those from the USA, have historically struggled a lot in their transition

2.      Pray that the students will go to the retreats and that the Holy Spirit will transform their lives

3.      Pray that we are able to find new balance in our roles and get back into the routine of school.

Prayer update for January:

As we’ve entered a new year, we want to thank you for another year prayer and support. It was good to see some of you during our time in the States. It was wonderful to spend Christmas with family and participate in some of the traditions.

Anticipated activities for this next school quarter include a senior retreat which will focus on what to expect after graduation and transitioning to college. Steve is preparing a senior to give a devotional during chapel.  Steve will also be attending a professional school psychologist conference to maintain certification. Marlayna will be helping out at school more this semester; hopefully, she and Elleazah will be on a regular schedule by the end of the month.

The last thing we would like to keep you informed about is that we are prayerfully considering another year at ECA. Originally we made a two year commitment. The commitment is up at the end of the school year, but we considering staying for a third year. 

Please be in prayer for this upcoming activities and decisions.

Fall Festival 2012

Fall festival was a big success at school today. It is a day for kids to dress up in their Christian character outfits (Elleazah is the bee from Noah’s ark), host booths for carnival type games, and serve food- with the goal of raising money for their class, and training the students to work together in planning and executing community activities. Considering we are working with the seniors, our class is very focused on raising money for their class trip, which takes place at the end of May.  Elleazah had a great time at the fall festival. Though it is the rainy season right now, we had sunny skies. Elleazah was still a bit young for the games, but she did enjoy getting her face painted by the 9^th grade class. She also had her first taste of cotton candy. At first, she didn’t know what to make of the fact that the cotton just seems to melt in the mouth, but once she realized it was sweet, she was always ready of another taste! Needless to say, cotton candy will be considered a special treat , only eaten once in a long while.

Current events

Wow! Has it really been a month since we last posted?! We must be really busy or there really isn’t much going on- and in this case- there is a lot going on!

Steve has been meeting with a lot of students for a variety of reasons: going over their individual education plans, meeting with seniors to figure out college information since a number of the students this year want to study in the States, meeting with juniors helping them start thinking about college and tests they need to take to be accepted into college, and students who are struggling with social/emotional/ or academic needs. He is starting to observe in classrooms to hopefully help teachers teach in a way to meet the needs of struggling students. He is planning a variety of parent workshops to give parents strategies to help their students. And most recently, he spoke at chapel to the high school students on the topic of “Who is your King,” speaking from Luke 9:16-23. He challenged the students to reflect on how they are living their life to see what rules their life, who they believe Jesus to be, and do they trust Jesus as their king.

Marlayna has been enjoying teaching health to half the 9^th grade class and being in front of a class again. Though it is not in her content area, she has really enjoyed bringing Biblical application to the content. She has been able to help tutor a homebound MK student who recently had leg surgery. She meets with him 12 hours a week to help him keep up with his studies. She has also been able to continue building relationships with the students she is discipling and with another family who has twins around Elleazah’s age.

Speaking of Elleazah, she is quit the trouper! She goes to school when we are at school, she goes to tutoring when Marlayna goes to tutoring, and she does all this usually with a good attitude- and for that, we praise God! We know that this busyness is a short season in our lives and we are thankful she is doing well with the schedule. She loves drawing and coloring, which makes it easier for her to play by herself.

We recently went with the staff on a staff retreat, the topic was Integrity. Going into the weekend, it was easy to think highly of ourselves as having much integrity. But coming out of the sessions, we realize how sinful we are and how much area of growth that still needs to take place, Lord willing. The retreat was in hot country so we, especially Elleazah, really enjoyed the pools, and the small zoo, at the location we stayed in Melgar, 120 km south of us.

Be in prayer for:

1.       Next weekend, we will be going to Chinauta, 85 km south of us, for the high school fall retreat. Please be praying for the student’s hearts to be soft and willing to change throughout the weekend. The sessions will also be on Integrity: From the Inside Out.

2.       Healing for the student Marlayna is tutoring

3.       Continue to connect with students and discipleship

4.     Wisdom in parenting

ECA's Partnership with local missionaries

This past weekend we had a wonderful outing with many other teachers from ECA. We went just outside city limits and hiked to a peak. It was a gorgeous day for a small hike and we had such a sweet time of fellowship with others.

Another really exciting aspect of the day was to have the opportunity to hear from a missionary whom is closely affiliated with the school. Without ECA, his children would not have the education the parents desire for their children; nor would the parents be able to invest in their ministry as they are currently able to do.  Let me share about this ministry and how ECA is interwoven into this ministry (besides currently teaching a couple of their children).

The family is the Bartel family.  The goal of this ministry is to reach the street children with the love of Christ and provide a way out of the cycle of darkness that is passed on from one generation to the next… spiritually, emotionally and physically. The Bartels and their team go into some of the most dangerous parts of the city, where gangs are very prevalent, drugs and prostitutes are common, and violence is the norm.  They build relationships with the kids and the parents and share Christ’s love to them. One way they share His love is by running a safe center for the kids to come play. This place is called the ‘Jungle,’ which we wrote about in our October 30, 2011 blog post (click here to read that post about the Jungle). Last year, 180 kids came to the Jungle the night of Halloween. We praise God that so many children were in a safe place hearing about God’s love for them on such a dark night.  

After relationships are built, some of these children are able to go to an at-risk, alternative school  that primarily serves these high risk kids.  Because so many of the kids come from troubled homes, drugs, abuse, prostitution, etc., the kids struggle with school, learning, and interacting with each other. ECA has partnered with this school, providing outreaches with ECA students meeting during the school day with students to have Bible lessons, games, snacks, and sharing God’s love with these children of different backgrounds.

Some of the street children are also taken in to be ‘re- parented’ in a safe living situation. Though the child is off the street, it is hard to get the street out of the child. This can take a couple years before the child is at a point where they can handle being moved into a more stable and loving family home. Sometimes, governmental paperwork is completed for the child to be adopted, but other times, adoption is not an option. 

The last phase of the program is preparing the child for independent living. Though governmental care stops at age 18, like foster care in the States, this program continues with the child to make sure that they have at least a high school degree. Sometimes a child will be 22 before they are able to get a high school degree due to being so far behind in their schooling.

This program has had many success stories, for God’s glory, where children have moved on from the program, doing well on their own and are living out God’s love. Some of those children have become missionaries to other countries, many are giving back to help kids here in Colombia. Not all the children that go through the program are able to break from the curses and grips of sin. But even then, we know and trust that God has His hand in everything and He will be glorified in the end.

It is wonderful to hear how God is using the Bartel family to bring light to some of the darkest places of this city. To God be the glory.

We're getting back in the groove!

Well, summer break has come to an end and we are getting back into the grind of school and Colombian life. The morning following our arrival we attended teacher orientation for the next three days, had a school picnic where we met students and parents, and then came the first days of school!

Previously, we had written that Marlayna would be teaching Biology to 10^th graders, but as we have come to learn at this school, things are not always as they seem. Upon returning, Marlayna was asked to teach health to the 9^th graders rather than teach Biology. The reason for the switch was for a more conducive schedule for Marlayna to be with Elleazah and a lighter work load. We agreed and willingly accepted the switch. We have learned to be flexible at this school.

Our first available Saturday, we went large park here in the city. Though we have been to this park before,  we decided to take a different bus system to get there, one that was supposed to be easier… and it was! We are always encouraged when we successfully navigate the public bus system without any problems, especially when it is a new route to us. We had a wonderful day at the park, lots of sun and lots of fun! Elleazah loved the different parks to play on!  There were so many stairs for her to climb, many slides to go down, and a bunch of different swings to choose to ride!  

We praise God for a successful first week and a half back and a fairly easy transition back to life in Bogota!

June Update letter

Greetings Friends & Family,

Family Update—The last few months have been rather eventful. Marlayna had appendicitis at the end of March, right before spring break. She has recovered fine and is doing well. We have learned that Colombia does have health care similar to the States. To learn more about our appendicitis experience, check out our blog where Marlayna posted a detailed entry about the event. Marlayna’s sister also visited us, in God’s providence, she came during Marlayna’s recovery of appendicitis. It was a sweet time together, catching up on life, and showing her a bit of the country of Colombia around Bogota.

Roles at ECA—We were invited to speak to the parents of 5^th grade students at a retreat that they held to build unity amongst the families. It was a wonderful cultural experience and opportunity to get to know the families on a more personal level. It also gave Steve a deeper understanding of some of the 5^th grade boys whom he leads in a small group. We did workshops on how they can help their children transition from childhood to adolescence, how their methods of parenting are to change as a result, and we worked with the children on how to love your neighbor when they are tempted to or have an experience with gossip, exclusion, or teasing (which have been common problems in the 5^th grade class). Please pray that these families will grow in being a reflection of Christ’s church, that the parents will embrace God’s calling as as parents, and that the children will have a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus. A number of the children do not have this personal relationship with Him.

Steve has had the opportunity to work with each high school senior to help them plan what is next for them after they graduate. A few high school seniors have been accepted to North American Universities. One of the main challenges for Colombians graduates is obtaining their student visa to attend school in North America. Due to some problems in the past with Colombians not returning to their home country, the U.S. embassy has made it a challenge for Colombians to get a student visa. Please pray for these graduates as they transition in a new phase in life: that they continually rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit and not their own understanding to direct them in major life decisions of friends, vocation, living situations, church, etc; and that their relationship with Christ will grow through the trials they will experience.

Educational service plans for students who experience various learning challenges were successfully developed collaboratively with the administration and parents. A few of the students Steve services went to the Amazon Rainforest over Spring Break to help provide basic medical care and do Vacation Bible School activities with the children. It was encouraging to see these students begin who they are as God’s creation and members of His Church and to be used by God to advance His kingdom in the Amazon Rainforest. Please pray that the students with learning difficulties would continue to reject what Colombian culture says about them (that they are a disgrace to their family and have less value than people without disabilities) and accept the truths that God uniquely created them with purpose and capable of bringing Him glory.

Discipleship—Since April, Steve counseled and discipled 5 young men (12^th, 9^th, 8^th, 7^th, and 4^th) and a 5^th grade girl. Some of the issues he began to address with these students include understanding the character of God and how that impacts us, prayer, priorities, family responsibility, organization, abandonment, our role in Christ’s church, reconciliation, problem-solving skills, understanding emotions, and how to make friends. He hopes to continue meeting with these students again next year. Marlayna finished the school year meeting faithfully with the 2 junior girls on conflict resolution, spiritual disciplines, and leadership. Please pray that the Spirit of God will continue to work in these students over the summer and that we will be able to reconnect with them quickly once school year begins in August.

The 11^th grade class did a 5 day/4 night service trip to Villavacencio, which is 2 hours (110 km) southeast from the edge of the city of Bogotá on the other side of the mountain. The students served at 5 schools teaching English through various activities. One of the schools was part of a refugee camp for children whose families had experienced persecution from the guerillas (FARC) or their indigenous tribes for being Christian. Some of the children are now orphans due to the persecution from these groups. Pray that the gospel will penetrate the areas controlled by the FARC and indigenous tribes and that the persecution will only fan the flames of commitment to Christ.

 The 11^th grade small groups have been much more focused now that we have been able to establish rapport with the students. For the girls, we ended the year finishing our study on building appropriate relationships with guys and setting both physical and emotional boundaries. For the boys, we started the theme of leadership and continued it on the 11^th grade service trip mentioned earlier. On the service trip we, the leaders, prepared a devotional and discussion time revolving around the 4 “trustworthy sayings” in the books of 1^st and 2^nd Timothy (1 Tim 1:15-17, 3:1-17, 4:7-10, and 2 Tim 2:11-13). These times were meant to help prepare the junior class to be the leaders of the high school and build a spirit of unity amongst the students. We plan on continuing this theme in the fall with these students. On the service trip we saw spiritual fruit in the lives of these students as they grew in their encouragement toward one another and their heart to serve for the glory of God and not their own glory or satisfaction. Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer for these students, as we know this growth and change only comes from God and the working of His Spirit. Knowing this, please continue to pray for the now 12^th grade class regarding their unity, spiritual leadership for the high school, and that their heart to serve may be focused on bringing glory to God and not what they can get out of it.

Looking ahead—We will be doing quite a bit of traveling for most of July and flying back to Colombia on August 1. The school year begins August 6. There is a possibility that Marlayna will be teaching a Biology class this next school year. Steve will continue his role as Guidance Counselor, Coordinator for Special Needs, and special education teacher for middle & high school. Please pray that we have safe travel and that our time reconnecting with friends and family resembles Ephesians 4:15-16. Please also pray that we will be able to connect with the new staff beginning their service at ECA in the fall. In addition, pray that the administration and school board will seek His wisdom in their decision-making this year.

Check out the Ministry Pictures page to "see" what we've been up to!

Thank you for your continued encouragement and faithful prayer!