Wow , it just keeps getting better. Today, everything seemed to go so much smoother and the children seem to be more engaged in their daily english lessons. Andy and I have a really fun time playing games with the children to help reinforce the their english vocabulary. While we are having fun being with the kids it’s a lot of work.
Today was the second workshop with the 6th and 7th graders on sexual purity. I will admit I was nervous about talking to the kids about the subject but after discussing it with Poncho and Pity there is really a need for the kids to know what a Godly relationship looks like with there fellow students and what Godly dating and Marriage looks like.
The talks are two hours long so we have to keep the kids engaged with songs and games but I feel like the importance of the content is beginning to sink in with the kids. I’m excited about tomorrow when we have a Q&A with the kids to see what they think about the talks so far.
My new friend Joanna
The second day was fast and furious. We have fallen in love with the children and everyone is working hard. The team is really exhibiting Christ-like attitudes and working as a team. I have been really proud of the Yappers!
Today we taught English classes from 9am until Noon, then did afternoon workshops. Andy & Temple did a cool Geology and Science workshop. Nicole, Elizabeth Dillon, Chiharu, and Alison taught a “virtues” workshop for the younger kids. Merileigh, Elizabeth Carson, and me (Micah) taught the “purity” workshop for the older kids.
I am loving getting to teach and amazed at how effective I are able to teach English to Spanish speakers even though I don’t speak much Spanish. Chiharu has provided some excellent tools for us. It has really given me confidence as an English teacher. Teaching English is very do-able and can be a tremendous tool for the glory of God.
In the evening we travelled to busy downtown Quito, saw the government buildings, saw Colonial Quito (which is beautiful), then ate at an amazing restaurant up in the mountains overlooking the city! It was quite an evening. Walking through an old beautiful city caused me to really miss my Kristen though.
We are having fun, working hard, enjoying each other, and feeling so blessed that we can be used by God for His glory!
Peter is criticized by the Jews for going to the Gentiles with the gospel so Peter recounts the story of why he did it. Interestingly he does not share any verses from the Bible but relies solely upon his experience with the Holy Spirit. This is a good reminder that we should rest upon the leading of the Holy Spirit, it is one of the main authorities in our lives. Obviously this does not give license to deny Bible if we think the Holy Spirit is leading us somewhere.
When Stephen is martyred the saints are scattered across the ancient world. God was even working in the extreme pain of a martyred Christian. As a result of this pain, God is glorified, the gospel is taken to the world, and many repent and believe.
As I spoke to the children yesterday I became very thankful that I was just resting upon the Word. In order to teach them about purity they needed to understand God’s goal for their lives. They needed to know that the Bible does not promise them a pain free life, only happy days, and financial wealth in the future. They needed to understand that God wants to mold them into Jesus’ image (Romans 8:29). This was a hard task to do for me because I am a rich American who has never faced the kind of pain these children have faced while living in poverty in Ecuador. As I remained faithful to the gospel of grace it was awesome to see these kids affirm the Word. These young children had a mature understanding of the gospel as they described Jesus and spoke of making him their ultimate love! I have a lot to learn from them.
Of all the first impressions of Quito, including the ever-present sounds of diesel engines, dogs barking, and jet engines from commercial airplanes taking off through the middle of a city, I am most impressed by the view of the towering and verdant foothills of the Andes mountains that surround us on both sides.
Some of the tallest mountains in the world, the Andes are still growing at centimeters-per-year rates as Pacific oceanic crust uncomfortably slides under what we know as South America. Earthquakes, volcanoes, and mudslides ensue. A geological paradise, indeed.
Now to the mission at hand. I humbly propose that teaching is more strenuous that I assumed. Why don’t all the students listen intently? Do they not know how (fairly or not) English proficiency will benefit them? Are contraband crossword puzzles and other simple distractions that much more important? Surely not!
Do I listen “intently” to my Teacher’s words? Do I follow [illicit] distractions that lead to dissatisfaction? Yes. I am convicted by the simplicity of this analog.
Oh, and about that tectonic activity: is there a different way to move mountains?
Impossible.
Good thing He works in that category too.
-Andy
What a joy it is to be reading through Acts while on a Mission Trip. The early Christians suffered so much in order to take the gospel to other peoples. What a blessing it is to wake up this morning in Ecuador and be thinking through my lessons over the next few days. On the flight over I read about Hanserd Knolly’s journey from London to Boston in the late 1600’s. They lost their young child on the 12 week journey.
Tomorrow I am teaching the children that God has not created them for wealth, or health, or even the world’s understanding of happiness. God has created them to glorify himself. What this means for them is that he is working to make them look like Jesus. Jesus is both holy and gracious and we are going to wrestle with how we can be both holy and gracious. We are going to talk about battling sin, abiding in Jesus, loving Jesus, and then loving and serving others.
My pray this week is that I would live that little lesson. I pray that I would do all those things in order to glorify my precious Jesus, and by doing so I would powerfully model a spirituality of grace before these children.
Ecuador is beautiful and it is a joy to wake up in the clouds of Quito. What a blessing it is to come and serve. Pancho and Pity have been wonderful and we are ready to get to work.
Same shot from last night
Up in the clouds
We arrived in Quito safely. Everything has gone smoothly because we have amazing hosts. I don’t feel like I am on a Mission Trip because our accommodations are so great and Pancho and Pity are taking such good care of us. Our crew is excited to be hear and anxious to serve the students at the Love and Hope Foundation School. Tomorrow we will begin our English Camp with them.
Please pray that we will bless everyone we come in contact with this week. Please pray that our work here can truly aid the work Pancho and Pity are doing. Please pray that we can have a lasting impact.
Quito sits within a valley between mountains. The view from our apartments is amazing. i can't wait to see it in the morning.
Stephen has long been a hero of mine. He was a man who was full of strength and wisdom and full of the Holy Spirit. This was manifested in the fact that he richly understood God’s Word. In his speech in Acts 7 he basically sums up the Old Testament highlighting the meta-narrative of the Messiah. Stephen understood the story of the Bible through the lens of Jesus. Stephen’s strength, wisdom, and community with the Holy Spirit also manifested itself in that he was chosen to serve those in need within the Body. Stephen was a man of the Word but also a faithful minister.
I recently sat with some college students discussing this passage. The real joy of the evening for me was to see so many international students, especially students from the Arab/Muslim world, discussing this passage. One wise young man spoke about how God uses seasons of pain to prepare us for what he is going to do in the future. This rang true for another international student who lived through a war and spoke of how Jesus appeared to her in a dream and told her to remain faithful to Jesus and he would carry her and her family to safety.
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is so inspiring to me; but I was also inspired and spurred on by seeing bold Stephen-like Christians from the Arab world. God is building his church!
The story of Ananias and Sapphira is shocking and horrible. This little story from the earliest church seems so extreme. God and the church leaders seem so cold and harsh. I read this story this morning after reading through chapter 4 of John Stott’s The Cross of Christ over the past couple of days. Summing up his chapter sums up Acts 5:1-11. “All inadequate doctrines of the atonement are due to inadequate doctrines of God and humanity. If we bring God down to our level and raise ourselves to his, then of course we see no need for a radical salvation, let alone for a radical atonement to secure it” (Stott, pg111). We don’t appreciate the “seriousness of sin” (Stott, pg90) nor do we really appreciate the “majesty of God” (Stott, pg90).
Kenlee is very much a “Mommy’s Girl.” She kisses her Mommy all the time, cuddles with her all the time, always watches her, and cries mainly for her Mommy. I get it, I think Kristen is pretty great too. However, I got a double blessing this weekend. By the end of the week she was clearly saying “DaDa” as her first word, and yesterday she gave me my first kissy! It is all a big deal to me, I had to blog.
