Tis the Season...

Thanksgiving: My students had a wonderful time experiencing the American holiday of Thanksgiving.  Each class presented about a topic they had been studying.  My 3rd Grade class presented on the May Flower Compact and how the Pilgrims lived together in community together.  One of my favorite quotes from our presentation is, "We can learn a lot from the Pilgrims.  They had great faith in God to provide for them that First Thanksgiving, even though life was very hard.  God calls us to be thankful in all circumstances.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, " give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Christmas:
There were a few things that God laid on my heart to do that would make it feel more like home here in Colombia during the holidays.  My roommates and I went out and got a small tree with some lights.  We also made a snowman out of old kleenex boxes and cut out snowflakes to put on our windows.

 Three of my students stayed after school one day to help me decorate our room for Christmas.  We are reading through the Christmas story (Luke 2:1-20) and are praising God for the birth of his son.

Last weekend, Brittney and I hosted some of the Colombian staff at ECA for a small Christmas party.  I decided to try and bake for my first time!  After having to lite the oven with a match (scary!) and realizing that my cookies were burning because our oven is in Celsius (not Fahrenheit), I successfully made a batch of my Aunt Carol's Melting Moments.  These are my favorite Christmas cookie and it was such a blessing to share these with my Colombian friends. 

This past week, we had the opportunity to buy gifts for the children in our ministries.  My 3rd Graders brought in money to buy gifts for their friends from Hogar de Paz Foundation.  We spent some time shopping at the Giving Place and had a wonderful time picking out gifts for our friends.  What a wonderful way to get into the Christmas Spirit!

 

In the Beginning...Jesus
This past Friday, we had our ECA Christmas Program.  Our students presented a play that was written by an ECA teacher.  It presents the gospel message from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  The message is so powerful and it brought me to tears as I watched the story unfold from creation to Jesus's death on the cross, making a way for sinners to come to him.  At the end when Adam and Eve (played by two adorable 1st graders) are reaching for God and Christ comes and joins them together - so Adam and Eve can run into God's arms - was so moving.

The play ended with 1st through 6th grade singing "Joy to the World."  Enjoy our time of worship to our Savior in this video below.

Prayers/Praises:
Please continue to pray for how the Lord wants me to use my special needs experience at ECA.  
 
Praise for the generosity of a friend who let me borrow his full keyboard (piano) for a few weeks.  What a blessing it has been to be able to play the piano, just like at home.

For Mike and Justin, and perhaps two Daniels, who are considering serving at ECA second semester to fill in some needed holes in High School Science and History!

Praise for a group from my home church, the Orchard, who is coming down to serve at ECA in January/February 2013.    Thank you for coming down to help with installing an alarm system, flooring, and sound and video equipment, replacing roof tiles and landscaping.  Please pray as the Lord brings this group together and as they prepare for service here in Bogota.

Safe travels as I come back to the States on Friday, December 21st.  I am really looking forward to seeing family and friends!

Merry Christmas!
Carrie