I Am Responsible!

My new class of 3rd Graders!

Responsible for Learning a Language!
My Spanish classes at ECA have started again!  I am so excited this year because my class is reading a novel that they read in 9th grade here at El Camino.  The book is called "Los Ojos del Perro Siberiano" (Eyes of the Siberian Huskey).  This is a challenge for me, but I am looking forward to this next step in learning a new language.  The new challenge is homework!  Reading chapters and then writing summaries every week.  By the end of this year, I hope to say I am fluent in Spanish :-)


What inspires me is one of my students.  This student came from another country and is just starting to learn English and Spanish.  With a smile on their face everyday, they continue to amaze me with their determination and perseverance with learning a new language that is so different from their own.  This student did not say anything to me the first few weeks of school, even though they seemed to understand directions and classroom routines in English.

This student is slowly starting to speak more and more.  They are talking with their classmates in simple sentences.  I know from experience the major fear of speaking a language that you don't know.  Last week, this student came up to me and said, "Water?" and pointed to their water bottle.  I was so excited!  Later in the week, I was checking in Bible Memory Verses and this student came up and told me the whole verse from Isaiah 53:4 (which has many words like "infirmities" and "despised")  I am so excited to see how this student continues to grow this year.  The family is on Bogota working with a mission organization.  The attitude and perseverance as this student is in school all day with no one who really knows a language she can speak is pretty amazing.

Here's to being responsible and working hard at learning a new language!!

Responsible for Chapel application :-)
At Elementary Chapel this past week, we were discussing we are responsible for our responses to things that happen to us.  We can respond in a positive way or a bad way.  One example we gave was if someone comes up to at recess and calls you a name and says a mean thing about you - you can choose to respond back with either ignoring them or saying something nice back like, "I like your shirt!"

After Chapel, I was listening to my students as my students were correcting their Math assigment with partners and I overheard this conversation :-)

Student 1: "Wow, you got all the answers wrong!  What's wrong with you?
Student 2 (thinking...): "You're so pretty!"

Glad they are learning that comments people make to us are not always true and we can learn to not let them affect us :-) 

Prayers and Praises:
Construction is still going on at the school and is making it very noisy in certain classrooms.  Pray that we can still learn in this environment!

My grandma just had a massive stroke and it does not look good.  Depending on what happens, I might be flying to Florida in a few days (which means extra money for an expensive plane ticket!)  Pray for time management and making sure I am prepared to leave behind my teaching responsibilities to another teacher.  Praise the Lord that Kelsey, my student teacher, is here at this time.  Also, please pray for me and my family.  My grandma knows Jesus, but it is still hard for me to be away from them at this time.

For the hearts of my new students - that I would get to know them and love them for who God made them!!

Blessings,
Carrie

Under Construction

As Christians, we are always "Under Construction" in some way.  We learn and grow.  We see areas that are broken and need to be fixed.   The new parts that re-constructed are stronger and more ready to handle the tasks they were made for.  The construction process (or as the bible would put it, our sanctification) is always messy.  It takes a lot of work.  It requires a team sometimes to get the job done. Hopefully, what it leaves us with is a heart that is more reliant and dependent on our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Here are three ways Christ can take our life and constructs it to be more like his own.

1. Constructing the foundation of what we believe.

2. Constructing the community of believers we worship with.

3. Constructing our hearts to love and serve Him.

Constructing Our Foundation:  We are hoping to have the new building somewhat clean and less dangerous for when students arrive this coming Thursday. (tomorrow!)  Right now, the front entrance is closed as is the inside staircase.  There is a lot of dirt and dust, and everyone is working hard to have it "clean" for the first day of school.  The next six months or so we will have to co-habit-ate with the construction crew and learn how to best work with one another.

This reminds me of when Jesus is laying the foundation of our own personal faith.  Just like this process of construction is necessary to ensure the safety and better learning environment for our students, when the Lord is constructing the faith of his children he is wanting us to have a foundation that will be firm and steady.  While there are many other things we can try and lay our foundation on (like the people around us, our jobs, our reputations, our ministries at church, being respectful, loving...), Jesus is the only foundation that will stand when the others fail.  Beliefs that we have held for many years may come tumbling down as our hearts are formed by God's Word and shaped by his character.

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid which is Jesus Christ." 

 I Corinthians 3:11

Constructing a New Team/Community:  Every year, God sends amazing new people to teach and be a part of the mission/vision at ECA.  It has been amazing to watch how God has worked on people's hearts to come and serve here.  Our director, Beth Afanador, loves to talk about our "July Surprises" that we have every year.  This year, we have three new teachers who decided to join our staff just since July.  They quickly up and moved to Colombia in just two or three weeks to be ready for orientation.  What a blessing these new faces are!!  I am blessed by their faithfulness to follow God in the way that they have.

"We proclaim what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our JOY COMPLETE."   1 John 1:5-6

Please pray for these "July Surprises" as they adjust to Colombia.
1. AnnElise Pate - HS English
2. Laura Beach - HS Computers and Math
3. Josh Wright - HS Science (Med. Student who decided to take a year to come teach science.  He decided to come about a week and 1/2 ago and has already arrived in Bogota!)

 

 

Constructing our hearts to love and serve Him:  I have been busy praying for and preparing for my new class of wonderful 3rd Graders.  This year, we will be studying the theme of Responsibility.  I cannot wait to see all of the ways the Lord will challenge, encourage, and teach everyone at El Camino about the character of responsibility.

As an elementary team, we have brainstormed what responsibility is and how it is a part of God's character.  After exploring this at the beginning of the year, we will then dive into some favorite Bible characters and ask ourselves, "How were they responsible?"  We are hoping the lives of Joseph, Jonah, and Esther will teach our students what it means to responsibly follow God as a Christian believer and what God's grace looks like when we fail (Jonah - anyone??)

Christians Under Construction - The journey of being formed to image of our Savior!

 Prayers and Praises: 
For our Director, Beth Afanador, as she is stepping in as High School Principal (when she has MANY other roles that she already fills!!)  Right now, we do not have any other possibility of filling this role.  Please pray that the Lord would send someone to lighten the work load on Beth's shoulders!

For the students and parents as they return to school tomorrow and participate in our ECA community picnic.  

For new teachers - that they would find rest and encouragement as they adjust to life here in Colombia.  That they would be drawn to their Savior with any stress that they feel.

Thank for praying!!  Love and hugs to you all :-0
Carrie

Summer in Chicago - Preparing for Year 3!!!!!

Well, I am safely back in Bogota getting ready for the start of my third year serving at El Camino.  While I have spent the past few days meeting some of the new teachers, getting acclimated to all of the construction going on (it's kinda messy at ECA right now!!), and settling back in to life in Colombia, I wanted to send a quick thank you to all of my family and friends who welcomed be back into their lives for the few weeks I was in Chicago this summer.  My time was filled with a few vacations with family, lots of time with my sisters, parents, and nephews, and much time spent catching up with dear friends over coffee, lunch or dinner.  Worshiping at the Orchard Evangelical Free Church and connecting with my sending church was such a blessing.  My heart was encouraged by all who attend there.  My heart was encouraged by what was preached from God's word and were some much needed reminders for me as I reflected on what the Lord had taught me this past year. 

Again, I was blown away at how welcomed and loved I was by everyone I visited and got to see.  I was blown away by your interest in praying for me, for hearing about what the Lord is doing in the hearts of my 3rd Graders, and allowing me to express the lessons and challenges I felt this past year.  Thank you for taking time to still invest in a friendship with me even though I am far away.  A quote I heard from a friend recently said, 

"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere.  That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place." - Miriam Adeney

While I am learning to navigate what this exactly looks like, I find rest and hope that this earth is not my home.  And as much as I continually look for home to be here on earth with all the people I love, God gently reminds me that one day in heaven I will be rejoicing with all of my brothers and sisters in Christ - from all over the world :-)

Below are some pictures of my time at home.  I hope you know how much I enjoyed getting to see each and every one of you!!!

 Colombian Barbecue Supporter Get-Together 

It was a pleasure sharing some Colombian treats with you while I was home.  Getting to make arepas, patacones, empanadas, and other foods that Colombian typically eat at a barbecue was such a blessing.  Thank you to my amazing family who helped cook and prepare everything!!!

  

Random Pics from vacations and precious time spent with friends and family

Prayers and Praises:
Pray for our new team as we are all getting to know each other and adjusting to life at ECA for this coming year.  That we would bond quickly together and prepare our hearts as a community to serve the students at ECA with the love of Christ.

Construction of the 3rd floor has made some great progress - but it has caused the school to look really messy right now!!  Please continue to pray for smooth and efficient progress, plus safety when the students are back in the building.

Bonding with my two new roommates - Annie and Becky.  That we would have a wonderful year getting to know each other better and encouraging one another as we serve the Lord together here.

Blessings,
Carrie