Another week has passed very quickly at the House of Hope! Much of the week was spent doing activities similar to those of our first two weeks. Joann and I worked together on lesson plans for the week, taught our various groups of English classes, assisted the girls with their homework, and contributed to completing some of the household chores. However, a few new activities added to the interest of the week. Last Sunday, Joann and I had the opportunity to do some sightseeing in downtown Santiago with two of the girls from the House of Hope, visiting some well-known buildings and the beautiful Cerro (hill) Santa Lucia. During our first devotional with all the girls on that Sunday evening, we had a special time of sharing our personal testimonies.

Because all of the girls stayed at the House of Hope this weekend (rather than visiting their families), we had a fun day together on Saturday with them, Willy, Patty, and Daniel (the House of Hope’s director) and his family. In addition to eating some delicious food and watching a movie, we held a Bible study and discussed the experiences of the first month of the House of Hope’s operation. Joann and I both had a new experience Sunday evening when we joined the members of La Pintana Alliance Church in inviting members of the community to attend the church as we handed out tracts, balloons, and candy. Then, on Sunday, we were able to participate in the 27th anniversary of the La Pintana church, which is next door to the House of Hope.

Although nothing dramatic occurred this week, a few incidents served as reminders of God’s work in our everyday lives. On Monday, we found out that a young woman who attends one of our English classes had accepted Jesus as her Savior at church last Sunday! Although she and her family did not attend church regularly, she decided to go to a church service after coming to our English class that is held at La Pintana Alliance Church. We were likewise excited when one of the girls received a grade of 7.0 (the highest grade possible) for the first time this semester.

As Joann and I enter into the second half of our time here, I ask that you would pray that God would give us wisdom as we seek to support and encourage the girls. Please also keep in prayer the House of Hope administrators and the girls as they face the challenges and stress of school and college work.

6/15/09

Family and friends,

Hello from Chile! All is well as we approach the final two weeks of our work here in Temuco. The team has shared many adventures since the last time I wrote you.

Last Thursday, we spent the majority of the day teaching three classes of English at a small country school. It was for this particular school that Tom had raised the necessary funds to send a team to build a home for the care taker and his wife about a year ago. The material we covered in each class varied from colors and numbers to complete conversations about prepositions, as the students we taught varied in age from 5-14. The two most difficult challenges of the day came with attempting to hold the five to eight year olds’ attention spans with colors and numbers and keeping the 14 year old class clown in check. After (more…)