Wow….. I didn’t realize that it has been over a month since my last post…. Where does the time go?????
So what have I been up to….. I have been working in the school, teaching one class a week, doing one on ones with some of the more difficult kids and kind of just helping out wherever I am needed. I am learning a little more about the kids everyday. A lot of them come from this really poor neighbourhood where gangs, drugs and violence is an everyday reality for them. A lot of them have older siblings who are drug dealers and into gangs and a lot of them come from very violent homes as well. Early last week one boy brought a knife to school and was talking with some of the other boys on who they were going to threaten with it. Now we check the kids bags and pockets in the morning. I don’t know if I really like doing that but I don’t know what the alternative would be, I would hate for a kid to get hurt from a knife. The kids at the school can be really challenging sometimes but when I know a little bit where they come from God just gives me overwhelming compassion for them. The rest of the kids that don’t live in the one neighbourhood live on one of the many ten man houses, which are houses where tons of families are just packed in, living in one room and sharing the rest of the house. There was one where the police evacuated them and there was 32 children living in the house. Technically the kids that I work with aren’t street children but if they didn’t have the school to go to a lot of them would be running around on the streets all day, so the school is kind of a preventative measure as well as they have no other school that they could go to.
I am also part of the street outreach team. We go out onto the streets once a week with Aqua Panela (which is basically sugar water) and bread and hand it out to people. The goal is to build a relationship with the people and hopefully get into some contact with some kids that might need the help. I really enjoy this part of the ministry but it can be a little dangerous, especially when the bread runs out. We rotate weeks and half the team stays back to pray while the other half goes out. This is mostly cause we need prayer but also so there isn’t eight of us on the streets which draws more attention and could cause more trouble.
As some of you know on of you know one of my friends came down for a surprise visit. It was really awesome and just when I needed it most, I was feeling really homesick and missing friends and family a lot, so it was at the perfect time. It also gave me the encouragement and energy to press on. It was really a blessing from God. (I am also going to put some of the blame on him for my blog update taking so long).
God has been so faithful to me here and I know he will continue to be. My main prayer request is for my Spanish to come along as that is what is holding me back from working with the families, which is my real passion. I am happy at the school, but would really love to be working with the families.
That’s it for now, thanks again for your prayers and support and I promise that my next blog won’t be as long as I won’t wait a month before I update you.
Love Ingie
So what have I been up to….. I have been working in the school, teaching one class a week, doing one on ones with some of the more difficult kids and kind of just helping out wherever I am needed. I am learning a little more about the kids everyday. A lot of them come from this really poor neighbourhood where gangs, drugs and violence is an everyday reality for them. A lot of them have older siblings who are drug dealers and into gangs and a lot of them come from very violent homes as well. Early last week one boy brought a knife to school and was talking with some of the other boys on who they were going to threaten with it. Now we check the kids bags and pockets in the morning. I don’t know if I really like doing that but I don’t know what the alternative would be, I would hate for a kid to get hurt from a knife. The kids at the school can be really challenging sometimes but when I know a little bit where they come from God just gives me overwhelming compassion for them. The rest of the kids that don’t live in the one neighbourhood live on one of the many ten man houses, which are houses where tons of families are just packed in, living in one room and sharing the rest of the house. There was one where the police evacuated them and there was 32 children living in the house. Technically the kids that I work with aren’t street children but if they didn’t have the school to go to a lot of them would be running around on the streets all day, so the school is kind of a preventative measure as well as they have no other school that they could go to.
I am also part of the street outreach team. We go out onto the streets once a week with Aqua Panela (which is basically sugar water) and bread and hand it out to people. The goal is to build a relationship with the people and hopefully get into some contact with some kids that might need the help. I really enjoy this part of the ministry but it can be a little dangerous, especially when the bread runs out. We rotate weeks and half the team stays back to pray while the other half goes out. This is mostly cause we need prayer but also so there isn’t eight of us on the streets which draws more attention and could cause more trouble.
As some of you know on of you know one of my friends came down for a surprise visit. It was really awesome and just when I needed it most, I was feeling really homesick and missing friends and family a lot, so it was at the perfect time. It also gave me the encouragement and energy to press on. It was really a blessing from God. (I am also going to put some of the blame on him for my blog update taking so long).
God has been so faithful to me here and I know he will continue to be. My main prayer request is for my Spanish to come along as that is what is holding me back from working with the families, which is my real passion. I am happy at the school, but would really love to be working with the families.
That’s it for now, thanks again for your prayers and support and I promise that my next blog won’t be as long as I won’t wait a month before I update you.
Love Ingie
Comments
-Peter
Be good be happy and say your prayers... love you lots, Mom
You seem to be doing great work and enjoying yourself as well. Lori Ann kept saying she had seen pictures of you in Ecuador and Columbia but i hadn't checked your blog. Keep pn treking and sending newss from your adventures.I'll keep you in my prayers. This is a wonderful time - Easter to connect with the Lord and his life. You are trully a blessed person and living a very Christian life.
may God bless you and all the people you work with.
Mme. Kowalski