March Madness
Its March Madness time of year, if you´re in the states right now that is, but i´m still excited about my favorite sports event through internet updates and bracketology even after not knowing anything about the best or the worst teams of the tournament, I still set up a pool amongst us volunteers and people of Rostro de Cristo, and an ecuadorian is winning!!!
Many thanks to those who have sent updates on what´s goin on with your lives because it is always interesting to hear about life outside of my life as a coastal ecuadorian. Most of us volunteers are in good health and situations during the past month of a parents visiting (adam´s parents and most of meredith´s family which was cool to have the brothers here) retreat groups
coming in from new york area this time, and a few friends of volunteers. stirs things up where we´re all doin different things and a few are off with the family...especially great to have those family dinners!!
I´ve been enjoying coaching basketball once a week to kids who have practically never played or watched basketball before, its a one sport country and that sport being soccer which i´m not the most fond of here. so we´re doin our best to get them excited and teaching all the drills and games that i learned during all my camps growing up, and they have improved!!! never thought my life would come to teaching kids basketball in ecuador.
I started a different job schedule with working more in the area where i live 2 days a week with an ecuaodorian who Rostro just hired as community relations, great to be around the people more instead of goin to the city of guayaquil everyday in teh mornin. the other three days of the week i´m still at the school working with the girls who don´t scream quite as much anymore and the school is actually looking more like a school little by little...that´s the way ecuadorians build things up here though, there´s an idea and they start it without much preparation and as time goes on they add one thing then another from what has happpened.
Probabally my favorite times in arbolito happened during the past month of being out in teh community to see what is goin on and get to know people better. people kept expressing that they wanted to do something about the huge holes in the street which turn into giant puddles becasue of the rainfall here which then brings more bugs because of the standing water and the weeds which house many bugs and all the trash (which is very common cause you throw trash on teh street and burn it here).
about 10 people came together to head to the mayors office, (who is a crazy woman who danced and sang durin the ceremony on a monday morning, its the ecuadorian way) to plea for help and she sent help that mornin which a giant tractor is dig canals, then the following week there was a local project/clean up on our street to chop the weeds (with machetes i´ll let you know, was kinda fun!), pick up trash and clear water channels.
so much fun to see the people come together and get excited about cleaning up their street and improve their living area!
most exciting about that was the fact of how little we did and see them want to come together was great! the struggles are so big here that its overwhelming to start on one project when there´s 100 more that need to be done as well. i absolutely loved being around it!
Yesterday was our first annual summer olympics (summer vacation right now) event between the after school programs of Rostro de Cristo which are Semillas de Mostaza (the one i´m at) Valdivia, and Manos Abiertas with events that ranged from egg on a spoon, 3 legged race, math and geography for example. Semillas de Mostaza won it all while i found myself very competitive and cheering like a little kid!
I felt like one of the coaches who was proud of his kids, was a great time, especially coming out on top!
i´m going to start looking for job opportunities soon to prepare for coming back in about 4 months, so if any of you have any contacts or know any opportunities i would love to hear about it!
Prayer Requests
1. For our neighbors and those of arbolito that they will come together more to discuss ideas and creative solutions as well as make things happen without much of our input.
2. Our director Kevin who is taking some time to visit friends, that it will be a time of rest and revitalizing.
3. Us volunteers that we will continually look to Christ for our inspiration and focus each morning to carry us through each day.
Praises
1. Success and good experiences with retreat groups and visitors.
2. A great olympics event with our afterschool program.
3. Finally, mostly good overall health with Rostro people.
Thank you for the thoughts and prayers which have carried us through as God challenges and excites us.
Sam
Many thanks to those who have sent updates on what´s goin on with your lives because it is always interesting to hear about life outside of my life as a coastal ecuadorian. Most of us volunteers are in good health and situations during the past month of a parents visiting (adam´s parents and most of meredith´s family which was cool to have the brothers here) retreat groups
coming in from new york area this time, and a few friends of volunteers. stirs things up where we´re all doin different things and a few are off with the family...especially great to have those family dinners!!
I´ve been enjoying coaching basketball once a week to kids who have practically never played or watched basketball before, its a one sport country and that sport being soccer which i´m not the most fond of here. so we´re doin our best to get them excited and teaching all the drills and games that i learned during all my camps growing up, and they have improved!!! never thought my life would come to teaching kids basketball in ecuador.
I started a different job schedule with working more in the area where i live 2 days a week with an ecuaodorian who Rostro just hired as community relations, great to be around the people more instead of goin to the city of guayaquil everyday in teh mornin. the other three days of the week i´m still at the school working with the girls who don´t scream quite as much anymore and the school is actually looking more like a school little by little...that´s the way ecuadorians build things up here though, there´s an idea and they start it without much preparation and as time goes on they add one thing then another from what has happpened.
Probabally my favorite times in arbolito happened during the past month of being out in teh community to see what is goin on and get to know people better. people kept expressing that they wanted to do something about the huge holes in the street which turn into giant puddles becasue of the rainfall here which then brings more bugs because of the standing water and the weeds which house many bugs and all the trash (which is very common cause you throw trash on teh street and burn it here).
about 10 people came together to head to the mayors office, (who is a crazy woman who danced and sang durin the ceremony on a monday morning, its the ecuadorian way) to plea for help and she sent help that mornin which a giant tractor is dig canals, then the following week there was a local project/clean up on our street to chop the weeds (with machetes i´ll let you know, was kinda fun!), pick up trash and clear water channels.
so much fun to see the people come together and get excited about cleaning up their street and improve their living area!
most exciting about that was the fact of how little we did and see them want to come together was great! the struggles are so big here that its overwhelming to start on one project when there´s 100 more that need to be done as well. i absolutely loved being around it!
Yesterday was our first annual summer olympics (summer vacation right now) event between the after school programs of Rostro de Cristo which are Semillas de Mostaza (the one i´m at) Valdivia, and Manos Abiertas with events that ranged from egg on a spoon, 3 legged race, math and geography for example. Semillas de Mostaza won it all while i found myself very competitive and cheering like a little kid!
I felt like one of the coaches who was proud of his kids, was a great time, especially coming out on top!
i´m going to start looking for job opportunities soon to prepare for coming back in about 4 months, so if any of you have any contacts or know any opportunities i would love to hear about it!
Prayer Requests
1. For our neighbors and those of arbolito that they will come together more to discuss ideas and creative solutions as well as make things happen without much of our input.
2. Our director Kevin who is taking some time to visit friends, that it will be a time of rest and revitalizing.
3. Us volunteers that we will continually look to Christ for our inspiration and focus each morning to carry us through each day.
Praises
1. Success and good experiences with retreat groups and visitors.
2. A great olympics event with our afterschool program.
3. Finally, mostly good overall health with Rostro people.
Thank you for the thoughts and prayers which have carried us through as God challenges and excites us.
Sam
posted by Sam Conway | 9:59 AM
2 Comments:
Miss you buddy, glad to know you are coming home soon and sounds amazing the progress over there. -Bram
Sam, what a blessing to hear about your excitement about your time in the community! It is SUCH an exciting thing, you're right. As a former volunteer, I love hearing about the movement happening there.
And as a former Semillas helper, I LOVE hearing about the sweep!
God bless,
Kerry
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