yay english

So you heard about my crazy experiences over the weekend, but this week i went to work.

Tuesday Mrs. afanador had a meeting at another christian school in the south, so i went with. while she was in her meeting, i went to each different elementary grade level and practiced english with them. i would introduce myself and then the kids would ask me questions like where i was from, what my favorite color was, and how long i would be in colombia. but they could only ask in english. so they would wisper among each other and then one brave student would attempt the question. it was so much fun! my first class asked me if i played an instrument and i said no, but i like to sing. BIG mistake. huge. they all started chanting ¨Cantar, cantar, cantar!¨ which means sing! I looked at the teacher for help but she just asked me what i was going to sing for them. So i ended up singing amazing grace acapella for them. the class was dead silent and burst into cheers when i finished. So of course the other classes all heard about my song, so i had to sing for every class. It definitely built up my confidence in front of a crowd:) I really enjoyed how eager the kids were to learn. Then we went back to El camino and I had a 6 hour rehearsal with the Creative Outreach team. We are working on some dramas and I learned choreography to 2 songs that we will be performing when we go on our missions trip to Cienaga.

Wednesday I helped in the music classes and played tackle football with the junior girls;)

Thursday I went to a day care in Egypto, a poor city in the south. I went with Elias and Ruth, who are married, and work at Centro de Desamollo Christiano, the church that the Afanadors attend. We went to the church first to get supplies for a craft. I brought with me four big children´s books- 2 in english and 2 in spanish. I also brought flashcard with letters and pictures of animals with the animal´s name in english and penut butter and jelly. Most kids in Colombia have never had penut butter so I thought I would bring them a special American treat. We stopped at a panaderia so i could buy bread, figuring it would cost around $20. I bought 30 rolls and it cost me $3 american dollars. $3 fed 25 kids, amazing right? Well they loved the treat and were begging for seconds!
Usually Elias does a devotional with them, but instead I read to them and practiced english. First I read a story in spanish. Then we worked on the alphabbet and animals. Then I read a story in english.
their favorite part was the english song i taught them, every move i make i make in you you make me move jesus!! they loved it!! i want to make this day care a weekly visit. the kids are so loving and its a safe place they can go when their parents would usually have to leave them alone at home.

Friday I went with a woman from Denmark to a teenage pregnancy house she and her husband opened in Colombia. There are 9 girls that live in the house, all ranging from14 to 17 years old. The youngest girl they ever had was 12. 4 of the girls already have babies, 5 are pregnant now. In this house they learn things that will help them later in life, such as cooking, cleaning, and they are learning how to work in a beauty salon so someday they can make a living for themselves. Some of the girls were kicked out by their parents and some just can´t afford their child. So they come to live in this house. I spent the morning with the babies, holding them, loving them, playing with them. The the girls bundled the kids up and went out to walk along a main street and window shop. This was really exciting for them and the kids. Colombia already had many windows filled with Christmas decorations, my favorite time of year!

In the afternoon I folded baby clothes that had been donated.

Walking home, I saw prostitues lining the street corners. The woman I was with explained that in cetain parts of the city the government has to tolerate prostitution or else it would spread all over the city. Where we were a part of the city that tolerated it.

It made me realize how much God has blessed me. That girl on the corner could be me. For some of the girls it isn´t a choice. They don´t have food to eat so they sell their bodies. Please continue to pray for Colombia

A question that i get quite often is people wondering if i am a christian, and when i say yes they ask if my family is christian. As soon as i say yes they begin saying how wonderful that is. I am so grateful for my family. They support me in my faith which is something that not everyone has.

Friday night I went to a english youth group led by Brandon Cooper and I was a small group leader for the high school girls. We talked about prayer and how it needs to be not just a time that we talk with God but a state of being- to be in a constant prayer.