Finishing strong

The school year is drawing to a close. The girls' formals are back in closet after the Junior Senior. The Seniors have left on their big trip. Teachers are cramming in their last minute exam preps and projects are keeping kids up late at night. In home ec we are preparing a turkey dinner for our final project. Sewing students are scurrying to finish stuffed animals, pajama bottoms and pillows. A few still fight with the knitting needles. "Could you show me again, Ms. Ruth???" " How long does it take to make a scarf?" " I can't, Ms. Ruth." To which I reply, "I can't never did anything. Keep knitting."

My pastor and his wife, Dr. Gonzalo and Viviana Suarez keep me encouraged. I so appreciate their love and friendship. Gonzalo is a clinical psychologist as well as a pastor and Vivi is the head of the Spanish Department at Alliance Academy. We are planting a church in a neighborhood called Pusuqui in the northern part of Quito. We are still looking for a permanent locale. For now we meet in living rooms. Rental property is very difficult to find. Our legal papers should be done in a few months so we have to find a permanent address before the final draft is filed. The government will check to make sure we are a real church.

In two weeks I will be landing in Raleigh-Durham Airport for summer vacation. Besides visiting family and friends, I hope to have the cataract removed from the eye that was injured in Venezuela. It will be nice to be able to thread a needle again.  :) Thank you for your prayers during this school year. God has blessed. I wish you could have sat with me during a mothers' outing where different ones expressed how much the school means to them and how they have grown in their understanding of our great God.

 My return ticket is bought for August 25th. It will be good to recharge the batteries before heading full speed ahead into the 2012-2013 school year. Hope you have a great summer.

Vacation in Otavalo

Otavalo is a prosprous Kichwa town that is bustling with commerse and tradition, new ways and old.

My friend and fellow teacher Brenda Brennan and I spent a delightful Easter break soaking in the beauty of this lovely mountain town. Sixty-two years ago my family moved to Guatemala where the Cachiquel and the Sutujil in their colorful dress and charming ways fill the memories of my childhood. It feels like home among these folks. The women wear long dark skirts and brightly embroidered blouses. Their beautiful faces and breathtaking hair bring back warm recuerdos as we call it here. Everywhere I turned I heard  Christian radio, heard talk about church or saw someone doing a Bible study at their market stall. Curious, I asked our taxi driver, who was a converted drug addict, what percent of the town were believers. Much to my delight he said about fifty percent. It showed  on every street corner as people politely helped you find your way, where civic pride and a spirit of honesty permiated the place. I came home much refreshed.