Wednesday, August 17, 2011

First Day of School

Miss Amy
Today was the first day of school for Nico and Ellen.  Classes started a week earlier than last year, but that is because they will be out for 3 weeks at Christmas.  They spent the last week or so doing homework that their teacher Miss Amy had given them to do over the summer holidays.  Most of the homework was math which was good for Nico since he is good at it.  For Ellen this was much more difficult since she had forgotten a lot over the summer.  
The first day was just half a day.  Nico and Ellen have the same teacher from last year so they will not have to adjust to an new teacher.  Their class has grown somewhat from 14 students to 17.  About a third of the students are MK's (missionary kids), another third are Koreans, and the final third are Guatemalans.  It is nice to have the different cultures in the class.
Sadie talking with Ellen and Lia
We would like to tell you about one of the students.  Sadie was in Nico and Ellen's class last year but was pulled out in January to return to the States with her adopted mom who had a brain tumor (Sadie is an orphan from the Ukraine).  Her mom had supposedly been told by the doctors here that the tumor was gone, but when she went back to the States the doctors said that it was still there and the prognosis was not good.  We have been praying for them for almost a year asking God to heal her.  Sadly to say we just found out that she has died.  Sadie moved back from the States and is now living in Guatemala with her grandmother who is Guatemalan and loves her dearly.   Please pray for this girl!  When she came to school today she looked sad, but when she saw Ellen her face lit up.  Ellen was one of the few friends she had last year.
The class schedule for this year is a little different from last year.  Last year classes ran from 8:00-3:00 every Monday through Friday, but this year classes run from 8:00-3:15 every day except for Wednesday when they will be out at 2:25.  
We ask for your prayers for Nico and Ellen as they go to school and also pray for the school and the teachers and students.  Last year a Korean girl in grade 7 was kidnapped not far from school and held for ransom.  There were other Korean kids in the car with her as it was boxed in by armed men, but they were not taken.  One of the boys was in Nico and Ellen's class last year.  Many Koreans are businessmen and own the clothing and textile factories and therefore are targeted.

Elementary Building