We’ve just completed 2 ½ weeks of school and I love it. The kids are fantastic, the staff is incredibly accommodating and the other teachers are great. I am teaching Algebra 2 Advanced, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Regular and advanced Physics and an elective in Origami.  It is really cool to see how God has provided and continues to provide to keep this school functioning. Just as an example, I am teaching both the regular and advanced physics for the 11th and 12th grade. Being responsible for both classes that meet at the same time is quite a challenge. The plan was that another teacher was going to take care of the labs and I would do the class work. This other teacher was returning a week late from the states because of family commitments. Meanwhile, a new family registered and the dad, Flavio, is an engineer and interested in teaching physics. We started working together and it has been fantastic. Then, just this Friday, we found out that the original teacher who I was supposed to work with was not going to be returning to Colombia at all. God had provided a replacement before we even knew we needed one! There have been so many little things like this that have just been taken care of; it is really awesome.
    We have to leave around 6:20 am each morning to catch a ride with Noelle; we get to school around 7 am. It is amazing how just a few minutes can make all the difference on the autopista. On Friday we have to be at school at 6:45 so we leave at 6:10 and it takes only about 10 minutes to get there. School starts at 7:45 and we have 8 periods; classes end at 3 pm. The biggest complaint that Andrew and Kirsten have is that they don’t eat lunch until 12:45. Oh well. They are allowed to eat in most of their classes and there is a tienda where they can purchase snacks and drinks between classes. They sell the most wonderful chicken and rice empanadas. The tienda is also open after school so they can get snacks before volleyball practice for Kirsten and basketball practice for Andrew. They stay on MWF and get home around 6 pm.
    The school was blessed last year with the completion of part one of their renovations. A 2 story building was constructed that contains about 13 classrooms, teacher workroom, a few offices, bathrooms and the computer server. Almost all of the classes are now in this building except for a few small classes that still meet in the old one. The old building is Spanish style, in a figure 8 with open central grassy courtyards and a covered walkway and classes around them. Most of the rooms are very small. 3 of the old classrooms were opened up to create an auditorium. The library and offices are all in the old part of the school; along with the science lab. Eventually, this part of the school will be torn down and replaced during the third construction phase.
    The students are from all over the world. About 60% are Colombian but a good number of them have lived in the
US. There are students from Korea, one family who spent enough time in Aruba that the kids speak Dutch and Spanish in addition to their native English. I think I told you before about Samuel, but I recently learned more about his great Uncle. He is the one who was a missionary and murdered by an indigenous tribe back in the late 50’s or so. I made a mistake, it was in Ecuador. Samuel was telling me the other day that his grandfather recently visited the tribe that had murdered his brother and actually met the man who had done this. I just can’t imagine it. Here is the story I found on the web…..Peter Fleming (1928-1956) was an evangelical Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca.
Early life
Fleming was born in Seattle, Washington. He was taught the Bible from an early age, but claimed he was not a Christian until he was 13 years old after hearing the testimony of a blind evangelist. During his late teens and early twenties, Fleming was known for his knowledge of Scripture and spiritual maturity.In high school, Fleming earned letters in basketball and golf. He was also a good student, graduating at the top of his class.In 1946, Fleming enrolled at the University of Washington as a philosophy student. He was very driven in college, working part-time and dedicating much time to prayer and Bible study, as well as keeping up on his classes. He was also elected president of the University Christian Fellowship. After college he went on for his master’s degree which he received in 1951.Fleming met Jim Elliot during a series of conferences and mountain climbing expeditions organized by a Christian oganization. They became good friends and at one time spent six weeks preaching across the country togehter. Elliot had a great deal of influence on Fleming and was largely responsable for his becoming a missionary and for his breaking off of his engagement with Olive Ainslie, a childhood friend.
Ecuador
Fleming went to Ecuador in 1952 as a part of a two-man team with Jim Elliot. After serving on the mission field for a while, Elliot changed his mind about celibacy and got married. Shortly afterwards, Fleming proposed to Olive in a letter, and they were married in 1954.In September 1955, Fleming joined with Elliot and three other missionaries in Operation Auca, an attempt to reach the Huaorani Indians with the gospel. He was the last member of the Operation Auca team to join, largely because of concerns of his wife. They had only been married 18 months when Fleming was killed along with the other missionaries. The rescue team found Flemings body floating in the Curaray River. His body was identified by a red woven belt he was wearing.According to reports, Fleming was speared by Kimo, a man who later became one of the first Huaorani converts to Christianity.Shortly before Pete’s death, Olive had had her second miscarriage. She soon returned to the
United States in order to recover. She eventually remarried to Walt Liefeld.
One of my calculus students just returned from a year in Atlanta and one of the new tenth graders is from a Christian school in Jacksonville Florida that sponsors the annual FACCS competition. I had been there with Andrew a few years back with some students from Panama City Christian school in Florida. Another student whose parents are Colombian, is back in Bogota for a year after living in Ecuador. These are just the students I have met in Secondary. There are a few other countries represented in elementary. It is most definitely a multi-cultural environment!
    It is really amazing to learn about all the contacts that various people at the school have and make use of. Right now a past teacher is visiting. Back in the States he helps prepare students for the SAT and ACT exams. For the next two weeks everyone’s study halls will be devoted to information sessions on taking these test. The first week of school we had a visit by a parent of an elementary teacher who is a high school science teacher in
Indiana. He presented a few talks on integrating biblical teaching in the science curriculum. Since we use public school text books we are responsible for the biblical integration and can always use guidance on this, especially in science! Beth’s husband recently organized a visit by a well known evangelist Joel Sonnenberg to Bogota to speak publicly at the soccer stadium. Joel will be visiting the school next week to speak with the kids. http://www.joel.cc/pages/home.asp Here is his home page if you are interested. I am looking forward to all of the surprise visits by various people that I am sure will occur over the year.
    Teaching all of these classes keeps me really busy. It dawned on me the other day that as a high school teacher in the states you might teach maybe 2 different classes but teach them each 2 or 3 times a day. I have to prepare for all of these different classes every day and it can be draining. Luckily, I have taught them so often that it is basically auto-pilot; I think that is the only thing that makes it doable. The hardest part is making up the exams and the grading which just takes time. I am also taking Spanish two hours a week from Andrew and Kirsten’s teacher, Jairo Munoz. (Andrew and Kirsten are the only two high school students who aren’t fairly fluent in Spanish. So they have a class with Jairo every day. Basically it is private tutoring!) Thankfully, Flavio enjoys working with all the physics lab machinery and has gotten a few things to work that would have taken me hours. All in all, I think work will be as perfect as it can be as soon as the copier in the new building is fixed! It did work for one day…….
Thanks for information.
many interesting things
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