Friday, August 16 (Hannah Zimmerman)
We've spent the last three mornings visiting Promesa school. It was an honor for me to be included in a variety of classes and school programs. The teachers and students were very welcoming and accommodating to our group. I was amazed by the unity of the staff in incorporating God's word into their class routines. I experienced teachers and students praying and quoting scripture during transitions in their school schedules.
Each morning, our group joined the teachers and staff for a prayer and devotional time. This time was followed with a student chapel. One morning some of the students did a special dance during chapel. I was impressed by their energy and synchronism.
Following chapel, our group was welcomed to split into smaller groups and join different classes for their school day. Some of us chose a grade, others chose to shadow a specific teacher, and others visited a variety of classes. Lily and Joelyn attended second grade every day and Micah was a part of a kindergarten class.
I most enjoyed joining some of the physical education classes. We played volleyball and futbol (soccer). I also enjoyed joining Micah in kindergarten. The children and teachers were so kind to us.
Aug 16 (Josh Blessing)
Friday was our last day volunteering at Promesa school. We met with the teachers for the devotional time and also had a time for sharing. The school showed a video of some things they had accomplished athletically against other schools and if I understood them correctly, they were hoping to have their soccer team compete in a tournament of sorts in Mexico in the near future. Then, Edie presented the gifts we had brought from the LV children’s offering giving time we had done over the last few months. We gave many school supplies, soccer balls and volleyballs, and also a monetary gift. Then the school provided some breakfast with sandwiches and delicious tamales with coffee and tea. After the opening time, I spent the first period with the kindergarten class where my son, Micah, has been participating. The class was physical education where the students did some exercises and then played soccer. Every time the kindergartners see me, they shout “Josue,” which I find amusing. I then went back to the school and attended some English classes and finished the day, doing some soccer stretches and exercises with the high school boys.
For lunch, we returned to our apartment where Francisca and Valeria prepared yet another delicious feast for us with rice, steamed vegetables, and a stew that included a unique kind of squash, ground lima beans, and queso (cheese). There was tea of course as well. We then had a pretty relaxed afternoon as we prepared for a 5pm meeting with our Rainbow mountains tour guide. Unfortunately, the tour guide never showed up and Steve and Beth had trouble making contact with the tour agency, so they decided to take a taxi into the headquarters in Cusco. I believe the agency’s main office is in Colorado. Thankfully, Steve and Beth were able to get to the Cusco office and met the manager who was very apologetic as it turns out the guide originally on schedule to lead us was with his wife who just had a baby. The manager then drove Steve and Beth to their hotel and we had the preparations meeting with our group after all. Following the meeting with the manager, we all went to bed as early as possible since we needed to be up and ready by 2:30 am!
