We really celebrated an amazing end to our 2018-2019 school year. The festivities began in May when practically the entire student body took part in a production of Beauty and the Beast. It was an elaborate event made special by their incredible talents and dedication. The students put on two showings, one for parents and friends, and the other for English language classes from the surrounding area schools. It was definitely an event to remember!
This end-of-school-year saw the graduation of three seniors and six eighth-graders. We are so proud of our seniors and excited for their next steps! Graduation is particularly emotional for us at SAM Academy because while we are excited to see our seniors grow and step out in their own lives, we mourn the loss as a school body and a mission community. This graduation was particularly emotional for Ella as one of the seniors, Natalie, was her guitar teacher. Join us in prayer for these amazing young adults as they step out away from their families and the lives they have known in Peru and move forward into wonderful things ahead.
As one school year ended, we immediately jumped into prep for the next. One of the more exciting preparations involved renovating our much-used dining hall which we call the comedor. Besides being our dining area, this space is frequently used to host school classes, after school events, dance classes, prayer meetings, and our Monday morning chapels, as well as various bible classes for the church Mil Palmeras. We are SUPER thankful for the donations of time and money from several churches that allowed us to put up insulated walls, new glass windows and the incredible addition of air conditioning in this greatly frequented space. When our dear friends and fellow missionaries Joy and Bill Carrera traveled to the US unexpectedly, we took over hosting a team from their supporting church Faith Community Church in Davis, Illinois. This wonderful group of people blessed us with their energy, hard work and encouragement, accomplishing an incredible amount in just a week’s time. Several other short term teams and missionaries donated a day or two from their own projects and ministries to put finishing touches on the room and it is now blessing the students of the school. It takes a village!
In July, we began our furlough in the United States. We will be in the States visiting family, sharing with supporters and taking care of doctors’ visits, etc. until January 3rd. We are excited to get to share Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as a couple birthdays with family this year! Ella and Liam have started school at Mt. Moriah Christian School for the semester, Ella in 7th grade and Liam in 3rd. They are also taking advantage of being in the States to do some extra things they don’t get to do in Peru. Ella is taking horse-riding lessons and Liam is playing on a Fall Ball baseball team.
We have the following dates in place for ministry presentations and are continuing to expand our calendar to include others. We hope you will join us at one of these events or that we get to see you personally at another time. We’d love to hear from you! mmbrown@southamericamission.org
- September 15: (Smithfield, PA) Mt. Moriah
- September 22: (Mill Run, PA) Indian Creek Baptist Church
- September 29: (Parkersburg, WV) Emmanuel Baptist Church
- October 5-6: (Covington, VA) First Christian Church
- October 13: (Altoona, PA) First Church
Prayer focus
As always we thank you for your prayers for our family and the school! We ask that you pray for SAM Academy during this first semester as they are stretched thin on staff but are off to a great start! Please pray a special prayer for our fellow teacher, Olivia, who is filling in as director during Mike’s absence.
Family of 4 Serving 1 