We mentioned in our last newsletter that we would like to devote the week before school starts, August 8th-14th, as a week of prayer for SAM Academy. We would love for you to join us in wrapping our school year in the Father´s embrace through intentional prayer. So how do you take part? Easy!
1.Download and print or save the below prayer guide
2. PRAY!
Oh! And very important to us…
3. Share with us how we can be praying for you during that same week.
So let´s do this! August 8th-14th: A week of intentional prayer for SAM Academy.
What a wild and crazy year! When school ended at the end of May, I didn’t want to even think about school, let alone write about it. I was done! All the uncertainty with Covid made teaching week to week exhausting and I´m sure we are not the only instructors who ended the year physically, mentally, and emotionally depleted. So when my normally task-oriented-administrator-husband suggested a road trip at the end of school to decompress as a family, I was all onboard! Old Betsy, aka our worn out SUV, drove us through the most amazing Peruvian mountains and allowed us the most wonderful time together as a family–time to just “be.”
Somewhere during the hours in the car, between Mike walking bow-legged for two days after riding a horse for the first time, and playing card games for a few hours while waiting for a landslide to be cleared, we found our reset and were able to look back on the past year with joy and gratitude. Maybe more importantly, we found ourselves suddenly eager for the coming year and again energized to immerse ourselves in our ministry.
Our school year ended in celebration of our resilient students and their triumph over craziness to finish out well. We held not one, but TWO graduation ceremonies this year. Our first promoted our large eighth grade class on to high school. This is a super special group to me because this was the first class I taught when we arrived in Peru. It is also my baby girl’s class.
*insert emotional sobs here*
We are all excited to see this amazing group of kids enter into the world of high school. You can pray for these eight special teenagers as they continue to grow and mature in the Lord and in life. Check out the awesome families each of these kids represents.
Our second and most important graduation was that of our five seniors. These kids have worked very hard to reach this point, in spite of the pandemic, and we are excited to see what God has in store for them. Two are Swiss nationals and have returned to Switzerland to begin an apprentice program. Two others are heading to Germany to attend the Torchbearers program which provides students Bible study and discipleship opportunities. Our final graduate is attending college in the US to study nursing. Please pray for their next steps, as they follow God’s leading in their lives and set foot on the path He has laid out for them.
Things in Peru have been in a weird state of continued tension. Peru still has not declared an official presidential winner, with the difference in votes between the two candidates being less than %1. In regards to the virus, while things in the US are loosening up and maybe returning to more of a state of normal, Peru is still several steps behind. We were able to finally return to our home church in once-a-month meetings. (It was so good to worship with our Peruvian family again!) Double masks are still required to enter public places, however, and the vaccines are slow to be distributed. Due to our region’s move to “moderate,” there is talk of schools beginning in-person classes in August. We are praying fervently that this will give us the go ahead to meet as an entire school together in-person on the SAM base. Please join us in this prayer!
With this hope in our minds, we are diving into school projects over the summer, “reclaiming” buildings that have sat empty for over a year and a half. The men (Mike and our principal, Bill) have been hard at work making updates to our elementary teacher Olivia’s house. We are so excited to have her return to a bathroom floor that isn’t falling in! Bill also tackled the second site of devastation in the library and repaired the damage done by termites while our “summer work crew,” aka Ella and her friend, painted so our library can soon be termite-free and usable again! In the meantime, I have been sprucing up classrooms and getting them cleaned up and ready to go.
Telling you all about our day-to-day sometimes seems to overshadow our greatest mission and the real reason we are here. So our final prayer is for the families that we are serving, including three families new to our school this year! One of these families has lived out in an Ashenika indigenous community, discipling and working on literacy projects for many, many years. Their dedication in the face of many obstacles has been such a witness to us! With their son entering 7th grade, they made the decision to move back to Pucallpa for his upper-level schooling, but are continuing in their work from here while also overseeing two young families who are currently training to move out to the community as a team in ministry to the Ashenika people group. One of these families has three young girls, two of which will be in our elementary while their parents prep for this important work. How thankful we are for more workers for the harvest! We are so thankful to be even just a small part of this work.
So as we paint, scrape, tile, clean, organize…as we polish and prep for the new year, we also pray deeply for the beautiful community of God’s people that we are part of. We ask you to join us in this prayer in a special way. Mark your calendars for the week of August 8th-14th as we dedicate this time to a Week of Prayer on behalf of SAM Academy. We want to cover this school year in the protection and blessing of God, and we hope you will take part in this with us. Please share this with your churches and watch for more details to be sent to you soon!
We love you dear friends! May “the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
Family of 4 Serving 1 