Orange pumpkins, falling leaves, a cool nip in the year…unless you are in Pucallpa! Our October feels a little different, though in a way it is just as glorious. Rainy season brings welcome occasional respites from the heat. Mangoes fall instead of leaves and though mosquitoes gather in abundance instead of pumpkins, there is still plenty going on around school to distract us from their buzzing.
If we can’t experience autumn in North America, then why not bring it to Pucallpa? Last week, SAM Academy held a Fall Festival for the mission community. Line dancing, doughnut eating contests, fair food and game booths made the evening super fun. God’s blessing of a cool, rainy Friday made it even more wonderful.
We followed Fall Festival with Spirit Week at school, a crazy week for teachers, but definitely a week the kids love. From Teacher Tuesday to Throwback Thursday, we experienced all kinds of different costumes and dress throughout the week. The week culminated with SOUP-er Friday: The students dressed as super heroes and the teachers served up soup for lunch. Again, God blessed us with a cool Friday which made it a perfect soup day. I’m loving these rainy Fridays! (Note in the pictures my crazy family on Super Hero Day: Mike is Chicken Soup, Liam is a SOUP-er Soldier, and Ella is her super hero, her dad!)
Our two seniors participated in a local school’s English Week. They shared during the chapel time with the students at Colegio Hosanna and visited with them to help the students practice their English. We are thankful to continue the good relationship we have with this Peruvian school.
Our Spanish classes are eagerly practicing for our Christmas Outreach which will take place the first weekend of December. This year we are planning on partnering with a church to minister to the children in the church’s community. We will hold a program for the children and share a chocolatada (a common Christmas traditional snack of hot chocolate and paneton, a sweet bread), as well as give out gifts. Our SAM Academy students will shop and choose special gifts for the children, but we would also love to provide a bible or other biblical literature to the children if we are able. If you would like to help us with donation towards this event, please contact us by email: mmbrown@southamericamission.org. We would greatly appreciate helping in blessing these children in our local community! We love this event each year as it gets our kids out and interacting with Peruvian children. This is a very special part of our school year!
For those of you who prayed for our new elementary teacher, thank you for helping bring such a blessing in our wonderful new teacher, Cristy! Cristy grew up in Brazil as a MK and then served there with her husband. She is an amazing teacher and has been an incredible blessing to our 1st and 2nd graders. I am so thankful for her and, as a mom, I am very excited Liam finally has two boys to hang out with now that their family lives here on base with us. God is so good!
We are so thankful for the great start to our school year, and that after all the struggles we faced and prayed over last school year, God has opened our doors again and allowed us to serve our missionary community for another school year. Even as we have fun at school with Fall Festival and Spirit Weeks, we are well aware of the struggles our missionary families face each day. As many have faced difficulties in ministry and spiritual warfare in their families these past months, we ask you to pray, not just that God will allow our school to continue providing a safe space for the children of these families, but that God will surround these families with His protection and peace so that the work of the kingdom can continue in Peru!
Dear friends, we send this update to you with all our love and thanks. As you enjoy the coolness in the air and the fun fall events, know we hold you close in our hearts and pray thanks for you. Take care!
Family of 4 Serving 1 