New news from the Jungle!

New News from the Jungle! View this email in your browser Muy Busy Pero Blessed! Buenas, Buenas! Can it really be that only a month has past since UETIRG ( pronounced WET EAR for any Gringos that might suffer with pronouncing our acronymized name) was transformed from a peaceful jungle paradise into an overgrown ant hill? For many of us it seems much longer than that!  What with teaching and planning for classes in the morning for primary students, and 2 thirds of the secondary students, classes in the afternoon for the rest, kitchen duty, dorm life and Deanship, campus maintenance, fence building for some soon coming furry friends with hair like me, washing clothes in the creek, playing "football", working on office paperwork, organizing religious activities, family groups, and extracurricular activities, gardening by groups, keeping the airstrip free of green that is taller than a foot high, and any other details that have slipped me right now, our staff and students have been VERY busy. As the saying goes, "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop", so life in UETIRG has kept many hands from idleness. There have been so many names to learn, and then attach to the correct face, so many classes to teach and prepare for, so many hilarious moments with all the mixture of characters we have for students, so many stressful and heated moments as a dorm of 36 dramatic females between the ages of 13 and 18 live 4 per room, and 26 peacocks and paupers of the same ages try to live together as best they can in a one room dorm and still be Christian. I believe sardines in a can have the advantage over them because they are already dead and don't make a mess, eat their neighbor's food, or snore. One family sent all their cousins, sisters and brothers to the school this year, which has really wreaked havoc with my PR as I can't seem to get the faces and names attached straight. They are all very forgiving and make excuses for me so I don't have to worry about making any for myself. One boy stood there for about 5 minutes explaining how he and the other boy who owns the name I had just called him grew up together so they sometimes move the same and think the same and talk the same. I thanked him for his excuse for me and then for the advice he gave me, " Teacher, you could just look in your attendance book and see that the other boy isn't in the class…." Uhhhhh.  Never thought of that one! An unexpected joy that appeared for me this year was this adorable but much grown sister unit that arrived to study with us this for 2016. They studied at the orphanage and boarding school, "Familia Feliz" when I was there in 2008 and 2009. How wonderful it is for me to reminisce and laugh with them and see the truth in the verse that promises "Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it." They are a real joy to have at the school, and I am excited to see what their future holds in the Lord's work. Every Sunday finds us in different groups doing service for others in a specific trade or area of expertise. This year we have 2 health groups, a sewing group, a maintenance and carpentry group, a col-portering group and a, "Help the Directora in her Office work group" J That is my favorite group so far lol.   My " Cave" The Sunday before last found the entire campus rousing from their sleep at 5am in their boots, hats, long-sleeves and with machetes in hand. We all, except for the kitchen group, loaded into the back of the big Blue truck and headed to Yata, the closest village where we have been doing evangelism since the school started, and which is the home to many of our students.  After a short devotional thought, and a few early morning songs, we attacked the over grown greenery in the main plaza of the community. All students participated along-side the gung ho staff and director of education, who was very happy to have a machete in hand rather than a pen and stamp or white board marker.  Even the youngest creatures on campus participated, even if only to cheer us on and to help us eat breakfast… the famous " majadito", traditional food of Service day which is basically doctored up white rice with a few French fried potatoes in it which make my day. The Mayor of the community came out to show her support and thanks. She is the Senora in front with the white long sleeved shirt on. Some of our hard working boys all sweaty and tired but still smiling :) After the morning's hard work, we all went to the "trenta" which is what the creek at Km. 30 is called by the locals, to cool down and bathe. What a blessed thing is cool running water! In the afternoon, we celebrated as the church building in Yata was dedicated and inaugurated as an actual congregation.   Along with this special event, we witnessed as 5 of our students publicly demonstrated their desire and decision to follow our Lord through the commitment of baptism. How wonderful to see their young faces alight with joy in their decision, and note in their daily life the transformation that is taking place with this decision!  Now begins a life of battle with the enemy, but what better way to fight than with a pile of missionaries praying for them and encouraging them, and with the education they are receiving with the help of God to be victorious!    My special pleasure was to see one of our rowdies with a rough past being dunked under that clear water and seeing a tiny glimpse of the miracle of a life changed through Christ. Perhaps the sacrifice we put into these young people does make a difference for eternity… I pray that it is so. Praise the Lord for Adalid!  This Month marked an entire dozen years of Existence and God's faithfulness to the work of this school and the youth of Bolivia. 12 long years of lives being changed, both of volunteers and students alike. I have not stopped to count the number of students or volunteers that have come through the school, but it is a large number. But more incredible than the numbers, are the lives that have begun a transformation from bitterness, complacency and despair, to eternal happiness and purposeful mission. With that being said, there is nothing more to say but Thank you God for not giving up on the human race in spite of who we are and what we have done to mess up your perfect plan. He is so faithful!  Of course we had to celebrate the occasion with an afternoon of games with the kids and a special supper…. Here are some pictures of the shindig:                                                                             Some of the students and I trying to " make man"… Good thing God was in charge of that task in the beginning! The unbeatable group of rascals A visitor in the middle of the festivities, which of course caused a lot of oohing and awwing and a dissection to save the skin and see if the baby birds that were in the nest in the tree with the Snake were the lumps we saw… Snakes are just awful. Intriguing but so sly and there is just something about that head and those eyes…. Some how being directors attracted a lot of wet attention; Me draining my boot after being bathed with a bucket of water: Hermano Cornelio was just sitting there so innocently, his Policeman instincts must be getting rusty because when the kids asked him for his phone to see the pictures he had taken, he just passed it over… the next thing he knew it the heavens opened up, he was soaking, and the kids were all laughing and NOT looking at his pictures, but holding his dry phone!   Enjoying the supper of Carbohydrates, Spaghetti with Garlic bread... and Chocolate cake baked in the big dome wood oven…. With frosting lol. And that is a bit of the news of what has been going down in the jungles. We are all running like bunnies to keep up with our schedule, but Praise the Lord we all are well, and very blessed. Please help us pray for more staff volunteers so this work can go forward better and so that we don't run out of energy and enthusiasm as this work is a non-stop and tiring one, but one that bears great benefits! Also please help us pray for the rice harvest, as the rains did not come as early as expected and the rice got off to a poor start in growing. The chaco (rice field) we made last year is smaller than what our needs are this year as we have more than doubled in numbers, and the lack of rain and the plague of bugs have done a number on the rice that we do have. God has been faithful in providing for our food, and I know He will continue. Thanks soooo much to all who have helped us financially, emotionally, spiritually and mentally, ( yes I mean that, one can almost go crazy out here sometimes without those blessed "home" connections and encouragement and support!) Special thanks to my beautiful Mommy and Daddy and all those who have helped with the Garlic growing Mission Investment project at my favorite home diggity in Canada. The money sent for food has been eaten up with a ton of thankfulness. Our boys eat like horses! Thanks to my baby sister as well as she and her cohorts plan a fund raising event for the school and for the Orphanage and boarding school, Familia Feliz this 10th of April in Dawson Creek, B.C. If any of you are able to go, there will be some unique Bolivian food and a presentation on the projects going on in this neck of the jungles.  And that is all for now. God bless you all as you allow Him to guide in your lives! Until next time soon… Sara:)  The "Richard Gates Industrial School", ("Unidad Educativo Tecnico Industrial de Richard Gates")  located near Guayaramerin, Bolivia, is a non- profit organization operated by all volunteer services along with donations.  If you are interested in volunteering at this project, please contact myself at farmgirlzsidekick@yahoo.ca, or go to this website: http://gospelministry.org/volunteer/. If you are interested in supporting this project financially, 100% of donations go directly to the project. You may make a tax deductible (US only) donation via: 1. PayPal (timt@gospelministry.org)  2.  Cheque: P.O. Box 506. Collegedale, TN 37315 For either method, please specify that funds be  directed to the "Richard Gates Industrial School" project.  We are very thankful for your caring and  support in prayers! Here's my blog address if you want to check out past newsletters!  sarasfaithwalk.blogspot.com Want to change how you receive these emails? 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