Archive for the ‘Teachers’ Category

Rag Dolls

Posted on: May 3rd, 2012 by

From Melissa Medlin’s blog:

I am so blessed to say that I absolutely LOVE my job. I love that in all of my classes I get to be creative with some of the most creative kids in the world.

At the end of this month Casa de Fe is hosting the 2nd annual Art Show. I am so excited to show off all of the hard work that these kids have put into their art work.

I have already had so many people asking if there is a way to buy the kids artwork! If you are interested in a piece of art made by one of the kids, please send me an email (melissa@lacasadefe.org) with your address and which piece you’d like and we can gladly send you what you want if it is available. When you email about the artwork I will send you more information on how you can make a “suggested donation” to Casa de Fe for the piece.

Here are some pictures from the rag dolls we have been working on!

Maribel
Marcia
Talia

Rosa
Jennifer
Pile of Rag Dolls
Finished Product

You can view the original post here.

Sad yet Rejoicing

Posted on: April 1st, 2012 by

From Megan Ann Shepherd’s blog:

Today was a bitter sweet day at Casa de Fe. Today on Palm Sunday one of our sweet babies went to be with Jesus. His was Logan and he was about 20 months old. Here is what Patti Sue our director wrote about Logan in her last newsletter

read more

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Samuel

Posted on: March 25th, 2012 by

From Kelcy Gallagher’s blog:

Samuel
Today was one of the hardest days of my life. It started out like any other day. I woke up, read the good Word. Went to church then spent the afternoon at Casa de Fe making Cheesecake with all the girls there. But what happened next will be engrained in my memory for the rest of my life. As we were wrapping up our baking, the police pull up to our front doors with a two-year-old boy ( who we have named Samuel) in tow. Covered from head to toe in dirt, with a terrified look on his face, the police begin to tell us how a woman brought him in after seeing him all day at the local Puyo market abandoned with nobody in sight to claim him.  I couldn’t tell at first, but as Talia and I took him in to bathe him, we removed the dirty clothes and the sight brought tears to my eyes. He was so malnourished that all we could see was skin and bones. Our chins hit the floor and our stomachs began to turn in knots.  His stomach was big from the malnutrition but his ribcage was sticking out and you could see the parasites moving around in his stomach. As I lathered his tiny legs, if you could even call them that, I could no longer fight back the tears that I had been holding back. As we continued to remove the dirt which seemed like it was one with his skin, we started to reveal the scars and burns that were all over his body. Even Talia was in shock that someone could get to that state, and said “he looks like the kids from Africa you see on TV”. This child, this precious son of God, had been neglected by the people who should have been caring for him most on this earth. My heart was broken and angry at the same time for his boy so I decided to pray. As I prayed over this little boy whose whole life is still before him, knowing that he had experienced hardship probably from the day he was born, way before anyone should ever have to experience that kind of hardship, God reminded me that His heart is broken for Samuel way more then mine and that He loves him and has a plan for this little boys life. My anger from before was replaced by peace knowing that Samuel was now safe and able to get the care and nourishment he needed. Samuel, this precious child, has been set aside for God’s glory. He is chosen, He is loved. Please join with me in praying for this little boy as he gets back to health and that he would adjust to living with his new family at Casa de Fe. 

You can view the original post here.

3rd Grade Art

Posted on: March 23rd, 2012 by

From Melissa Medlin’s blog:

“Only those who look with the eyes of children can lose themselves in the object of their wonder.”
Eberhard Arnold

Spring Flowers
Alondra, Age 8
For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.  
Pslam 139:13-16
Paper Weaving
Alondra, Age 8
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.
Isaiah 49:16
Shadow Hand
Wilson, Age 9
“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”
Pablo Picasso
Winter Trees
Wilson, Age 9

You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.
Revelation 4:11

Our God is the Master artist. He uses color (experiences) and different textures (people) in our lives to mold us into the person He wants us to be.
You can view the original post here.

Heart & Flesh

Posted on: March 15th, 2012 by

From Kelcy Gallagher’s blog:

Casa de Fe happenings:

the roommates saying goodbye to Victoria :(
Our roommate Victoria who was here for 3 weeks left on Monday to go back to Canada. Pray for her as she starts a new life in a new city (Toronto). Pray that she would find a job and good group of friends that would be able to support her in this transition.

Tandy, Dwight and their son Jonathon are in the United States for this month visiting family and introducing them to Jonathan. Pray for them that they would get the rest they need while at home and that their time with family would be blessed.

Nicole and Rubi are my characters
We also have some new short-term volunteers. Christin, from Australia, is helping the Pre-Kindergarten kids and teaching photography and art to the older kids. She is super rad to have around and of course I love getting to hear her Aussie lingo and accent. We also have a married couple, Rick and Rebekah, who are helping incorporate a new ESL (English as a second language) curriculum. They will be here for a month helping us learn to teach this new curriculum they created and will also teach English classes here at Casa de Fe, next school year.
my buddy Telmo!

Telmo got his feeding tube taken out on Monday.He is now eating on his own, which is a huge answer to prayer!





 Maribel is in the process of going up for adoption. She is 12 and has been at CdF since she was 4 and not heard from her family since she arrived. But on Monday her aunt came to visit. She is still pretty emotional about seeing family she hasn’t seen in 8 years. She doesn’t even remember who her parents are. She is in a lot of pain and it breaks my heart. Pray for Maribel as she deals with being in contact with her family for the first time in 8 years.


Anthony, Moises and Junior will be going to live with their mom soon. They are brothers who came to us because the mom was in jail and the boys were left to fend for themselves. Once out of jail, she came to visit often expressing her desire to have her sons back, but Patti Sue wanted to make sure that she could stay out of jail so she was in a trial period. She finished her trial period and could be taking the boys any day now. Anthony is in my second grade class will be greatly missed.
Saturdays at CdF

Pablo, our 15 year old boy, got moved to a teens’ home in Quito yesterday. He has been at CdF for 4 years. This is another answer to prayer because it is a better situation for him and our kids as well. The teens’ home is more equipped to deal with his disabilities that we just didn’t have the resources for. Pray for Pablo as he adjusts to a new living situation.

RAIN!
Saturday we got a new missions team from Mississippi. Melissa gave them a tour of Shell and then we met them up at Casa de Fe to hang out with the kids, playing kickball and using sidewalk chalk with the little ones and playing in the rain. Sunday night we went to dinner with the team and boy were their accents thick! They had plenty of questions about Alaska and enjoyed telling me about their lives in the South. They are convinced that I have to try their “boiled peanuts” and crawfish.
Rosita and I after playing in the rain

Tuesday we got a new baby. Her name is Evelyn. We are not sure how old she is but we know that she has cerebral folate deficiency and some other medical conditions that we don’t know about yet. Pray for her as she works with the therapist here that some of her medical conditions would improve.


What God is teaching me:

As I come out on the other side of the spiritual battle I had been going through for the last  months, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. That doesn’t mean the battle is over, Satan is always going to try to get me to lose faith. But for now, my faith is intact, if not strengthened from the testing and it feels awesome. God has taken my heavy heart and made it light… I had forgotten what it feels like, it’s refreshing!
God is teaching me a lot about surrender. I tell people all the time that they just need to surrender to Jesus, but I’m not sure if I atually do it myself. I’m such a hypocrite. I want to make my own plans because it’s something I can control and at least I’ll know what’s coming next. But truly surrendering to Jesus isn’t like that at all. It means giving up control of EVERY aspect of our lives and it freaks me out! Most of the time I only surrender things if I think it will benefit me in the end...is that really even surrender?
I’m coming up on the time of year I dread the most, mostly because it has always been a season where I have to make decisions about what I’m going to do for the next season of my life. And if you know me at all, you know that I don’t like making decisions… I take that back, I loathe making decisions. I honestly wish that God would give me a 10-year plan with all the details of what I’m supposed to do so I could just do it and not have to decide things for myself. Then there’s the other side of me, the side that loves the adventure and uncertainty of life and the journey God has me on.
But back to the whole surrender thing, God has been calling me out on my lack of real surrender. He said, “Kelc, you can’t make a decision based on what you’re going to get out of it, it has to be all about Jesus.” It was like a dagger to my heart. I am so prone to rationalize and make decisions based on what I think will benefit me. My surrender can’t be for personal gain. So I must ask myself, “where does Jesus fit in when I am concerned about my natural relationships?” Will I desert Jesus with the excuse, “Yes, Lord, I heard you call me, but ______________ needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go further.”(Luke 9:57-62) “Then”, Jesus says, “you cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-33) I have to be willing to give up everything and everyone dear to me to follow Jesus for the sake of the gospel. If I’m really surrendered to Jesus then it will go beyond my natural devotion.
So here I stand, trusting and surrendered.
You can view the original post here.

Heart & Flesh

Posted on: March 15th, 2012 by

From Kelcy Gallagher’s blog:

Casa de Fe happenings:

the roommates saying goodbye to Victoria :(
Our roommate Victoria who was here for 3 weeks left on Monday to go back to Canada. Pray for her as she starts a new life in a new city (Toronto). Pray that she would find a job and good group of friends that would be able to support her in this transition.

Tandy, Dwight and their son Jonathon are in the United States for this month visiting family and introducing them to Jonathan. Pray for them that they would get the rest they need while at home and that their time with family would be blessed.

Nicole and Rubi are my characters
We also have some new short-term volunteers. Christin, from Australia, is helping the Pre-Kindergarten kids and teaching photography and art to the older kids. She is super rad to have around and of course I love getting to hear her Aussie lingo and accent. We also have a married couple, Rick and Rebekah, who are helping incorporate a new ESL (English as a second language) curriculum. They will be here for a month helping us learn to teach this new curriculum they created and will also teach English classes here at Casa de Fe, next school year.
my buddy Telmo!

Telmo got his feeding tube taken out on Monday.He is now eating on his own, which is a huge answer to prayer!





 Maribel is in the process of going up for adoption. She is 12 and has been at CdF since she was 4 and not heard from her family since she arrived. But on Monday her aunt came to visit. She is still pretty emotional about seeing family she hasn’t seen in 8 years. She doesn’t even remember who her parents are. She is in a lot of pain and it breaks my heart. Pray for Maribel as she deals with being in contact with her family for the first time in 8 years.


Anthony, Moises and Junior will be going to live with their mom soon. They are brothers who came to us because the mom was in jail and the boys were left to fend for themselves. Once out of jail, she came to visit often expressing her desire to have her sons back, but Patti Sue wanted to make sure that she could stay out of jail so she was in a trial period. She finished her trial period and could be taking the boys any day now. Anthony is in my second grade class will be greatly missed.
Saturdays at CdF

Pablo, our 15 year old boy, got moved to a teens’ home in Quito yesterday. He has been at CdF for 4 years. This is another answer to prayer because it is a better situation for him and our kids as well. The teens’ home is more equipped to deal with his disabilities that we just didn’t have the resources for. Pray for Pablo as he adjusts to a new living situation.

RAIN!
Saturday we got a new missions team from Mississippi. Melissa gave them a tour of Shell and then we met them up at Casa de Fe to hang out with the kids, playing kickball and using sidewalk chalk with the little ones and playing in the rain. Sunday night we went to dinner with the team and boy were their accents thick! They had plenty of questions about Alaska and enjoyed telling me about their lives in the South. They are convinced that I have to try their “boiled peanuts” and crawfish.
Rosita and I after playing in the rain

Tuesday we got a new baby. Her name is Evelyn. We are not sure how old she is but we know that she has cerebral folate deficiency and some other medical conditions that we don’t know about yet. Pray for her as she works with the therapist here that some of her medical conditions would improve.


What God is teaching me:

As I come out on the other side of the spiritual battle I had been going through for the last  months, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. That doesn’t mean the battle is over, Satan is always going to try to get me to lose faith. But for now, my faith is intact, if not strengthened from the testing and it feels awesome. God has taken my heavy heart and made it light… I had forgotten what it feels like, it’s refreshing!
God is teaching me a lot about surrender. I tell people all the time that they just need to surrender to Jesus, but I’m not sure if I atually do it myself. I’m such a hypocrite. I want to make my own plans because it’s something I can control and at least I’ll know what’s coming next. But truly surrendering to Jesus isn’t like that at all. It means giving up control of EVERY aspect of our lives and it freaks me out! Most of the time I only surrender things if I think it will benefit me in the end...is that really even surrender?
I’m coming up on the time of year I dread the most, mostly because it has always been a season where I have to make decisions about what I’m going to do for the next season of my life. And if you know me at all, you know that I don’t like making decisions… I take that back, I loathe making decisions. I honestly wish that God would give me a 10-year plan with all the details of what I’m supposed to do so I could just do it and not have to decide things for myself. Then there’s the other side of me, the side that loves the adventure and uncertainty of life and the journey God has me on.
But back to the whole surrender thing, God has been calling me out on my lack of real surrender. He said, “Kelc, you can’t make a decision based on what you’re going to get out of it, it has to be all about Jesus.” It was like a dagger to my heart. I am so prone to rationalize and make decisions based on what I think will benefit me. My surrender can’t be for personal gain. So I must ask myself, “where does Jesus fit in when I am concerned about my natural relationships?” Will I desert Jesus with the excuse, “Yes, Lord, I heard you call me, but ______________ needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go further.”(Luke 9:57-62) “Then”, Jesus says, “you cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-33) I have to be willing to give up everything and everyone dear to me to follow Jesus for the sake of the gospel. If I’m really surrendered to Jesus then it will go beyond my natural devotion.
So here I stand, trusting and surrendered.
You can view the original post here.

bumps, bruises and bee stings

Posted on: March 5th, 2012 by

From Kelcy Gallagher’s blog:


Naptime for some of the babies at CDF :)
Since the last time I updated, life has gotten busy! Last Friday, we received another roommate (making it a house of 4). Our new roommate’s name is Magda. She is from Sweden and will be here for 2 months helping with the preschool class and teaching PE as well! Magda arrived with a team of 30 people from the United States who have been here for the week doing construction on the new school building and hanging out with the babies here at Casa de Fe. Being a part of the staff gives us an opportunity to interact with the teams that come, bringing them to dinner on some nights and getting to be their guides of Shell, Ecuador.
The older girls cheering on Jessica at her weight lifting competition!
Saturday morning, the new team from Minnesota put on a brunch for the missionary women of Shell, which was delicious. We spent time talking with the girls from the team about the life of a missionary, and how we specifically got to Ecuador. It was cool hearing the stories from each missionary woman who I spent time with. Each story had its struggles and joys and I was reminded of God’s faithfulness to His children who seek Him out. After brunch, we spent the rest of the day showing our new roommates around town and went up to Casa de Fe to play with the kids.


Clementine!
Ain’t she the cutest?!

We got a new puppy! Our other puppy, Hank, ran away about 2 weeks ago. We were so sad and missing our dog, that when our friend Fabian showed up for Empanada night with a few weeks old puppy in his arms, we asked, “did you find Hank?” and Fabian replied, “no, but here’s a new puppy for you!” So even though we still miss Hank and look for him everytime we walk down the street, Clementine has snuggled her way into each one of our hearts. She is just so stinkin’ cute! 


Mel and I posing with the cool tribal statues by the waterfall.

Sunday was my favorite day in Ecuador thus far. I went to my home church in Puyo, which I hadn’t gone to in weeks, it felt good to be back. After church, some friends invited us to go on a motorcycle ride. We were all up for the adventure so the 7 of us mounted the motorcycles. Melissa, Victoria and I assumed we were only going for 1-2 hours, seeing the outskirts of Shell, but 2 hours turned into 6 hours. We took the scenic route to Puyo. About 15 minutes into our journey, Alfonso and Victoria were hit by a car but it was a very minor bump and Victoria came out with a bruised leg but nothing major. We stopped at a water hole, but then decided to continue on through the Puyo-Pomona valley. The valleys were gorgeous, the most beautiful landscape I have seen in Ecuador. We arrived at a National forrest reserve called Hola Vida and hiked 30 minutes up to the famous waterfall. We swam around the pool beneath the waterfall for awhile then started the trek back to Shell, stopping for dinner on the way. The adventure was a ton of fun and we all came back alive with only a few bumps, bruises and bee stings. 

The motorcycle gang

Clementine loves my Chacos!
The school week was very challenging. With the loss of two teachers, getting two new teachers, and one of the missionary families leaving, the kids had a hard time focusing with all the change and feeling of loss. Hopefully this week we can get back on track! Because of the changes, I have the opportunity to help teach  Physical Education which is a new endeavor but I’m up for the challenge!
what God is teaching me:
view from Casa de Fe
For the past month I have been in a spiritual battle like I have never experienced. Every morning, from the moment my feet hit the floor, Satan begins his attacks on my heart and mind. Every morning I must begin the battle, because if I don’t, Satan gets a foothold. He is there constantly reminding me of my failures and where I don’t measure up… As I let all my fears of failure, inadequacy, unforgiveness and insufficiency drown me.. for just one moment, God whispers to me, “but I give you greater grace..” and there is a calm within the storm of my soul for the first time in months… the weight is finally lifted, I can breath, I can stand, my heart is restored. God is enough.


You can view the original post here.

Creatively Made in HIS Image

Posted on: March 5th, 2012 by

From Melissa Medlin’s blog:

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.  Isaiah 64:8

In my opinion, 2nd grade produces some of the best art work…….
TAKE A LOOK!

Martin, Age 8

Nicole, Age 6
Rubi, Age 7
Anthony, Age 6
Anthony, Age 6
Rubi, Age 7

Martin, Age 8
Nicole, Age 6
Rubi, Age 7
Anthony, Age 6
Martin, Age 8



Nicole, Age 6

“As Christians we know why a work of art has value. Why? First, because a work of art is a work of creativity, and creativity has value because God is the Creator. The first sentence in the Bible declares “In the beginning God created the heaves and the earth”. Second, an art work has value as a creation because human beings are made in the image of God, and therefore we not only can love and feel emotion, but we also have the capacity to create. In fact it is part of the image of God to be creative, or to have creativity. We never find an animal, non-human, making a work of art. On the other hand, we never find people anywhere in the world or in any culture in the world who do not product art. Creativity is intrinsic to our humanness.” —Francis A Schaeffer from “Some Perspectives on Art”

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I’m moving to Ecuador

Posted on: March 2nd, 2012 by

From Kelcy Gallagher’s blog:

This week has truly been one of the hardest weeks of my 22-year old life. This week I had to make a decision whether or not I was going to give up the comforts of my life for the sake of the gospel. I’ll rewind about two months to when I felt like God was preparing me for a transition coming up. I didn’t know what it was or what He meant but I thought I was ready for whatever it was He was going to throw at me. Two weeks later I got a phone call from a family friend who had been praying for me and had heard about a need for teachers at an orphanage in Ecuador that I had been to. As soon as the words left her mouth I knew that this is what God had meant by a transition and I began to weep. So I prayed a lot and began contacting the orphanage and got conformation that this is where the Lord was leading me. My heart was torn by the decision because even though I would be going on this awesome adventure getting to tell people about Jesus, I knew that I would be leaving my comfortable life of being with my family, friends and my tribe (my high school girls) that I had invested in for the past 2 years and my heart was broken. he truth was, even though teaching at an orphanage in South America had been my dream since I was 16, I didn’t want to go because it wasn’t the timing I wanted. I wanted to be here in Alaska until my tribe finished high school and I finished college. But God had other plans and I wrestled with God for weeks but the most challenging question I’ve ever had to answer, was I going to obey Jesus? God began revealing verses to me that challenged me in a huge way. In Luke 9 Jesus says “anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple,” he continues on saying, “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Then I went over to Mark 10 where Jesus talks to the rich young ruler who is asking how he can inherit eternal life and Jesus tells him, “ Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, and follow me.” Jesus was asking me to abandon everything to follow him and I realized that if I didn’t then I couldn’t be His disciple. I realized I had been selfish to ask him to let me stay and that the best thing I could do was to be obedient to his call. I know now that the cost of being a discple of Christ is great but it’s worth it, He’s soo worth it! Once I realized how that, I got super excited about this upcoming expedition. So I am moving to Shell, Ecuador on August 25th to teach at an orphanage called Casa de Fe (House of Faith) which provides 24-hour care of abandoned children, especially children with special needs.

You can view the original post here.

Otro Color

Posted on: March 2nd, 2012 by

From Kelcy Gallagher’s blog:

“He is no fool to lose what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”- Jim Elliot

It’s been way too long since I last updated! Sorry for the hold up! Just in case you hadn’t heard I arrived safely in Ecuador. After about 28 hours of hanging in airports and flying I arrived in Quito and spent the day exploring the city. We took off early the next morning to begin our 5-hour journey to my new home in Shell but about an hour into the drive our van broke down. We spent around 3 hours on the side of the road while waiting for a tow truck and a taxi to drive us the rest of the way. Good thing I love adventures! After arriving in Shell, my roommate Melissa and I spent the next couple days getting settled into our new home and exploring the town. We started meetings at the foundation (Casa de Fe) that following Monday where we met with all the new staff to go over what we wanted the school year to look like and to decorate our classrooms. We started classes on September 7th and all the kids were excited to be back in school and start learning! I get the privilege of teaching two different grades. I teach English, Science and Computer classes for 2nd and 6th grade and so far it has been great! We are now 3 weeks into our school year and I think everyone is finally getting settled into a routine. Even though it’s been quite an adjustment from being the student to the teacher it is definitely a learning experience! I know I will come away from this school year having learned a lot from the students and the other teachers.. there is so much to learn! Coming to Ecuador was a huge culture shock, I didn’t think there would be because I had been to Latin America many times before but visiting another culture is very different than moving and trying to adjust to a whole new way of life. At first I was homesick and missed all my friends back home. And I was questioning whether or not God had really asked me to move here. But as I asked God these questions, He assured me I was where He wanted me and that He had a huge plan for me here. The first two weeks were really hard but they made me rely on God for strength and reassurance of His promises. God has been so faithful in keeping His promises. Little by little He is revealing to me areas of my life that He wants me to surrender to Him and even though it’s been hard, it’s been a really good time of healing and growth in my walk with the Lord. Very freeing! God is also showing me who He wants me to invest in, at CDF and in the community and how He wants me to serve Him while I am here. I am so excited about this year, about the time I get to spend with all the great people I am meeting and the work God is going to do in my life and in the lives of those around me!

“My life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the good news about God’s wonderful kindness and love.” (Acts 20:24)

You can view the original post here.