New Life

Good Friday is a very big holiday here in Ecuador, and there are a lot of traditions surrounding that day. We really want to focus more on the resurrection, so we put a lot more energy into teaching our kids about the resurrection than the normal culture here does. All of our staff did a wonderful job of reminding the kids what this holiday is all about. It was also refreshing to not get caught up in the trappings of the holiday we've created this to be in the States.

At Casa de Fe, we combine spring break with the Easter weekend, so we did not have school last Thursday through yesterday (Tuesday). The holidays have been a time of encouragement and renewal, and everyone really got to spend some much-needed quality time together.

For us, the holiday started last Thursday at lunch..... We were invited to lunch by Jaime, one of the maestros. They had made a huge pot of fanesca over an open fire. Fanesca is a traditional soup cooked during 'semana santa.' It has 12 different things in it, and it represents something. Although..... everyone we ask doesn't have a clue what it is. :) They put these huge pieces of dried salted fish in it, and that's the most special part. Here are a few pictures from our lunch.... I'm always so humbled when someone here serves us in their home.

Jaime's wife, Aida; son, Jonathan; Aida's grandmother

Thursday night we went up to CDF for a special night that the maestros had planned for the kids. This was the first time that the maestros have done something like this outside of work, and it was....AMAZING. Honestly....we've tried talking about it and put it into words, and we just can't. This event just feels like the culmination of so many things we've all been praying for and working toward.

The guys built a big bonfire up near the future school building, and they took all of the big kids up around 7:30. Cris led the kids in worship and Freddy shared with them afterward. He spoke to them about the life of Jesus, from birth to resurrection. Hernan prayed a beautiful prayer afterward- prayed for the kids to be future teachers, missionaries, doctors....

It was so amazing to hear all of this coming from the maestros. These men will hopefully be working at CDF for the next 10+ years, so building into THEM is building into the kids' lives as well. This is one of our biggest goals for these next couple of years, so please pray for this part of the ministry.

Afterward Hernan led the kids in some games, and they had a blast. The punishment for losing was dancing or singing in front of everyone.... We saw some interesting moves from some of the staff members. :)

Freddy with Javier, Ivan & Pablo

What a God we have!
And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus!
Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life
and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—
and the future starts now!
1 Peter 1:3 MSG