September 2008

Praise the Lord for a very successful first training visit to the indigenous community of El Estribo in August. There were 44 teachers and mothers present and everyone was very enthusiastic about the new pre-school materials and activity ideas they were given. One teacher told the FEISA team that the resources and training are exactly what they have needed for years and they are very grateful.

Indigenous teachers during the training with the resources

Please pray for:
-The next pre-school training visit to El Estribo on the 5th-6th September.
-The final indigenous nursery project visit to Yatnata on 13th-13th September.
-The evaluation meeting with the Yatnata community about the nursery project on 26th-27th September. Please pray in particular for wisdom for the community about how to take the project forward.

Give thanks for all the play sessions that were held in August. The children who came for Children’s Day were from a charity-run school in a very poor area and they particularly enjoyed their time with us. The local parish had been going to organise lots of fun activities for these school children but in the end it all fell through on the day, so their teacher was especially grateful for the opportunity we gave them to come and play for a couple of hours.

In September both the second and third year students have teaching practice placements and this incurs a lot of work for the FEISA teachers as they guide the students through the stressful planning process. Please pray for peace and wisdom for both the teachers and the students during this time. Planning starts for the 3rd years on 1st Sept and for the 2nd years on 22nd Sept.

Praise God for the donations we have received so far this year and those that have been promised for the remaining part of the year. Please pray for the promised donations to come through soon, because the cash flow situation is becoming critical once again. Also pray for those funding applications which are in progress; for the organisations to catch the vision of FEISA and grant us the money we need to keep that vision alive.

The new president of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, was inaugurated on the 15th August. He gave an inspiring speech, committing his government to fighting poverty, injustice and corruption. In a surprising move, he has refused to take a salary for his work as president. On 1st September, Lugo gave a press conference and informed the country that the day before, a coup d’état had been planned by a group including the former president Nicanor Duarte Frutos and Lugo’s presidential rival (and former general) Lino Oviedo. When the group approached the military for support, the general who was invited to the meeting went straight to his superiors to report it. Praise the Lord for the integrity of this general and pray for continued integrity and transparency on the part of all the institutions which support the state. Pray for stability and wisdom for Lugo and his government as they seek to bring about fundamental change in the country.