October 2008

Cynthia on teaching practice

Praise the Lord because all the funding applications we have submitted this year have now been accepted and we received a number of donations in September. This means our cash-flow is now at a comfortable level for this month, though if other promised donations don’t come through quickly, we will be facing another critical month in November. So please keep praying!

The two-year degree extension course was losing students throughout the first semester because of exhaustion. In the second semester it was decided to change to a modular system, teaching only two subjects a week for six weeks and giving the students tasks to do at home. Praise God for the students who were thinking about leaving but have decided to stay on as a result of this change. Please pray for wisdom as the academic head, Gloria, sorts out a few teething problems. Pray too that the quality of teaching would not be compromised as a result of fewer classroom hours for each subject.

Thank God for the success of all the training visits to the Chaco communities in September. The evaluation of the indigenous nursery project in Yatnata was particularly positive: The mothers involved told us they had felt at the beginning of the project that they would not have anything of value to bring to the nursery. However, now that they have gone through the training, they realise that they have a lot to give to the children in their community. The project co-ordinator, Sam Parsons, was thrilled to see that the women’s self-esteem has been given a real boost.

Please pray for the two training visits to the indigenous Chaco community of El Estribo in October:
• 3rd & 4th - pre-school training
• 24th & 25th - workshop for primary and Sunday school teachers on the use of the children’s Bible resources in the Enxet language which FEISA recently produced.

Please continue to pray for the 2nd and 3rd year students on teaching practice placements. Pray that they would all have a positive impact on the lives of the children they teach and that God would shine through those of our students who know Christ.

The third year students are going to El Estribo on 21st and 22nd October as part of their teaching practice commitments. While there, they will give the 9 schools some resources they have made, paint a classroom and do games with the children from one village. Please pray for this visit to be a blessing as much for the students as for the community.

The Ministry of Education is going through a period of instability at the moment, following the change in government. This means that they are not addressing the education issues they need to deal with. FEISA is putting together a number of proposals for new training courses and improvements to our diploma course, which we hope to implement next year. Please pray for stability and a sense of responsibility in the Ministry so that they can listen to FEISA’s proposals soon.

Nati on teaching practice

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.