Graduate Stories

To give you an idea of the impact that FEISA is having on children in Paraguay, here are stories about four of FEISA's graduates:

Anabel graduated in 2003 and now works for a government project aiming to tackle the huge numbers of children working on the streets in Asunción and surrounding towns. The project works with the families to eliminate the need for the children to work by helping the parents generate sufficient income. It also provides health, nutrition and educational support. Of the 1,340 children being supported by the project, 96% are no longer working on the streets. Annabel is completely fulfilled in her work. “I always knew I wanted to reach more than the children in one class. These children are vulnerable and isolated. Nothing was being done for them. To see the success of the project and know that this is possible for more and more children in Paraguay thrills me.”

Lili graduated in 2004 and now works with the indigenous Aché community. Educational provision amongst indigenous communities is the worst in Paraguay and it is difficult to find teachers for these communities due to the harsh living conditions. Lili’s dynamic, interactive teaching methods in pre-school made even the youngest children want to attend so she decided to start a nursery class as well! The community is delighted that their children are learning so much. Her teaching about basic hygiene is also ensuring better health for them and their families. Had Lili not received a full scholarship from FEISA, she would not be teaching today.

Silvia graduated in 2004 and now teaches in a day nursery run by a Mennonite charity. As well as having a class of 25 four-year-olds, she co-ordinates the volunteers who work with all the children, aged from 6 months to 5 years. The charity’s vision is to offer economic, social and spiritual help to disadvantaged families, most of whom come from shanty towns. They wash, feed, educate and provide basic medical care for the children and they provide talks and workshops for the parents on parenting and life skills. Silvia is now studying for the degree at FEISA and she says she’s learning an enormous amount. She says, “My whole life I have wanted to be a teacher. FEISA gave me very good training, which prepared me well for the job. Now my desire is to become the director of a Christian school. Doing the degree is the first step. This is my vocation.”

Elisa graduated in 2006 and is now teaching in a charity-run school for children at risk. She has a class of 23 five-year-olds, all of whom come from families where the parents are either in prison, working on the street or ill, often with AIDS. She acts as nurse and mother as well as teacher to these very needy children. Before she came to FEISA she felt called by God to work with young children, but did not have the economic means to pay for teacher training. By offering her a scholarship, FEISA gave her the opportunity to qualify as a teacher and she says it was a dream come true for her to be able to study, a real gift from God. She now feels fulfilled in her work; “I feel useful and I’ve got so much to give. I try to make a difference to the children’s lives, giving them the love and attention they need.”

June 2009

Sorry this didn't get uploaded earlier in the month...

In May we asked you to pray for the setting up of the play space in Quyquyho, following a training session for the leaders of the children’s ministry in April. We are very pleased to report that the first sessions went very well indeed. Sam Parsons was there to help the team set it up the first week of May and she writes; “On the Saturday Osvaldo invited all the mums and children from 0-7 years from the village to see the play scheme and learn about the ministry they are opening to them. One mum said that Quyquyho had never had anything like this before and that it was a real privilege for their children. Then all 37 children were invited to play and had the most wonderful time. The 4 helpers were absolutely fantastic and played brilliantly with the children. What a great and committed team they have.” Praise God for the way he is extending the ministry of FEISA’s play scheme to bless other ministries in Paraguay.

The two workshops run by FEISA teachers at the ACSI conference were a great success. A total of 180 Christian teachers participated and Ana Demestri has been asked to take her workshop to the ACSI conference in Ciudad del Este, as well as a number of schools in Asunción. Praise the Lord for these opportunities to help improve the standard of education across the country.

From 8th to 12th June, Anglican pastors in the Chaco will have training on how to use the FEISA-produced Bible materials in Enxet for children. The final part of the adult and child literacy materials will be translated during the same week. Pray for Esteban, from FEISA, and Remigio, from the Chaco, as they carry out the training work together, and Remigio as he works on the translation.

The Ministry of Education decided on Monday 1st June to move the dates of the July holidays forward by one week. This has caused significant disruption to the timetable at FEISA, due to exams and teaching practices taking place in the last two weeks of term.

The first and third years have exams from 22nd June to 3rd July. For the third year students, these are their final exams because after the July holidays, they will be on teaching practice for the whole of the second semester, until they finish in November.

The second years start planning for their teaching practice on 8th June and will be teaching from 22nd June to 3rd July. Please pray for peace and wisdom as things need to be reorganized, particularly for the second year students who will now have very little time to spend with the children before they have to teach them.

Pray for strength, guidance and grace for Ana Demestri, head of Teaching Practices, who has to organise the second years’ teaching practice without the help of her assistant, Noemí, who is on maternity leave. Praise the Lord for the safe arrival of Rebeca, Noemí’s second daughter, on 29th May.

Our vision of offering high quality Christian teacher training at an affordable cost means our dependence on outside funding is too heavy for our small institution to sustain long term. Please pray for much wisdom, peace and grace as the leadership and the Anglican Church, which is the governing authority of FEISA, steer it through some very difficult decisions.

May 2009

Praise the Lord for successful teaching practices in state schools for our third year students. The teachers in the schools were pleased with the work of our students and the children enjoyed the new and exciting activities. (See top photo)

In April the play scheme team took the toys to a large number of schools and over 150 children from disadvantaged backgrounds got the opportunity to play freely for a time. Give thanks for this valuable ministry. (See middle photo)

Give thanks for the successful training session with the team from the Quyquyho children’s home. They were inspired by the strategies we showed them to encourage children’s learning through play. The first week of May, they will set up their own, permanent, play space in the home, so please pray for the training to bear fruit and the girls who live there to really enjoy the time to play. (See bottom photo)

On 22nd and 23rd May, the annual Paraguay conference of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) will take place. FEISA has been asked to run two workshops for early years teachers. Gloria de Alvarez will do one on behavioural problems in early years and Ana Demestri will do another on how to plan projects to fit in with the Ministry of Education’s new early years curriculum. Please pray for the smooth running of these workshops, for time and wisdom for Gloria and Ana in the preparation, and for all the teachers who attend to be blessed, encouraged and challenged to become better teachers.

Last year’s third year students, who were following the pilot curriculum from the Ministry of Education, have now completed their studies. They will graduate at the end of this year along with the current third years. Please pray for their transition from student to full-time teachers; for all that they have learnt during their time at FEISA to bear fruit in the loving and dedicated way they carry out their vocation. Pray for the lives of the children they teach to be transformed by the love of Christ.

There has been very little rain in Paraguay these past months. The months from February to April are when the water tanks and ponds in the Chaco usually fill to provide water for the drier winter months. However, the lack of rain means there is not even enough water right now for 5 different regions of the country. The government has declared a state of emergency in those five regions, covering most of the Chaco, the northeastern region of Concepción and the southwestern region of Ñeembucú, and is providing assistance. Please pray urgently for abundant rain.

Please pray also for political stability in Paraguay. The past few weeks have seen revelations about President Lugo’s past that include fathering at least one child while he was a Bishop. And this week, on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, bombs were found near government buildings and defused by the police. The Opposition parties are clamouring for resignations and there is a general atmosphere of instability and uncertainty.

April 2009

Our UK volunteers with some of their spouses

Please thank God with us for our dedicated and skilled team of volunteers in the UK. David Orritt, John Tompkins, Beth Totaro, Colin Voutt and Ann Varley all contribute to fundraising and other donor relations activities to support our work here in Paraguay. Their efforts are vital to FEISA’s survival. Please pray for guidance, strength and health for them all.

Praise the Lord for the 28 new first year students that have now started their teacher training at FEISA! This is more than we even hoped for, so give thanks for God’s abundant providence. We also have seven new degree students. Please pray for each of these new students, for good relationships to be built up with each other and the staff. Pray also for the love of Christ to shine through each member of staff, reaching out to the students who need it.

Give thanks for the Consecration of the new Bishop of the Anglican Church in Paraguay, Rev. Peter Bartlett. The service, presided over by Archbishop Greg Venables, took place on 29th March and was attended by bishops from different parts of Latin America as well as pastors from all the Paraguayan Anglican congregations. Please pray for Peter and his wife Sally as they settle into this new culture and especially for Peter as he begins this new and hugely demanding role. The Church and all its ministries here in Paraguay are deeply affected by the economic crisis so pray for wisdom and strength for the new bishop as he takes the helm in these challenging times.

The new bishop's consecration service

For the whole month of April, our third year students are doing teaching practice in state schools. Please pray for peace and strength for them at this stressful time, and for God’s love to shine through them to the children they teach.

The mobile play scheme will be visiting six of the schools where our students are on placement, to give the children in these disadvantaged areas the opportunity to play freely for an afternoon or a morning. Please pray for safety and energy for the team and for the children to be blessed.

On 20th April, there will be a training session for the team from Quyquyho, who are setting up their own play space with a view to blessing the children in the home for abandoned girls as well as the surrounding community. Please pray for guidance as the FEISA team prepares the training and for a good and productive time on the day.

Please continue to pray for a sense of God’s guidance and peace in FEISA, particularly for the leadership team as they seek His direction at this time of financial instability.

March 2009

Fun English Workshop
Children in the Chaco Games with Indigenous Teachers

Praise the Lord for the 15 first year students who have enrolled so far. Please continue to pray for a further 10 students. They will start classes on 16th March. Please pray also for a total of 14 new degree students to enroll (we currently have only two confirmed).

Give thanks for a very successful “Fun English” workshop with teachers on 14th February. There were a total of 18 people who learned a creative and fun way to teach English to the youngest children. Many of them said how much they needed the training and almost all of them bought the accompanying resources.

Praise God for the provision of a great new English teacher to complete our team. Thank Him for a good reception by the students of the new English teaching system and please pray for peace and patience this first year as we test it out and for wisdom for the teachers to adapt it where necessary.

In February, two potentially significant donors expressed an interest in FEISA. Please pray for the applications in process to be accepted by these donors and for God’s will to be done in relation to bringing in the necessary funds this year.

The training visit to the indigenous community of El Estribo in the Chaco at the end of February was very successful. Praise the Lord for the enthusiasm of the teachers for the resources and the new songs and games they learned. They were particularly delighted with the workbooks FEISA has developed for the indigenous context in both Spanish and the indigenous language Enxet. FEISA has offered these workbooks to the Ministry of Education to be made available to all indigenous communities. Please pray that the Minister for Indigenous Education would approve these vital contextualized resources for distribution so that many more communities can have access to them.

This year, the play scheme team is supporting a ministry in the town of Quyquyho, where we have taken the toys on previous occasions for the children from the town to play. There is a family who run a home for abused and abandoned girls and they would like to set up their own permanent play space, both for the benefit of the children in the home and as an outreach to the local community. Operation South America is providing the funds for this project and FEISA is providing resources and training. Please pray for the FEISA team as they consider which resources are most appropriate and plan the training in order to support this family and their vital ministry.

February 2009

Praise the Lord for a good end of year 2008 and for a restful holiday for everyone. Praise Him for good visits to supporting groups and churches in the UK by Sam Parsons.

Praise God for a very positive consultation process for the English Department in December. We have changed the way English is taught and its emphasis and we believe this will improve FEISA’s provision of this subject for our students. We need one new English teacher for 2009, so please pray for the right person to be appointed.

Sam Parsons and David Orritt, our UK Volunteer Co-ordinator, met with one of our major donors in January. Give thanks for a positive and honest atmosphere in the meeting. The result of that meeting is that this donor has decided to continue to support FEISA this year, but at a much reduced level compared to previous years. Please pray for the funding deficit this creates to be met through other sources.

Our Head, Estela Moyano, has had an operation to remove a cataract and she is recovering well. She now needs an operation on the other eye. Please pray for this next operation to go equally as well and for good timing. Estela’s husband is also suffering health problems, and recently spent time in hospital, so please bear him in mind too.

On Friday 6th February, all our staff have a team-building day and we would appreciate your prayers for a good atmosphere and for relationships to be strengthened.

Please pray for those students who need to find work in order to afford to continue their studies at FEISA. Pray for the right opportunities to come up for them, so that they won’t have to worry about money on top of the stresses of the course. Particularly remember our second year students Pati and Mirian in your prayers, both of whom are amongst the most needy in this regard.

Lessons start on 23rd February. Please pray for 25 new first year students to enroll this year and for 14 new degree students.

The last pre-school training visit to the community of El Estribo will be at the end of February (dates to be confirmed). Please pray for this visit; for good planning and preparation by the team, a good turnout from the community and for safety on the road as the FEISA team travel.

December 2008

Oops, sorry I forgot to upload this earlier in the month.

Give thanks for a wonderful end of year show on 21st November, put on by the FEISA students for their families. It was lovely to see the dancing, singing and acting that they put so much effort into (see photos above). There was also an opportunity to see the variety of arts and crafts the students have learnt to do this year.

Praise God for a lovely visit with the play scheme ministry to Quyquyho, 3 hours’ drive from Asunción. We held the play session on 22nd November at a home for abused and abandoned girls and they invited all the children from the town. In the end about 120 came. We told them a Bible story, played with them and gave them juice and biscuits. They were all impeccably well-behaved and thoroughly enjoyed their time with us (see photos below).



Please pray for the academic and administration departments as they do all the paperwork which goes with the end of the year. Pray for good time management for everyone involved as well as peace and grace.

In December, the English Department will go through a consultation process with an outside expert, in order to improve the provision of English to the students. This subject is one of the main attractions of FEISA for students. We hope that there will be a restructuring of the way it is taught as well as a new curriculum. Please pray for a strong vision, fresh ideas and wisdom as we meet with the consultant and work out something new.

Please pray for a restful summer break for all staff and students. The admin staff finish on the 18th December and come back to work on the 15th January.

This year, the third years are not graduating in December because they are participating in the pilot programme introduced by the Ministry of Education in 2006, which does not end until the middle of 2009. Praise the Lord for our third year girls, who accepted this news earlier this year with a lot of grace and please pray that they, particularly, will be refreshed during the holidays, ready to start the final leg of their course.

In January, Samantha Parsons and David Orritt, our UK Volunteer Co-ordinator, will meet with one of our major donors of the past 5 years, to find out whether they would be willing to continue to support FEISA in 2009. Please pray for a positive and honest atmosphere in the meeting and for God´s will to be done in terms of their decision.

Please pray for the necessary funds to be raised in January to enable the Chaco project of training indigenous teachers and mothers in El Estribo to continue in February.

Praise the Lord Almighty for the amazing way He has sustained FEISA over the past 9 years, both spiritually and financially. Please pray with us for His will to continue to be done in FEISA; for clear guidance for the leadership and for the necessary financial provision during this global economic crisis and for as long as FEISA needs it.

November 2008

photos: 3rd year students' trip to the Chaco

Praise God because all the donations we were promised this year have now come through. Please continue to pray for more people and organisations to become interested in supporting FEISA’s work. Due to the severe fall in the value of the pound and Paraguay’s high rate of inflation over the past year, the same work costs a lot more money to carry out. Our bank reserves, which we rely on each year before the donations come in, have diminished greatly during 2008 and, even if the exchange rate stays as it is, will only see us through to July. However, most of the donations we receive come through in the September of each year, so we need to build up our reserves so that we have the funds we need to get to the end of September. We rely on your prayers!

Give thanks for a successful time of teaching practice for the majority of our students. We were most encouraged to hear positive feedback from teachers at the schools about how well-prepared the students were and how creative their lessons were.

The third years went to the Chaco as part of their teaching practice experience (see photos). They saw a variety of different education projects in indigenous and Mennonite communities. In one indigenous school in El Estribo they painted a mural and organised games and a snack for the children. Praise the Lord for safety on the trip and the positive impact it had on the students.

Praise God for a very successful workshop with indigenous teachers in El Estribo on how to use FEISA’s Christian education resources in Enxet with children. The project co-ordinator, Sam Parsons said, “It was very exciting to watch the teachers have a go themselves and see them be creative with the resources.”

Please pray for wisdom for Estela and Gloria, the head and academic co-ordinator of FEISA, as they make modifications to the teacher training curriculum in order to make it even more effective and cost-efficient.

Pray for the 1st and 2nd year students and teachers this month as lessons finish and exams start. Pray for wisdom for the teachers in planning the final weeks of teaching and for good time-management for the students so that they can revise well. Exams start on the 17th November and last 3 weeks.

Finally, praise the Lord because the drought in the Chaco this year provoked a quick response from the authorities, who instituted a state of emergency in the area and provided water and other necessities to the indigenous communities there. Give thanks also because of the recent rain which has alleviated the situation significantly.

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.

August 2008

FEISA students in the computer room

Praise the Lord for a very good and refreshing winter break for all our staff and students in July. Estela’s health has improved and we are all very grateful for the wonderful, spring-like weather we were able to enjoy.

This month, there are several visits to the Chaco; please pray for safety in the journeys and fruitful training sessions with the indigenous communities:

Nursery project visits to Yatnata; 1^st-2^nd and 22^nd-23^rd

Pre-school teacher training visit to El Estribo; 8^th -9^th

There are also 8 mobile play sessions planned, including two special ones on 14^th and 16^th celebrating Children’s Day (16^th Aug). Please pray for safety as our team travels to poor areas and for the children to experience God’s love through this ministry.

In March this year we mentioned the fall in the value of the Pound, which was affecting our finances. We thank God for your prayers and the generous donations we have received which have helped our cash flow situation enormously. Unfortunately, the financial conditions continue to worsen and FEISA’s costs have now risen by a whopping 30% since last year. Please pray for wisdom for our Management Board as they seek God’s direction for FEISA in these challenging circumstances.

As our reliance on overseas funding has increased, so has the amount of work involved in managing that. At present, we have six people on our “Donor Relations” team; three UK nationals working in FEISA (Rupert, Sam and Fiona) and three volunteers in the UK (John Tompkins, Beth Totaro and David Orritt). The team’s responsibilities include seeking new donors, applying for funds (often a drawn-out and complicated process), sending our donors regular updates on the work they are supporting, as well as the whole accounting and administration side of this work. As the workload increases, we find ourselves becoming overstretched, since for all of us, these responsibilities are only a part of our ministries. Please pray with us for the provision of somebody with good writing and IT skills who can take on some of the responsibility for reporting to donors from our small and exhausted team!

On 15^th August, the new president, Fernando Lugo, will take office. Please pray for him and his team as they seek to fight corruption, poverty and a lack of jobs in Paraguay. Pray that the hope that his election has inspired will be fulfilled in a transparent and honest government and they will do their best to make the changes they promised.

Paraguayan schoolgirls

July 2008

Praise the Lord because the Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence has finally released the funds so that FEISA can continue with the indigenous nursery project in Yatnata. The result of the delayed release of the money is that two months-worth of work has to be done in one month. Please pray for wisdom for Sam Parsons as she co-ordinates the final phase of this project, and for the two training visits to the community in July; on the 4^th - 5^th and the 18^th - 19^th.

Give thanks for a very encouraging meeting in June in the indigenous community of El Estribo, where eight schools signed an agreement to participate in the pre-school training project with FEISA. This project will start with the first training visits in August and the teachers are all very excited because they have not received any training or resources from the Ministry of Education or any other organization.

FEISA has produced a set of resources for teaching the creation story to children in the indigenous Enxet language. The pictures and flashcards are done so that they are relevant to the children’s context (palm trees and rheas rather than apple trees and blackbirds) and the teacher’s instructions are in Enxet. These are the first printed Bible materials for children in this language. In June, The Bible Society held a week-long workshop in Argentina on how to communicate the Bible effectively in oral cultures. Esteban from FEISA went, along with two Enxet speakers, and showed the participants the materials FEISA has produced. There was a huge amount of interest in them and The Bible Society has expressed an interest in publishing the resources. Please pray for the discussions between FEISA and the Bible Society as they look at this possibility; particularly that they would be willing to both finance and organize the publication. The photograph shows Enxet speakers Anibal and Silverio looking through the materials.

FEISA’s winter holidays run from the 5^th to the 20^th July. Please pray for all staff and students to have the rest they need, ready for the next semester. The first years and third years will have teaching practice placements as soon as the holiday is over, so please pray for all their preparations and for them to bring God’s light and love into the classrooms where they will be teaching.

Our Head, Estela (right) has had a number of recent bouts of illness. She is currently suffering from bronchitis and influenza so please pray for her to get the rest she needs and recover completely over the break. Pray also for peace and wisdom as she carries the responsibility for FEISA and for a clear sense of God’s purpose in her life and work.

June 2008

In May, after 7 years of valuable service in the library and fundraising departments, Caroline Gilmour-White has said goodbye to FEISA and is now focusing on her other ministries in the diocese. We thank God for her commitment to providing an outstanding service to the students and teachers in the library and for her hard work in bringing in much-needed funds. Please pray for peace and guidance for Caroline as she continues to follow God in this new phase of her service for Him. May she experience God’s rich blessing and abundant love in new ways.

Praise God for the provision of several donations during April and May which have eased the cash flow problem for the time being. There are a number of funding applications which need to be made to several major donors before the end of June. Pray for the time and wisdom to prepare the applications and also for their acceptance by the donors and the quick release of the funds.

Praise the Lord for the success of the workshops at the ACSI conference on 9th and 10th May. Altogether, 240 teachers attended the sessions run by Marisol and Marina and the feedback was extremely positive. Please pray that the teachers will have the time and energy to process and put into practice the things they learned.

Give thanks for the fruitful time the FEISA leadership had during their strategic planning days at the end of May. They have come up with an exciting and ambitious five-year plan, including the following projects:
• Introduction of more courses.
• Generation of income from within Paraguay though educational business ventures.
• Extension of the training in indigenous communities.
• Establishment of a permanent play space for street children from the local area.
• Purchase of a new building in order to provide the infrastructure for the above.
Please pray for the leadership team as they begin to implement the various aspects of the plan. Pray for patience and guidance and for the timing of each project to follow God’s priorities.

Strategic planning meeting: l-r; Gloria, Sam, Ana, Ruth, Estela

Please continue to pray for the release of funds from the Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence so that FEISA can continue with the indigenous nursery project in Yatnata.

On 14th June, there will be a meeting in the Chaco community of El Estribo, where nine schools are keen to take part in the indigenous pre-school training programme, due to start in August. It is an ambitious project, covering a relatively wide geographic area and the indigenous teachers all have very high expectations for it. Please pray for wisdom and strength for Sam Parsons, in charge of the project, and the FEISA teachers involved.

At a meeting of the Anglican Church in Paraguay on 31st May, a British bishop was elected by an overwhelming majority to replace John Ellison. He and his wife are expected to arrive next year. Praise the Lord for the sense of peace and unity at the meeting and pray for them as they begin their preparations for moving to Paraguay.

May 2008

Praise God for a very positive student integration day on 25^th April. We heard the Word of God from a visiting speaker and the students played games and sports all afternoon. It was organized so that the teams were made up from the different year groups and the girls had a lot of fun getting to know each other better (see photo).

Thank you for praying for Andrea, our former student who is now in Oxford and needed accommodation. She is now settled in a new home, a little further away from school, but she’s living with someone who works at the same school, so they go into work together. God is good!

The annual Paraguayan conference of the Association of Christian Schools International will take place on the 9^th and 10^th of May. For the third year running, FEISA has been asked to run workshops at the conference. Two of our teachers will be taking part: Marisol’s workshop will be on creativity; how to develop it in yourself as a teacher and how to encourage it in your pupils. Marina will do two workshops; one on how to stimulate thinking and language in children, the other on creative approaches to literacy and making it relevant to your pupils’ context. Please pray for wisdom and inspiration as they plan these workshops and for the teachers who go along to be inspired to improve their teaching as a result of what they learn.

On 28^th and 30^th May, the leadership team of FEISA will spend the whole day together, working on a strategic plan for FEISA’s future. This is something which is particularly important considering the continuing fall in the exchange rates, given our current dependence on foreign funding. Pray that the discussions would not be directed by financial concerns but by God and pray for wisdom for the leadership and courage to follow God in whatever direction he wishes.

The indigenous nursery project FEISA is running with the community of Yatnata in the Chaco has had to come to a halt this month because the final installment of funding has not been released by the Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence. The project is having great success and the women who are being trained are doing very well indeed. Please pray for the Ministry to release the funds so that the project, which is nearing completion, can continue.

Praise the Lord for peaceful general and presidential elections on 20^th April. It is the first time ever that power has passed from one party to another without bloodshed. The new president, Fernando Lugo (see photo) will take office on 15^th August. He is a former bishop, influenced by liberation theology (which emphasises God's preferential option for the poor) and has caught the hearts and minds of a Paraguayan people ready for change. He and his coalition partners have pledged to fight the corruption and poverty which are such pervasive problems here.

April 2008

Praise the Lord! We now have 21 students in the first year of the diploma course. This is great news and is a confirmation that God wants the course to run again this year. They have now done a week of teaching practice and are starting their lessons on Monday 31st March. Please pray for them to settle into FEISA quickly, for a positive group dynamic between them and a positive learning atmosphere in the class.

Praise God for the start of the 2-year degree extension course on 24th March, with 25 students.

Give thanks for a wonderful Easter service, led by the third years (see photo below). The service was well-planned and very touching. These students are a lovely group of girls and a great blessing in FEISA.


In March, the director of an oil company which has donated funds to FEISA for a number of years, came to Paraguay for a few days with his daughter. He took the opportunity to come and visit FEISA and he seemed to be impressed with what he saw. He told us he would be letting his company know that we spend their money well!! Praise the Lord for this wonderful opportunity to meet him and express personally how much the generosity of his company has impacted the lives of children in Paraguay.

Please pray for our second year class. There are one or two students in the group who are very strong-minded and can be argumentative and disrespectful at times. The few Christians in the class are very quiet natured, so the overriding atmosphere is often more negative than positive. Please pray for the staff as we work with them, for Christ's love to shine out from us and for the students to be touched by Him.

Please pray for the two visits to the Chaco in April, continuing the training in the indigenous community of Yatnata. We are helping the community set up and run their own nursery school for the very youngest children. The visits are on 11th-12th and the 25th -56th of this month. Praise God for this opportunity to work with the Ministry of Education and for all that FEISA is learning from the experience.
(The photo shows one of the mothers during a training session in March)


On 20th April, Paraguay will elect a new president. Please pray that the vote will be free and fair. There are four main candidates, among them a Roman Catholic bishop and a retired general, who spent time in prison for his part in the alleged assassination of a former vice-president. They all promise change and a better Paraguay. Please pray that whoever is chosen will lead the country in wisdom, justice and integrity.

March 2008

Urgent prayer please!
Please pray for more first year diploma students. We currently have ten applicants but we need an absolute minimum of 12 by 6th March to know we can start the course at the end of this month. Many have telephoned for information about the course, but few have come in for application forms. Please pray urgently for the right number and the right students to sign up. (the photo shows some of our current third years)


Thank you for your prayers about the new language degree courses FEISA was asked to take on for the University. After much prayer and discussion, the Management Team felt it was not the right decision to accept these courses after all. Praise the Lord for his clear guidance on this issue.

Please pray for our cash flow situation this year. The exchange rate has fallen between the British and Paraguayan currencies, which means that for every ₤1000 that is donated, we receive ₤100 less than we did last year. High inflation in Paraguay means that every year our cash reserve funds in the bank are decreasing. A number of our students have decided to leave and this means we are receiving less money in the shape of tuition fees. Several of our major donors will be giving us their donations in the second half of the year and all these factors combined mean that for the first half of the year, we will be running down our reserves. We need more donations earlier on this year to make sure the situation does not become critical. Please pray for God to provide the money we need in good time.

Several times last year, we asked you to pray about the possibility of FEISA running in-service training courses for teachers in order to provide much needed training for professionals and an added source of income for the college. The Ministry of Education never granted Estela and Gloria of the Management Team a meeting about this so now we would ask you to pray for wisdom as the FEISA leadership makes decisions about what courses to provide and how to proceed.

More urgent prayer needed!
Andrea Friesen (on right in photo, with Sam Parsons), one of our 2007 graduates, has been in the UK since January, working part-time as a Teaching Assistant in a Christian school in Oxford. She has been living in temporary accommodation and now desperately needs to find somewhere more permanent. She has been unable to find anywhere within her means so far and needs to move out of her current place by 7th March. Please pray for her to find suitable and affordable accommodation near the school as soon as possible.

In the middle of February, there was an outbreak of yellow fever in Paraguay, for the first time in 30 years. This sent communities into panic as people in their neighbourhood were diagnosed with the disease. It is carried by the same mosquito that carries dengue fever, but is much more severe because it has a 50% mortality rate. There is a vaccine, but when the outbreak began, there were not enough vaccines in Paraguay. Other governments donated or lent what was needed, but the help was slow in coming and there were long queues of angry people at health clinics in the meantime. Praise the Lord for the Government's eventual provision of free vaccines to immunise everyone and the apparent containment of the outbreak.

February 2008

Praise the Lord for a wonderful graduation ceremony with all the graduates from 2006 and 2007! The 2006 graduates finally paid their outstanding fees, which meant they could participate in the ceremony on 11th December.
(The photo shows Estela with some of the 2006 graduates.)

A new academic year has begun! Please pray for all the organisation and administration details that will help this year run smoothly.

Urgent and intense prayer needed:
FEISA is a department of the Evangelical University of Paraguay. The same university's Faculty of Languages ("Falevi") has had to close suddenly and FEISA has been asked to take on responsibility for the two degree courses Falevi was running. One of the degrees is in English and the other a bilingual degree in Spanish and Guaraní and both include a specialism in education, so the graduates are qualified to teach these languages. There are issues to do with the current students' documentation and legal issues with staff which need to be sorted out. Another faculty was asked to take on these courses but refused and FEISA has been told that if we don't take them on, there will be huge repercussions for the university as a whole.
Pray for great wisdom and discernment for the leadership team at FEISA, particularly Estela and Gloria, as they thoroughly investigate all the implications in order to make an informed decision and as they seek God's will on whether to accept this challenge.

Praise the Lord for a very good staff retreat on 6th February (pictured). The leadership, admin and teaching staff all enjoyed a time of fellowship and hearing God's word.

So far, only four students have signed up to begin the first year of the diploma course. We need between 20 and 25. Please pray for the right students to respond to the publicity and apply. The first year course will start on 24th March.

Please pray for our third year students who are on teaching practice this month.

Praise God for the 19 students who have so far signed up to start the 2-year degree extension. We have offered former FEISA students a discount if they sign up by this Friday, the 15th. Please pray for more students to apply; we would like 25 altogether. The degree course will start on 24th March.

Our first visit to the indigenous community of Yatnata this year is on 15th-16th February. FEISA will be starting a training programme with the mothers in the community, to enable them to set up their own nursery for the youngest children. Please pray for the FEISA team as they prepare the training and for the right mothers to attend and be committed to the programme. The second training visit will be 29th Feb-1st March.

December 2007

Praise God for a lovely end of year show by the students on 20th November. They presented songs, dances and short plays suitable for early years children and they all did a fantastic job. The photo shows the second year students finishing their play about a duck with a song.

Praise the Lord for a wonderful visit by the play scheme to Quyquyho, a village 3 hours drive away from Asunción. The children in the countryside are particularly poor and needy in so many ways. We went to support the work of a couple who provide a free canteen for 100 children every day. The children were excited to have the opportunity to play with so many toys, and they behaved themselves very well indeed. The photo shows the 80 children watching the puppet sketch we did before the play time.


Last year's third year students, who could not graduate because they had not paid all their fees, have finally all paid what they owed. Praise the Lord indeed!! This means that they will graduate with the current third years on 11th December.

Please pray for the thanksgiving service for the third years on 10th December. Pray for those who will be leading the service and that the girls will be blessed by it. Please pray for them as they begin a new stage in their lives, for God's love to shine through them on the children they teach, that lives might truly be transformed as a result.

The first and second year students are in the middle of exams as we write this. Please pray for them all to find the time to revise and the clarity of thought to bring it all to mind in the exam.

Please pray for the publicity which is being organised for both the three-year Diploma and the five-year Degree course. Please pray that students would be drawn to both courses and the right students would apply.

Finally, please pray for a restful break for all FEISA staff during the long summer holiday. The next prayer letter will be sent out in February.

November 2007

Give praise for the generous donations from several people in response to our item in last month's prayer letter about the six third year students experiencing financial difficulties. They are now able to complete their studies. Praise the Lord!

Please pray for the spiritual and emotional needs of all our students. We are nearing the end of the academic year and so the students are exhausted. They have all finished teaching practice placements recently and it was a stressful time for many. Final exams are coming up for the first and second years and on top of all that, a number of students are also facing difficult issues at home.

Please keep praying for the first year students, as we told you about last month. There have been a number of issues over the past weeks which have brought individuals in the year group into a spiritual conflict with the college. Please pray that those students who want to stay would do so and that those who have difficulties with FEISA's Christian philosophy would consider carefully whether they should continue to study here.

Bishop John and Judie's leaving service on 21st October was a wonderful celebration of their nineteen years of faithful service in Paraguay. Please praise God with us for the Bishop's invaluable support and advice since FEISA began in 2000. (See photo: On the left, Sam and Gloria as they presented FEISA's leaving gift, on the right, the Bishop with the engraved leather document folder.)

Please pray for John Tompkins, our UK treasurer. He is experiencing some health difficulties and would value your prayers. Praise God for the valuable work John does for us in communicating with donors and our UK bank.

The drought and fires over recent months have led to many problems in Paraguay. There is a milk shortage as a result of the deaths of cows and a fuel shortage due to the level of the river being too low to allow the ships to bring the fuel into the country. This has led to rising petrol and diesel prices, which in turn has led to fewer buses running and an increase in the bus fares. The fires also damaged crops which are what the majority of Paraguayans living in the countryside rely on for food and income. All this has provoked a rising cost of living in this developing country, where salaries are unable to keep up with inflation. Please pray for abundant rain in the whole country and for the provision of fuel and food at affordable prices.

October 2007

As those of you with e-mail addresses heard, in August and September there were many forest fires throughout Paraguay. We asked you to pray for rain and God was gracious and sent enough rain to put out 99 % of the fires. Unfortunately, there has been no rain since then in some of the more remote parts of the country and there are now over 400 fires burning, mostly in the Chaco region. The lack of rain also means that there is a severe shortage of water for the communities in that harsh region. Please pray for significant rain to fall and put out all the fires for good and to provide the desperately needed water.

Praise the Lord for a very successful trip to the Chaco with the third year students, which counts as one of their teaching practice placements. The school at Yatnata had its pre-school and year 1 classrooms painted and the students organised activities for the children.

In July, we told you about the translation of children's Bible stories and teaching materials into Enxet for communities in the Chaco. Praise God for the completion of these materials and the successful first teaching session at the Yatnata school on 24^th September. (the photo shows Remigio, who did the translation, teaching the children)

Please pray for Estela, our Head, who fell and broke her arm and is in a great deal of pain. She has been on sick leave for two weeks and is still unable to return to work due to the pain she is in.

Please pray for the six third year students who are struggling financially. Due to various reasons they all have to pay for re-sit exams and this is adding to the financial burden they are already under. Please pray for them to be able to find the money so that they can get up to date with their fees and do their exams. Those with fees outstanding are also unable to do their teaching practice placement with their classmates. This situation puts in jeopardy their graduation in December.

Some of our fist year students lack motivation and a small minority also lack respect in the classroom. There are some very strong personalities which have a negative influence on the rest of the group and the Christians in the class are very quiet. Please pray for increased motivation for the difficult students and for the love of Christ to reign in the group. Please also pray for the FEISA teachers, to love the students and to teach them without prejudice.