by elfaro | Jul 3, 2013 | Bitácora, Blog, Sin Categoría
Jessica Roberts is a volunteer who arrived to El Faro on June 19th. A native of Oklahoma, she studies at Missouri State University where in December she will graduate in Exercise and Movement Science. She is a joy and blessing to be around and even in her short time here at El Faro she has done so much. We thank God for her life and what plans He has for the rest of her time at El Faro.
Today marks my first two weeks here at El Faro and what an incredible two weeks it has been. I arrived in Guatemala not really knowing what to expect but as soon as I met the El Faro staff I felt completely at home. I wasn’t sure how much I could contribute since I know very little spanish but by God’s grace he has given me opportunities to use my talents for His glory.
Right now with the help of a translator I am coaching four soccer teams, teaching PE classes, and leading a fitness class for the women of El Faro. I absolutely love the kids here and working with them has been a joy. Everyday no matter how exhausting it may be I feel so blessed to be here and little by little my spanish is getting better haha Day by day I see God at work in this place and day by day he proves His faithfulness. I can not wait to see what more God will do these next four weeks I am here. It’s going to be awesome! 🙂
by elfaro | Jun 12, 2013 | Bitácora, Blog
Anita Vasquez is an amazing young girl. She came to El Faro at only nine months old when her parents, David and Zita, became directors in 2005. At eight years-old she is a person all of us at El Faro learn from. It isn’t easy for a young girl to live so far from Guatemala City, but Anita has adjusted herself and she will definitely make her mark in the World through what she is learning at El Faro.
Q. What do you do at El Faro on a weekly basis?
A. Every morning I go to homeschool with teacher Karlita. I am in second grade and right now I am learning about multiplication and all the volcanoes that are in Guatemala. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to soccer practice with my friends with our coach Gavin. I also attend Bible Club every Sunday in the village of Santa Maria. In the afternoons I stay home and play with my two little brothers and my dog Jack.
Q. Do you like living at El Faro?
A. Yes. I like to swim in the Ocean and also be with my best friend Delmi who lives right up the road.
Q. What does El Faro do?
A. El Faro helps people that don’t feel good by bringing medicine and also by putting stitches to people who get hurt. El Faro also goes to schools to paint with teams that come from the USA. El Faro helps many people in villages that are very far.
Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. I want to be a Veterinarian. I like being at El Faro because there are lots of animals for me to learn from.
by elfaro | Jun 2, 2013 | Bitácora, Blog
Today El Faro is having the combined Bible Club in the afternoon. ‘El Club Conjunto’’, as it is called in Spanish, is when all three clubs from the area come together to have a special day with special guests. It is a time to do something different from what is done each week in Club all the while still focusing on the Bible. Past ‘Club Conjunto’s’ have included a fair, a puppet and song show, magicians, and dance companies.
The Chldren’s Club has come along way and it makes us reflect on where it all started. David and Zita Vasquez had recently arrived to El Faro to serve as directors in 2006 when they had a desire to do a vacation bible school. It was a huge success and after the school ended they knew they needed to do something to help the kids grow spiritually.
We chatted with Zita Vasquez to know more about the Club.
Q. What is the mission of the club?
A. The mission of the club is that the children know more about the Word of God. That they know that God loves them and responds to their prayers.
Q. How has the club changed since it began in 2007?
A. One of the big changes is that it now has an official name-Exploradores. ‘Exploradores’ means Exploreres and each week the children are guided to explore the Bible and apply it to their lives through the different Bible characters and lessons. The club has also worked with different materials and we have created a year-long lesson plan that has to do with values. We have been able to share our material with other ministries and we are in the process of creating a new one.
Q. What are your dreams and plans for the Club?
A. Our dream for the club is to see the children become adults who transform their communities through lives filled with the presence of God and that this raises up a healthy community, one with many opportunites to grow. We also hope that families will be transfored through the power of the Word. The Club is growing and we pray that it can go to many more villages and that the children can know the Word of God in a nice and fun way.
Q. What have you learned through being a leader of the Club?
A. I have learned that many times you don’t see a fast change in the children, but the person who see the changes and growth is the Lord . He knows each one of them and knows when each one will shine. Sometimes it is hard for people to understand this, but with patience and prayer the children grow have come so far and we believe that they will be the transformers of their communities.
Club Exploradores meets every Sunday from 3-5 pm and we would love for you to pray for this growing ministry.
by elfaro | Apr 5, 2013 | Sin Categoría
To understand why my husband and I came to El Faro you’d first have to have a brief knowledge of our background. My husband, Osmar was born and raised in the Peruvian Amazon in the city of Iquitos. Like most Iquitanians, my husband was raised very poor and to this day he is still the only person in his family who has made it out of destitution. Even though my husband by the local standards is living a wealthy lifestyle, he hasn’t forgotten where he came from. Three years ago the desire in his heart to help others blossomed into a small gathering of kids in his mother’s humble bamboo and grass roofed home in the stricken community. It’s very simple, he went to love on them and they came. He started sharing the bible, teaching them to pray, played games and gave food and drink. Today our ministry, The Sunshine Kids Club, now has 160 members all children from 6 months of age to 16 years old.
What are 2 people to do with 160 kids?… that’s where El Faro comes in. Osmar and I heard about El Faro some time ago and that they were searching for people to come and work with the children of Punta de Palma and surrounding communities. At the time we didn’t feel God had told us to leave our ministry and our kids in Peru, but now our 13 yr olds are now 16 yr olds and so our ministry and the programs it offers also need to adapt to capture our older kids attention. So this year God made it possible for us to come on a “training expedition” if you will, to broaden our minds and our vision for our children home in Peru, and indeed we have truly been encouraged beyond measure. Upon arrival before stepping foot off the boat, El Faro is beautiful to behold. Not only externally is it a paradise on earth with its brightly colored tucans and palm trees but the family connection with the staff and teams is by far its greatest attribute. You will not go unappreciated, feel useless despite your talents or lack thereof, you simply feel at home among family and dear friends.
From my very first church service here I received an answer to one of my greatest cries. You see, we have been praying over this piece of real estate since ’09 for our kids ministry. This building is huge and as it has been sitting abandoned for some 20 years needs lots of repairs, but none the less it would be perfect. But to be honest a project of this magnitude is intimidating to undertake. And for the last 4 years I haven’t truly believed that God would give, or do something that big through me. And the more time went on the more I believed it was too late for our dreams, for this vision of ministry… BUT here God gave me a word. “IT’S NOT TOO LATE! AND IT’S NOT TOO BIG FOR ME!” Since this word we have new desires, plans, and visions seeping out from within. We can mirror the tutoring program, soccer academy and kids camp here at El Faro. We want to have a dance and drama club. We want to have a princess ball so girls know how their Daddy in heaven treasures them and self-defense classes for the men that don’t. We want to do all this and more. What a renewing of hope. And this word will stay with me until He has completed His good work through me! He will provide ALL we need, all we have to do is believe and obey. For me El Faro has inspired me to allow myself to be inspired more greatly by God.
Thank you David Vasquez and El Faro staff for housing and feeding us, for investing your time and prayers in us and for sharing the many many laughs. And thank you All For Him and Hearts In Motion for your love and our transportation.
Blessings
Nicole & Osmar
To see more of their amazing ministry in Peru, Sunshine Kids Club, go to their facebook HERE
by elfaro | Apr 5, 2013 | Bitácora, Blog
To understand why my husband and I came to El Faro you’d first have to have a brief knowledge of our background. My husband, Osmar was born and raised in the Peruvian Amazon in the city of Iquitos. Like most Iquitanians, my husband was raised very poor and to this day he is still the only person in his family who has made it out of destitution. Even though my husband by the local standards is living a wealthy lifestyle, he hasn’t forgotten where he came from. Three years ago the desire in his heart to help others blossomed into a small gathering of kids in his mother’s humble bamboo and grass roofed home in the stricken community. It’s very simple, he went to love on them and they came. He started sharing the bible, teaching them to pray, played games and gave food and drink. Today our ministry, The Sunshine Kids Club, now has 160 members all children from 6 months of age to 16 years old.
What are 2 people to do with 160 kids?… that’s where El Faro comes in. Osmar and I heard about El Faro some time ago and that they were searching for people to come and work with the children of Punta de Palma and surrounding communities. At the time we didn’t feel God had told us to leave our ministry and our kids in Peru, but now our 13 yr olds are now 16 yr olds and so our ministry and the programs it offers also need to adapt to capture our older kids attention. So this year God made it possible for us to come on a “training expedition” if you will, to broaden our minds and our vision for our children home in Peru, and indeed we have truly been encouraged beyond measure. Upon arrival before stepping foot off the boat, El Faro is beautiful to behold. Not only externally is it a paradise on earth with its brightly colored tucans and palm trees but the family connection with the staff and teams is by far its greatest attribute. You will not go unappreciated, feel useless despite your talents or lack thereof, you simply feel at home among family and dear friends.
From my very first church service here I received an answer to one of my greatest cries. You see, we have been praying over this piece of real estate since ’09 for our kids ministry. This building is huge and as it has been sitting abandoned for some 20 years needs lots of repairs, but none the less it would be perfect. But to be honest a project of this magnitude is intimidating to undertake. And for the last 4 years I haven’t truly believed that God would give, or do something that big through me. And the more time went on the more I believed it was too late for our dreams, for this vision of ministry… BUT here God gave me a word. “IT’S NOT TOO LATE! AND IT’S NOT TOO BIG FOR ME!” Since this word we have new desires, plans, and visions seeping out from within. We can mirror the tutoring program, soccer academy and kids camp here at El Faro. We want to have a dance and drama club. We want to have a princess ball so girls know how their Daddy in heaven treasures them and self-defense classes for the men that don’t. We want to do all this and more. What a renewing of hope. And this word will stay with me until He has completed His good work through me! He will provide ALL we need, all we have to do is believe and obey. For me El Faro has inspired me to allow myself to be inspired more greatly by God.
Thank you David Vasquez and El Faro staff for housing and feeding us, for investing your time and prayers in us and for sharing the many many laughs. And thank you All For Him and Hearts In Motion for your love and our transportation.
Blessings
Nicole & Osmar
To see more of their amazing ministry in Peru, Sunshine Kids Club, go to their facebook HERE
by elfaro | Nov 6, 2012 | Sin Categoría
We are so delighted to welcome back our dear friends from Family Bible Church in Indiana. This is their fourth consecutive year at El Faro and we are so happy to see people that have are returning as well as those who are here for the first time. Last year they brought a team with the youngest member that we have ever had…this year they beat their own record and we are delighted to have a five year old here, Blake, serving with his family.
This is our first team to bring over to Punta Manabique and were are blessed to have made a good first impression. We went the first day with two dentists, an eye doctor, and a women’s doctor. In addition, we set up our famous photo studio, played soccer with the kids, colored, painted nails, and make wordless book bracelets.
by elfaro | Nov 6, 2012 | Sin Categoría
The week of Easter, or Holy Week as it is called here in Guatemala, is one of our busiest weeks of the year at El Faro. We are completely booked a good six months before and so we are always completely full. This area of Guatemala is a good location to come on vacation because of the white-sand beaches, tropical surroundings, hot weather, and the big beautiful ocean. Families come from all over the country to come and spend time together and we always have a great time meeting new people and playing games. In addition, a Nazarene church from Guatemala City comes with 125 people to have a family retreat.
Our week began on Palm Sunday when Meagan and Luis Pedro decorated the chapel with palm leaves and created a intimate atmosphere where we worshipped, read from the Bible, and took of Holy Communion together. It was a beautiful time and it set the atmosphere for the week as we reflected on what Christ did for us on the cross.
Katie Barnes, a Youth for Christ leader from Indiana, visited El Faro with the Family Bible Church and left us a booklet of group games. During Holy Week we played a couple of the new games with all the families that were here and had a great time getting to know one another and laughing until our stomach hurts.
As is tradition, we painted Easter eggs with the children at El Faro that we hid on Easter Sunday. Because we live in such a humid area, most of the Easter eggs began to sweat which left many of our hands stained and quite colorful.
By the time that Sunday afternoon came, there was no one left at El Faro except for the staff. We joined together for a Easter Dinner complete with ham, potatoes, salad, and Karlita’s famous jello. It was a beautiful time together to reflect not only the week that we had with new friends and serving lots of people from the Nazarene Church, but also to reflect on the true meaning of Easter and what it means to our ministry.
All of us at El Faro are very different. We come from different families, places, and even countries, but the one thing that we all have in common is Jesus in our hearts. We hope all of our friends had a wonderful Easter.
by elfaro | Nov 6, 2012 | Sin Categoría
The girls basketball team from Evangel University, located in Springfield, Missouri, traveled down to El Faro this past week. This was the second ministry trip that the sports department of Evangel had taken with us and like last year, it was an amazing time.
The day that they arrived they jumped into their busy schedule. Montse had announced to her English and gym classes that we were going to have a basketball clinic and 40 kids showed up at the court.
After the clinics they moved onto their English “mini city”. This was open to all of the El Faro English classes as well as the middle school. The Evangel team had put together boards representing different store including candy store, dentist, school supplies, drinks, etc. Each student had to go around to the different stores to learn the english words and receive signatures. Later that week they were to return to change their signed sheets in for money to spend at the stores.
The team also had the chance to serve in the villages with two community projects. In the village of Las Pavas they painted the basketball court as well as had the doctor serve in the medical clinic. In the village of Las Pavas they painted a school and had another basketball clinic.
El Faro had contacted the sports department of Puerto Barrios to find teams for the Evangel basketball team to play against. Two nights of the week we traveled to Puerto Barrios to play against the state team of Izabal at the basketball stadium. They drew in a large crowd of 150 at each game and had a great time playing and getting to know the other team. The Izabal team came to El Faro one night to spend the night and get to know the Evangel team.
What a blessing it is to bring two cultures together and bond over something like basketball. God is able to use our gifts and skills in ways sometimes we never thought imaginable.
by elfaro | Nov 6, 2012 | Sin Categoría
Katie Faughnan was a volunteer at El Faro for two weeks this summer. She was a blessing to everyone here at El Faro through her gentle spirit and heart for Guatemala. During her stay she not only helped with a missions team from the states, but she also served as a mentor to ten girls from the local villages in a soccer camp. Here is a blog entry after her first week at El Faro.
When one is in the early stages of life he often possesses a vision, has his actions planned, his opinions and views set regarding how life is going to play out. He is ready to embark with certainty upon his self-devised adventure. But yet, as I have observed in my own life repeatedly, God always seems to have a way of taking one by surprise, completely catching one off guard with plans to use him for matters never before anticipated. Once these plans are realized, one knows that he has been perfectly created, possesses the exact mentality and skill set for this specific mission. Deep passion suddenly rivals any amount of vast difficulty, and one is on his way to playing his role in the fulfillment of the will of God in the world.
Although I am still on the journey of figuring it all out, my life fits this description to a pin. The influences in my life have specifically, purposefully, tailored me into the individual that I have grown into. I am neither an emotional girl, nor even much of a talker for that matter. But, I love listening to people’s stories, thinking about them, learning from them. I believe in the strength of written words. I believe that through their complete disregard for boarders of all kind, they have the capability to share thoughts and influence lives throughout humanity. And for this reason, I find myself writing this post to you from Guatemala. I, with every fiber of my being, believe that it is with the upmost necessity that the story of El Faro is told.
I am a concrete believer in spiritual gifts. I believe that everyone possesses one; every single person on this earth has something to offer. The gifts vary remarkably in essence, but can all be utilized to work to spread the light of the Lord in His world.
This assertion has been demonstrated to me more than ever throughout this past month spent in Guatemala. I have had the distinct honor to observe several groups come into the country equipped with pre-planned, detailed goals and ways to reach them. I’ve witnessed people of all ages, places, cultures, ethnicities and genders. I’ve seen storytellers, athletes, intellectuals, medics, builders, jokesters, artists, quiet ones, non-Spanish speakers, designers, and teachers all employing their strengths to work toward one common goal…spreading the word of Jesus Christ, and thus working to provide a better life and opportunity to those who have never been shown.
Anyone can glorify the Lord, anytime, anywhere. I believe that in any profession, this can be done depending on the talents and gifts possessed. Use your platform, your capabilities, your life, to share the good news-even if it is just through a smile.
Everyday at Mision El Faro, I see this. Through Megan, Luis Pedro, Sammy, Karlita, David, Nelita, Maira, Nelson, and everyone else part of this fantastic mission. I have never been so moved, so inspired by a group of people. They are doing more than a great job, and I know that the mission will everyday reach new heights. I advise people to use El Faro as an example for their own lives. Use what you have been given to glorify God in the world.
This week, 100+ girls from the poorest zones in Guatemala city will be coming to El Faro for a five day Christian soccer camp. For many, this is the first opportunity they have had to be exposed to Christ. I have prayed for energy, wisdom, and strength needed to mentor these girls this week. I have complete faith that the staff of El Faro will effectively use this time to make a lasting change in the lives of these girls!
Much love,
Katie Faughnan
by elfaro | Nov 6, 2012 | Sin Categoría
The turotring program began in the month of March with 15 students from the public school of Punta de Palma. The students were selected by their teachers because of their low academic level they had in school. The students were from grades first to third.
The initial idea of the program was to help these students for an hour each afternoon after school ended. We were to complete homework that was assigned that day in school. At the beginning it was evident that the students who were coming to my program did not have the capacity to read or write. Because of this very evident realization, the main focus of the tutoring class changed to teaching these 15 students how to read and write.
The students are divided into four levels:
Beginners– Here there are only two students from first grade and for them it is much harder to understand reading and writing. For this reason I have decided to only have these two students in this class so I can give them my full undivided attention to them, which is a must!
Intermediate 1-In this class I have five students: two from first grade, one from second, and two from third. These students learn very slowly, but the results are very evident.
Intermediate 2-In this class there are seven students: one from first grade, four from second, and two from third. These students have a high learning level (looking at the parameter of these 15 students) and are capable of reading and writing with just a few errors.
Advanced-Here I only have just one student who can read and write much better than the others. With her we work on completing assignments, gain a better understanding of reading, and improve her writing. In the future we will begin orthography lessons.
One hour a day from Monday to Thursday the students come to class, which is located here at the El Faro facilities. They have fifteen minutes before class to have free time in the library and choose a book that they are interested in to bring to class and read if possible. The goal of this is to create in them a reading discipline. We also create games to develop their motor skills and mental ability. Each day we review the ABC’s with a technique called ‘Tucker’. This technique allows them to sounds out each letter while doing hand signs at the same time in order for them to memorize the letters. The class continues with what they just have learned with a review of a letter. This is done with worksheets, games, etc. We always begin the class each week with a prayer said by one of the students who wants to pray. This is important for the kids to recognize the love of God and to have a heart of gratitude to Him who has given them life, health, and a place to live.
For me it is a very special experience to be able to be apart of not only the academic formation of the students, but also the spiritual. Each day the students pray for different things, but the phrase that they never cease to say is, “God, help us to learn how to read and write”. It is a great motivation and blessing to plant in them the achievement of this desire that they have.
I have seen a great improvement in these kids, not only in their homework and in class, but also in the development of each one. When the program began the kids did not speak because of shyness, but now they are kids who smile all the time, participate in class, and speak without stopping! Their teachers at the public school also have seen a great improvement, also no only academically, but also socially. It is a privilege to be a apart of this important development in the life of these kids.
Nelita Saravia a volunteer missionary who has been at El Faro since January. She is 19 years old and from Antigua, Guatemala. She studies Clinical Pychology at the University.
Comentarios Recientes