How to Get There?

I've now finally added the 'Objectives for Outreach' on the 'About' page of my blog. Three out of four of the objectives I'm not struggling with. I'm working alongside the volunteers daily and was greatly encouraged by meeting and sharing with my friend, missionary teacher Linda Uys, on Friday. We're going to go forward and get the Christian Step by Step curriculum for the preschool. After spending Christmas with her family in South Africa, Linda will bring it back with her in her car. She'll also guide the volunteers in using it. Also, I'm planning to give some training to the volunteers in late November or early December on God's heart for the child and child development, hoping to communicate a broader view on learning/teaching the majority of people working with children here have been exposed to.

I would just love to see our preschoolers in an environment where the teacher-directed part of the day isn't the only time of day valued by the volunteers. I have a huge respect for what the volunteers do, they're incredibly hard-working and I learn so much from them, but in all honesty, I long to see the volunteers get a more holistic view of learning and to see the children in an age-appropriate environment, where play, creativity and discovery are supported, children and childhood highly valued, before they move on to primary school classes of up to 100 children, where the only teaching method is rote learning.

And this brings me to the one objective I'm struggling with: "helping to create a nurturing and enriching environment", or to be more specific on where I want to go, I could say: "helping to create a nurturing and enriching age-appropriate environment, which encourages creativity, discovery and play". I know exactly where I want to go -- my dream is to create a more structured learning environment both inside and outside the church building we're using -- but we do not have the means to get there. Would you please consider supporting us?

Refugees and Immigrants (Week Twelve)

The last topic in the CRS lecture phase was one very close to my heart, Refugees and Immigrants, taught by Phil Gazley, who spoke on the importance of us being listeners and learners. During my last full weekend in Costa Rica I also had the privilege of seeing a little more of the beautifully diverse country and travelling to visit my Finnish friends in a small rural village in the Guanacaste province. And as if that wasn't special enogh, my two roommates, who I know value their sleep when they can get it, got up at something like five in the morning to see me off to the bus station. I felt incredibly blessed!