Faith Formulas Workshop

Faith Formulas Workshop is an elective class that Laurel leads at Inter-American School this semester. The class allows each of us to develop our own individual "Faith Formula" -- discovering ways in which we can grow in our faith. As a class we identified 25 different approaches to help us on our individual faith journeys.

The top three items almost all of us identified were: daily prayer, reading the Bible, and attending church. The elective is really a workshop (as opposed to a teaching-learning environment). We created our own class "sacred space"; discussed developing our individual "sacred times"; chose prayer teams; identified people, groups, and causes that we will prayer for (and incorporated them on intercessory prayer wheels that we made in class; and listed what we thank and praise God for. During our weekly class media lab day we created our own blog at http://www.faithformulas.blogspot.com/ , and have our own Facebook Group.
The class decided that as part of each class session we will spend a few moments of quiet time, pray and read scripture. We plan to explore and experiment with each of the twenty-five "faith formula" elements that we identified during our first week.

We also have fun. We order a Pizza, or bring in cookies and chips, at least once a week.

Los Ancianos Xela

Audrey, Donna and Laurel participate in this program which is jointly sponsored by La Iglesia Episcopal San Marcos, our parish in Guatemala, and Saint John´s Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida.

The Vision
Unlike in the United States, facilities and programs in support of senior citizens (Los Ancianos in Spanish) are not common in Guatemala. Padre Roberto Armas, the rector of San Marcos Episcopal Church in Xela, Guatemala has the dream of providing a community center for elderly members of his city.

The Program
The program provides participants with a free hot lunch, a comfortable "living room" environment for relaxation, friendship, conversation, television, movies, games, and various forms of entertainment. The center is open daily, Monday through Friday, for sponsored members.

The Facilities
The education building of San Marcos Church will be converted into the community center during the weekdays. Initial furniture and appliances are being donated by local contributors. Restroom facilities are located in the building, and Padre Roberto has recently constructed a wheelchair ramp for the entrance. The church kitchen is already equipped to cook daily hot nutritious meals.

The Staff
All staff members in Guatemala and Florida are volunteers. Padre Roberto Armas is the founder and director of the program; Hanna Kim, a Young Adult Volunteer from the Presbyterian Church, is the on-site program administrator; Laurel is the program coordinator between Guatemala and the United States; Donna is the financial manager; and, Audrey coordinates translations in Guatemala. The only paid position is the cook. A volunteer staff from the St. John´s Cathedral, managed by Monica MacKenzie, manages the sponsorship program.

Funding
Since facilities already exist and the staff consists of all volunteers, all funds will go to the support of elderly participants. The primary funding will be provided by sponsors in the United States who will contribute $20.00 per month. The sponsors will receive a photo and biography of their elderly friend, along with periodic personal messages at least three times a year. Individuals or groups (e.g. youth groups, Sunday school classes, etc.) who wish to contribute, but not be personal sponsors, may do so in three ways:

• Contribute $20.00 a month (this will provide funds for when a regular sponsor is unable to continue sponsorship).
  
• Contribute any amount on a one-time or continuing basis.
  
• Make special contributions for specified items or projects (such as a new TV, a kitchen appliance, facility improvements, etc.).

An Invitation to explore teaching in Guatemala

Our principal asked all of the faculty to introduce our school any of our friends who might find teaching for a year (or more) in Guatemala something worth considering. So here, along with the past several blogs, is a brief introduction to our teaching experience at Inter-American School.Do you think that you might be interested in exploring the possibility of teaching in Guatemala? Do you know of anyone in your Church or network of friends who might be interested in teaching at the Inter-American School? This would be a great opportunity for Christian mission service for someone who is retired, or has an independent income. Or, a truly meaningful experience for a recent graduate. The school offers a living stipend of $500 which is sufficient for rent, utilities, and food. Though the cost of living is very low in Xela, having some additional income from other sources (Church support, retirement, etc) would probably be beneficial.

Teachers must be college graduates, however a degree or experience in education is not required (but certainly preferred).

Inter-American School
http://www.ias-xela.org/

IAS is a Christian school, originally established in 1961 by the Presbyterian Church to provide quality education for the children of missionaries. It is now operated by the Inter-American Foreign Evangelical Missionaries Cultural Association, and is governed by a local inter-denominational board of directors who come from Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, and other denominations. The school uses a curriculum based on North American college preparatory standards.

There are about 150 students each year in grades Pre-K through 12. The maximum class size is 15, the average 2008-09 high school class has 7 students. The overwhelming majority of students today are from Guatemalan families and are members of the Catholic Church. About 15% of the students are Europeans, Asians, or North and South Americans.
Six of last year's eight graduates are now enrolled in universities in the U.S.A., one is studing in Europe. Previous graduates have attended such colleges as: West Point, the Air Force Academy, Loyola, Brigham Young, and the Universities of Texas and North Carolina. The point being that Inter-American School provides a superior education, preparing students to enroll in some of the world's best universities.

Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala

Quetzaltenango is usually known by it's shortened Mayan name of Xela (from Xelaju). This beautiful city is located at 7,658 feet in the Sierra Madre Mountains of western Guatemala. If you want it, culture shock is available in Xela. If you don't, it can be significantly minimized or even avoided (especially if you have previous travel experience in developing nations).

Xela has a large very modern shopping mall, complete with food court (McDonald's, Taco Bell, Subway, Domino's Pizza, etc.) and even a Walmart! There are dozens of elegant restaurants, with cuisine ranging from Italian and Chinese to an Uruguayan steak house. Entertainment can be found at the historical municiple theater, modern movie complexes, cable TV, and in-home Internet. There are lounges which provide live music, dancing and entertainment. If you need to learn Spanish, there are several wonderful schools which offer concentrated one-on-one instruction.

Modern housing in gated communities is readily available, as are very nice houses and apartments in the city. Although crime exists, it is not prevalent as it is in Guatemala City. During almost 50 years of existence, no IAS teacher has ever been the victim of violent crime.

Assemblies of God, Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Nazarene, Presbyterian, and independent evangelical "mega-churches" (among many others) can all be found in Xela.

Please contact the Inter-American School director director@ias-xela.org or principal principal@ias-xela.org for more information. You can download an application on-line through the IAS Web-page: http://www.ias-xela.org/.

Inter-American School Campus

Inter-American School sits on a hill overlooking central Quetzaltenango (Xela). The campus is beautiful and the view of the city, with the Santa María Volcano in the background, is spectacular. The school has four buildings. As you enter from the street the first building at the bottom of the hill is the Middle School building. Middle School consists of sixth, seventh and eighth grades. The building was intitially constructed as a dormitory for teachers and even has a fireplace and a kitchen. The kitchen is used for bake sales and often, when a teacher is available, for a home-economics elective class.A long flight of stairs, or a winding driveway, leads to the other three buildings at the top of the hill. The stairs are surrounded by trees and flowers, a scenic but tiring (for some of us over sixty) climb.
The next building as we ascend is the high school science and math building. This building is shared with the pre-kindergarden students at the far end.

A short stairs leads to the main education building which houses all of elementary school (kindergarden through fifth grade), and the high school english, history and religion class rooms. The class rooms surround a central assembly area where meetings and chapel services are held. The far end of the building houses the cafeteria ... the students bring their own lunches and snacks.
A covered walk-way leads from the main eduction building to the building at the top of the hill. Here we have the adminisrative offices, teachers lounge, physical education office (with equipment room), media center, computer lab and library.

The library is the largest and most comprehensive in the city of Xela (which is the home to San Carlos University and four smaller universities)! So, we have a wonderful library. The computer lab allows each class from kindergarden through high school to learn and develop a full range of computer skills. There are also several computers in the library.

Laurel uses the media center regularly in his classes. In addition to the computer lab, we have 12 WIFI notebook computers. The teacher's computer can project on the wall in order to lead students through internet research. Laurel has had each of his classes create a class Blog. Laurel posts study-guides and other class information on the Blog. The students can submit their required class journals and even their homework assignments on the Blog (as an option to pen and paper). The Blog belongs to the students ... so they are free to post notes to each other and the teacher, post photos and be creative. Some classes make better use of this option more than others.
Beyond the Administration building is the parking lot, outdoor basketball court, and soccer field. The view from here is magnificent. Xela has an elevation of 7,658 feet and is surrounded by even higher moutains and volcanoes.

Donna, the IAS 2nd Grade Substitute Teacher

Donna substituted in 2nd grade at Inter-American School on Wednesday through Monday. Annie, the regular second grade teacher returned to the States to participate in a friend's wedding. The wedding plans were made long before she came to Guatemala, so Donna was mentally prepared, from the beginning of teacher orientation, for this week.

Annie had almost every minute of each of her classes planned for Donna. A folder for each day. Two of the 2nd graders were appointed as "teacher's assistants" and have been a BIG help.



Donna loves the children, and loves teaching. Since she has previously substituted for several of the elementary grades this year and last Spring, she is well known, and well loved, by the students. They are a true joy.

Annie, the 2nd grade teacher

The View from Laurel's classroom window

School has begun at IAS for Laurel!

This will be Laurel's first year of teaching at Inter-American School, and this will be the first time he has taught high school students in 36 years!

Laurel has five classes this year. The first period class is tenth grade New Testament with eleven students, the largest class!
Second period is Church History with six juniors (two boys, four girls).
The one guy and seven senior girls have third period World Religions.Ninth grade Old Testament, fourth period, has only three girls in the class! The day is completed after lunch with fifth period Community Service.

Community Service is a requirement for graduation at IAS. This year another teacher, who has been here for two previous years, and Laurel are co-teaching (directing, coaching) the class. She has terrific organizational skills, unlimited ability, and some fabulous class project ideas for the eight students ; Laurel will be coordinating the Individual Service Projects each student must undertake.