Training

Today we will worship & train for the convocation.

Please pray: 1. for unity of each track 2. track leaders Bob, Cheryl & Nancy 3. facility details for convocation

Travel to Zacapa for Convocation

Today the team travels to Zacapa, the city where the convocation will be held. We will be leaving Guatemala City at 10:00 CST/8:00 PST. I look forward to telling you about the bus and the journey to Zacapa. I am told it will only be a 3.5 hour trip, but it's always an adventure when one takes a trip on a bus in a foreign country.

Learning a little more about the people here has been interesting. They are very receptive and love Americans. That has been refreshing. Some of the teachers are on strike at this time and it's been a sight to see them in their demonstrations which seem to be nonexistent compared to some of the ones state side. They basically set up tents and tarps. They look more like squatters rather than teachers on strike. Most of the students in Guatemala try to go to school as far as 5th or 6th grade before they have to enter the workforce because the family needs the funds. It is so important to make the most of those first few years as they may be the only ones some of these children will receive.

Please pray: for safe travels, rest/relaxation for entire team; getting to know one another & unity of combined teams.

Getting Ready

Today we met with our entire group and had a training session. After lunch we toured Guatemala City learning about the people and culture here.
Tomorrow we will load a bus and head for Zacapa. It's a little more remote; about 3/5 hours away.
Please pray for teachers we will be instructing to feel refreshed & encouraged as they come to know Christ in a deeper, more personal way.

Arrival in Guatemala

Today the team arrives in Guatemala City!

Prayer Request: 1. that teachers would feel valued & encouraged 2. they would find new ways and methods to use curriculum & other materials 3. Safety as the Team arrives in Guatemala City, their bags arrive with them and that they remain healthy.

While our rooms were not available when we arrived at 6:00AM, our flight was smooth, on time, and our baggage arrived with us. (Whew!) We were able to do some sight-seeing and have now settled into our rooms for much needed rest and showers. Several team members have been arriving throughout the day and tonight we will be meeting for dinner.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Day 3, Leadership Development Conference, Flores, Guatemala

The following is an update for Day 3 of the Leadership Development Conference in Flores. We will be meeting up with them soon.
"Hola once again from beautiful Flores, Guatemala! It has been quite a day for all of our team, and while we are tired and some of us not feeling too well, we continue to praise God for the blessing of being here and experiencing first hand what God is doing in the lives of teachers, students, parents and whole communities. It truly is such a privilege to know that our labors and efforts in Guatemala are already beginning to have such significant and eternal impact.
Today began with an early morning birthday ‘party’ for the Guatemalan national director for ISP, Anibal Duarte, as he celebrated his 50th birthday today. It was great fun to celebrate with Anibal, and even the teachers at the conference today had birthday cake! This evening we ended our day with music, a piñata, and more birthday cake which the hotel staff brought to Anibal’s table and then counted off his 50 years! Lots of smiles and picture-taking for everyone!
Day 3 of the conference once again saw over 100 teachers in attendance, and today the small group facilitators repeatedly said how enthused and interested the teachers were in all of the topics being presented and discussed. Alan Scholes spoke this morning on Jesus being fully man and fully God and how important that perspective is in teaching morality; Paul Neumann continued his series on communication skills and all of the teachers were taking notes on this presentation as fast as possible; Jose Ajsivinac presented his second talk on the importance of Spiritual Values, and the Inductive Bible study presented the application phase of this method. (Tomorrow one or two teachers in each group will lead the Bible study as they begin applying this method to the final two chapters of Titus.)
After lunch Haroldo Arreaga spoke on dealing with difficult people, and the final presentation of the day was actually a movie titled The Ultimate Gift. The teachers really enjoyed the movie and enthusiastically participated in the discussion of the movie afterwards.
Our day went by so quickly, and it is hard to believe we have already passed the half-way point in our time here! We also saw a significant change in the weather, with quite a wind storm in the afternoon that caused more than just a few short-lived power outages. Still, we were able to finish the conference today on time and then meet for a team meeting to go over the day, plan for tomorrow, and spend some time in prayer together.
We have quite a few of the team ‘down’ with some type of stomach virus, others fighting a cold, and of course just general fatigue at this point. Please continue to keep us in your prayers for health and stamina, as we so want to finish well.
We have had some wonderful team stories come in, and I would like to share those with you tonight. It reflects many of the things we are hearing from teachers, administrators and others in this region of Peten. And as I said earlier, it is such a blessing to our hearts to hear first-hand how God is multiplying the efforts of ISP. So here are these encouraging and uplifting reports:
From Bob Dunshee:
“On Day 1, following Dr. Scholes’ talk on the best basis for teaching morality, I asked the question ‘Have any of you taught lessons on morality or character development?’
All nine of the teachers and directors in my small group answered “YES!” And then several continued to tell me how the students were noticeably changed as a result, and how supportive the parents, other teachers and administrators were. The excitement in their eyes and the passion they exhibited while telling me and the rest of the group was enough evidence for me to say that we are truly witnessing God’s work in the lives of these people, and that what we are doing here has had significant impact.”
From Lynn Maynard:
“At lunch on Wednesday, one of the ladies in my group was talking about her new study Bible. She is Catholic and her husband is Evangelical. When he saw her reading her bible on Tuesday night, he started crying. She asked him what was wrong? He said that nothing was wrong….but he was so happy to see her reading the Bible because he had been praying for that for years! This was an answer to his prayers and he wanted to help her read it every day!”
From Diane Mabee:
“Edgar de Leon was at the conference in Peten in 2008 (two years ago.) As he returned to his school (he is a school director), he immediately started his teachers using the curriculum. He said at first he wondered if the students were really learning anything. But about eight months after the school had started using the curriculum, a student came into his office with a 50 Quetzales bill. (A little over $6 U.S. ) The student had found the bill in the hall. The student wanted to find the person who had lost the money. Edgar said that a few months before this, any student who found money would have just put it in his pocket and been quiet about it. Edgar began questioning his teachers and found out that it was now common for students to try to locate the owner of lost pens, pencils and even money. Edgar feels that his students are not only more honest now since the ISP curriculum has been taught at his school, but they are also more compassionate toward each other and happier as a result!”
Thank you, again, for joining us in this incredible adventure with God. You are truly a part of all that is happening here, and we are indebted to you, our family and friends, for your faithful prayers for us.
With great love and appreciation,
Linda
For all ISP team here in Guatemala"

Today We Head Out!

At 6:00 pm PST, we will be leaving the church in Bakersfield, CA and heading to LA to catch a flight to Guatemala City, Guatemala. Our flight will depart around 11:00pm and arrive at 6:45 am CST.

Prayer Request: 1. safe travel as our group leaves Bakersfield and travels to Guatemala. 2. For teachers’ hearts to be open, receptive and lives changed

Day 2 Leadership Development Conference

An update from the team that we will be joining:
"The second full day of activity and study has now been completed! It was a great day, and all of our team are thankful for the genuine enthusiasm and participation on the part of the teachers here. The number of teachers attending today stayed very much the same, about 114 teachers plus another 16 small group interpreters. Because of the teachers’ strike throughout Guatemala right now, we understand that some of the teachers have had to be busy with other things and were unable to attend. But those who are here are truly a fantastic representative of the exciting things going on in classrooms throughout the Peten region of Guatemala .
Our schedule remained much the same as yesterday, with Alan Scholes and Paul Neumann both giving the 2nd session of their series of talks. Added today was national staff member Dr. Jose Ajsivinac, speaking on the “Importance of Spiritual Values” and Bob Wilson adding a morning presentation on the influence of the media on shaping morals in our youth. All of these were excellent and so well received by the teachers.
Afternoon sessions began with the 2nd day of the Inductive Bible study in Titus, today concentrating on the ‘interpretation’ phase. Following this, the teachers began setting up their display boards showing how they have incorporated the lessons from the ISP Morals and Ethics curriculum into their classrooms. They are so colorful and creative, and it is exciting to see how thrilled these teachers are to share these things with their colleagues. It is also a joy to see how resourceful these teachers are with so few available supplies!
Our final session this afternoon was in two parts: the first being teachers from different cities once again sharing what has been happening in their classrooms since they began using the ISP curricula in their school or classes. Over and over again we heard excellent and exciting ways these teachers have implemented and expanded their own training in the curricula to integrate the basic principles into all of the various subjects they are teaching.
The second part of the session, led by national staff members Martita Arreaga and Hilda Ajsivinac, was a practical lesson on how to begin developing value lessons using examples and stories from the Bible. The teachers were given step-by-step lesson plan sheets with Bible references for character traits. They are using elements of the Inductive Bible study method to put together an outline for a lesson. All of the teachers were actively involved in this group activity right up until the end of the afternoon.
The teachers were also given a blank ‘Action Plan for 2010’ sheet for them to begin planning and committing to how they, as a teacher or a group of teachers within a city, will begin to implement at their school or in their classrooms what they are learning at this conference.
And now, before I sign off for this evening, here are two of the wonderful examples of what is happening in the Peten region since God brought ISP here in 2008:
One group of teachers from Poptun shared how they put together a banner (flag) of all of the values they wanted the students to learn and demonstrate. Then this banner began to be displayed at all of the school activities and meetings, right alongside the Guatemalan national flag and the school flag, thus keeping these important words and concepts in the forefront of the student’s minds while they were at school. On this flag the teachers wrote the year ‘2008’ because that was the year they attended the first ISP training here in Peten and the values program began at their school. They thanked God for this opportunity to be in yet another training with ISP. They said,
“The purpose of having the curriculum is to give the children internal values. The teachers transmit these ideas to fellow teachers and to the students.”
And now from the city of San Benito this report:
“We have values listed on the walls of our classrooms and we are using the values curriculum. As a result, we have seen a great change in our students.”
These teachers went on to relate how they were using the last unit of the Elementary curriculum to teach the children about God’s creation and to be thankful for all that is around them. One teacher related that after taking the students outside and asking “What do you see? How do you think the trees came into being? The birds? Water? The grass?” she then began having the children answer and then talked with them how they must be grateful to God for all of these beautiful things around them. She went on to relate how they looked at the creation story in the Bible and then did various art activities of their choice to reinforce what they had read and learned. She said the children had enjoyed all of this very much and she was able to also use these stories and examples in other ways: in spelling, reading, language, and even math. She concluded by encouraging the teachers here at this conference to use the curriculum in many ways by integrating it into different subjects.
Our hope is that all of you who are praying for us while we are here will be blessed by these reports. God is truly doing a work in this region of Guatemala and we are thrilled to be a part of His plan. Please know you, too, are a part of all of this…..we couldn’t do this without your support and prayers.
Please keep our team covered with prayer as some of our team members are now experiencing some health problems. All of us truly desire to be at our best for these precious teachers, so we do appreciate your prayers on our behalf.
Until manana……
May God’s blessings be yours,
Linda
for all the ISP team here in Peten , Guatemala"

Day 1 - Leadership Development Conference, Flores, Guatemala

"Hola to all our friends and family! We have just completed the first day of our conference here in the Peten region of Guatemala . We are excited and thanking God for the excellent turnout of the teachers here in this region, some who traveled as many as four hours early this morning to be here for this leadership conference. Also, the teacher’s union here in Guatemala began a national teachers’ strike over the weekend, and possibly caused some of the teachers invited to the conference from being able to get here. But still, our conference room had well over 100 teachers in attendance and they were attentive and participating enthusiastically throughout the long day.

We began our day early, with teachers beginning to register for the conference at 7:30 a.m. After the presentation of the Guatemalan flag, the Peten Region of Education flag, and the singing of the Guatemalan national anthem, the Regional Director of Education officially opened the conference. He welcomed all of our ISP team to Peten, and thanked us for coming to share and “to enrich the teachers of the Peten region.” He encouraged the teachers in attendance to take the information from this conference and translate it to the children in their classrooms who will benefit from it the most. He said “We are going to take advantage of this training to help with our teaching of morals and ethics and also to help us spiritually. Our youth need these things! Sincerely, I thank all of the ISP team for this opportunity. May this week be a great blessing to you teachers and a benefit to the students in your classrooms.”

Our schedule today began with wonderful and encouraging sessions: Country Director Anibal Duarte began with a session on “Why We Teach Values” followed by Dr. Alan Scholes presenting the topic “The Best Basis for Teaching Morality.“ The final session for the morning was Paul Neumann’s, beginning his series on “Practical Learning and Communication Skills”.

After a wonderful lunch in which all of the small groups sat together to enjoy the meal and get better acquainted, Bob Wilson and Marilyn McCann began the Inductive Bible study, using the book of Titus. The teachers each received a study Bible if they wanted one, and then in their small groups they read through the entire book of Titus and began the observation phase of this study method as it applied to the first chapter. It was very exciting to see them all so enthused and participating in this study. Following a short break, one of the national Guatemalan staff, Haroldo Arreaga, had the teachers’ total attention as he gave a presentation on Leadership Principles. Haroldo and his wife Martita have been working for many years with teachers here in Guatemala , and Haroldo is truly a gifted teacher; he had the teachers laughing and thoroughly enjoying this session in spite of the rising heat of the afternoon filling the room!

The final presentation of the day was given by the teachers themselves. This was their opportunity to begin sharing with other colleagues just what had happened since they attended the initial ISP conference in Peten in 2008. Many of the teachers from that conference have become champions of the ISP Moral & Ethics curricula and have seen exciting and amazing results from modeling and teaching the principles from the curricula to their students. Here is just a portion of one of these reports we heard today given by a teacher from Flores :

“Two years ago I came to the ISP conference. here in Flores; it was interesting for me because that year I had 40 students from different grades; I was concerned because the values were decaying in the city, but I had the chance to study at the conference the development of the character and I started to work with the students that needed help. I studied about how to apply this curriculum into the reality of our community; I made some experiments. I had some groups of students, and each group was 6 or 7 youth, ages 12-13. I assigned each group a value; each group had the commission to work that value during the school year and they started to do different activities around their value. They had drama activities, art, and others. Every group had as their main purpose to teach the other groups the value they were representing and how to apply it with their own example. There was one student who before this experiment was a bad student and I saw a great change in him. At the end of that year I saw that in these groups of students there were characteristics that I didn’t see in other groups of students at the school. My students had unity; they had a bonding and were helping each other and the bonding between them was really strong; so I started to see how they had adopted these values for themselves.”

And that is exactly what our ISP teams hope for and pray for as we come to Guatemala on this adventure with God; that the ideas, discussions, materials and tools we put into the teacher’s hands and minds will not only be useful and beneficial to them as teachers, but that they also realize the potential these biblical principles have for changing lives. Most every teacher here at the conference this week has a similar story to tell, and I hope to be able to share more of those with you in the coming days.

A great big thank you to all of our supporters, for your continued prayers on our behalf. We are looking forward to another busy and full day tomorrow, and I look forward to sharing some of these exciting moments with you in another update.

Until then, Vaya con Dios,

Linda

For all the team here in Flores"

Schedule & Prayer Request

Today we will be leaving Kansas after spending a week celebrating my husband's brother, Daniel's life. He was a young man full of determination and always seemed to surprise us in many ways. Quick with a smile, joke or hug, he will be missed. We are happy that he is dancing on streets of gold with a restored body. We are so blessed to have had him be a part of our life!
As we travel back to California, please pray for safe travels for us. We plan to take the trip in two days rather than the 22.5 hours we drove straight through last week.
Prayer Request: Please pray for safe travels to California and preparation for Guatemala.

Family time

Thursday, Feb. 11th, there was a party going on in Heaven. After 12 days in ICU, My husband's brother, Daniel, went to see Jesus. My husband & I, along with our 3 year old son, immediately got into the car and drove to Kansas from California to be with family. We will be in Kansas for a week and while I will miss a training session, I brought my book and the curriculum to study during any down time that might be able. We will celebrate Daniel's life on Monday the 15th. Then we will spend as much time as we can with family before we have to leave.
Once back in California, there will be a mere 2.5 days to prepare and pack for Guatemala. God has promised good to us.
We appreciate your prayers.
Prayer Request: Please pray for preparation time and safe travels.

Let the countdown begin!

With just two weeks remaining before we leave for our trip, I feel the pressure mounting to get prepared, packed and put things in order...but I know these things always come together in the end.
In preparation, I have been looking over the curriculum and praying for my interpreter. His name is Jerry Jordan and although his name sounds otherwise, he is Guatemalan. He is twenty-nine and will be returning from last year. Although I made some feeble attempts to learn Spanish, I can barely count to ten and find the bathrooms! Thank goodness there will be someone close at hand that will have an idea of what is going on. Please keep Jerry in your prayers, as well as, a positive, successful alliance for the both of us as we work together.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
I look forward to sharing in this adventure with you.