for HIS glory

There are so many things I passionately love about being here in Egypt. One of the biggest enjoyments is my two hours/week at a local refugee school. You saw the kids and I tackle some really unkept space and reorganize it, but I have yet to show you the work WITH the kids. Today I took the camera.....the kids were eager to let me photograph them to share with my American family and friends.

When you look at these kids, look into their hearts!

The biggest meal most of these kids will have had today, will be their foot-long bread with chopped mushrooms (last week I saw 3 pcs of salami each). Their families have been torn from homes they wanted to keep in countries like Sudan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, but for EXTREME reasons that we as Americans could not begin to fathom, they are here against their will....making a life for themselves.

It has been proven that Americans and most Europeans will not react to extreme poverty without a "face" to put with it. Well here are PLENTY of faces!! Faces of hope....African hope....as you look upon their faces, rejoice in and pray for refugee schools where they can get food and fresh water, where a handfull of adults can find paying jobs, for the volunteers who come in for a week, month, half a year, 2 yrs at a time to work together to provide a future. If after praying you think you might have some extra money....I can tell you privately how to donate and receive your tax deduction.

There are villas for families, extra beds for singles if anyone wanted to devote volunteer time to build phonics into young kids or tutor high schoolers.

$415 educates one child for an entire year

$115 pays a teachers salary for a month - the only paid teachers are also refugees, so this is REALLY a great program all around! instilling pride and building up on the hope they have!

$55 will feed one child for the school year

The president of World Vision said that many American families trade traditional vacations to work together..perhaps Africa seems out of reach, but I'm sure Guatamala is not! I just can't help but encourage you to share some of the joy I have in serving together!! It's not about pity, but about loving!

Today, Bob, Rob and Joshua did some site work at the secondary school. Come see their work...and the work God is doing in the kids' hearts and smiles at the elementary school as well!

inside the high school - NEAT villa they acquired with donated funds!!!! Now to get teams in to fix er up!! will it be you?


The library - I love the potential here! Desks!!!! Bookshelves to complete filling!!! and all the fresh air and natural light!

Parade is held here every morning - parade is when the kids and staff and volunteers gather to pray and sing together.....a team from our church just painted this area with some of the students, to cover the bloody handmarks left by the Muslims who originally built the building and put a blessing over it. As Christians, we are covered in the blood of THE Lamb - THE Christ - so covering it is a reminder of that for the students there....who are not all Christian and this is NOT a Christian school, but....I'll leave it at that ;)


Christ instructed us "suffer not the little children" - I think Joshua suffered a lot today serving! ha ha!!

below is Bob wrestling with vinyl wall coverings around a bunch of dead computers - the sand here is BRUTAL to technical equipment!


BEAUTIFUL entrance and exterior of the high school grounds!!

Had to sneak in a photo of my favorite school volunteer......our bud James! Here we are in the library today at the elementary school.


7th grade is below. The boy at the front desk which is on the left, but he is to the right in this photo....is our drummer at church!


Third Grade.......wish I could shoot the little grade 1-ers - they are age 4-6 AND THEY ARE PRECIOUS! but everytime I go in, they sorta lose control of the class while each of them hug me and kiss me.....precious wee ones!!

Today, a friend sent 2 posters for the tutoring room - totaling $1 US! It brightened the "plain" room tremendously! Meet Ronaldino - a precious 3rd grader who is approximately 10 yrs old. He and I are working on phonics almost from the ground up, he is more and more confident in himself every week!

One of the kitchen staff's little sweeties...her brother is one of our 3rd grade students whom I get the pleasure of reading with. She may only speak Arabic, but we have VERY fun conversations! ha!! She wanted a photo of us together, so I did my best today...while she sat on my lap and the next girly girl read to me and 8 other kids outside under an acacia tree

This beauty is in 4th grade and she is proud to be working through Dick and Jane with me. I AM SO GLAD FOR ALL THE BOOKS I BROUGHT! I HAD NO IDEA WHAT MEASURES GOD WOULD USE THEM FOR!!


An office at the high school is stuck in here below


All the wallpaper is off! BRAVO D-MEN!!

Below, are our priviledged children.......at art today! WHAT FUN!! self portraits! Jasmine's is the far right top one (not the one w/ Ja)


Joshua's is the blue background and all white shirt - voted best painting by the 3 artists there and the mom's - we were REALLY surprised it was Joshua's!! I will be framing that one! yes, I'm one of those mom's that doesn't think every project is 100% perfect and oozing praise-worthy ;) I appreciate something about each pc...but sometimes extra attention is required....

This is recycling at it's best! a dead tree branch used to "notify" drivers of the open manhole in a busy road......