ministries

ministries

this is, to be sure, not an exhaustive list of anything that i do here in santiago. my typical day, during the school week, looks like this: wake up at 5:45 to put Blacky in his "home" (an fenced in alley behind the school), prepare for school, arrive for the rising of the flag at 8am. Teach English and French from 8-12:30, hang around until the kids get picked up. Eat lunch around 1:15. Nap. Wake up around 3pm. Depending on the day, I either work in the neighborhood or teach more English classes until 6. My evenings are typically free to attend Bible Studies, visit with friends and relax.

ministries

more about melanie

English Classes: I hate that I’m even putting this here as a ministry, but it is a great deal of what I do here in Santiago. I spend 5 hours almost everyday, 8 hours on Tuesday and Thursday and 3 on Saturday, teaching English and French classes. The government requires that all students past grade five take English and French classes. I feel, though, that I’m imposing… the I’m trying to change my students by teaching them my language. It is, however, a necessary evil since it’s required by the government and by the school. I teach the first-seventh graders English twice weekly and pre-school (there are three levels) once weekly. Fifth, sixth and seventh graders get French class twice a week as well. I try to make my lessons as comprehensive as possible so that even if the kids don’t learn too much English, they will pick up other skills, such as math or critical thinking.

Catechism: Every Saturday children preparing for their First Holy Communions and Confirmation of Faith come to the church for class. I was recently "promoted" to the only teacher, giving me full responsibility of the Christian Education of about 20 kids. What a mess, right? But it goes well. And the kids have fun and learn about God.

contact information

e-mail me

Basketball: something i think that is forgotten way too often is that ministry does not need to cram the word of God down people's throats. by offering my time to young people who want to play basketball, to help them develop skills and form a team, i'm showing them through actions that they are important not only to me but to God as well... we have a team of young kids and another group of older teenagers that come to play on the court throughout the week.

Science Class: every friday, kids from the neighborhood descend upon the church to learn about chemistry... this session anyhow. right now the kids are learning about mixtures, solutions, reactions, solutes and solvents. in between experiments and demonstrations the kids draw pictures and work in groups learning about teamwork and the scientific method. each science session is 5 weeks long. future sessions will include rocket building (physics), the human body and ecology. (click the link to read more and see pictures)

Volleyball: We're working on acquiring volleyballs so that we have a "physical outlet" for the girls in the neighborhood. basketball is pretty male dominated and the girls very rarely get a chance. i'm hoping to form a team with the 5th, 6th and 7th grade girls from the school to play against other schools. Hopefully it will all work itself out.