¡Saludos! We’re enjoying the
first few days of fall here in Montevideo. The weather, amazingly, dropped
almost 30 degrees (Fahrenheit) from one day to the next – just in time for the “official”
First Day of Fall on March 20th! And we’ve been enjoying cooler weather ever
since...
Life picked up
speed here in Uruguay with the start of the school year on March 2nd.
This is the beginning of the second year of the (FEBU) Bible College project,
so there are real challenges as we all learn. JM is teaching a music
class twice a week, helping with general administration of the college,
teaching a section of the Philosophy of Ministry class now and then, and
co-teaching the “research writing” class with me; I teach two evenings per
week. The biggest challenge continues to be the lack of resources; this
semester I’m (again) having to translate (or otherwise author) the material I’m
using for the writing class. (Right now, I’m especially thankful for Purdue University’s online articles!)
On the same day the college classes started, Elizabeth started 4th grade. She’s getting
acclimated to the increasing demands of learning how to study on her own – in
Spanish! While the road can be rather bumpy at times, I know from experience (growing up bilingual) that the benefits will eventually far
outweigh the challenges.
The school year got off to a great start...
To add to the
excitement, later that same first week of March, DJ started K-4 – also in
Spanish and an adventure all its own! He wants to “go to school” (because he
gets to paint and play with other toys and do lots of other fun things that
make “school” special), but he wants Mommy to stay with him. (Sniff! Sniff!)
Let’s just say that the last two weeks have been a major adjustment,
interrupted (thankfully?!) with a runny nose and cough. I say “thankfully”
because I see the “cold” as one of God’s ways of providing a respite for our family in
this process of “adapting” to the new demands of preschool.
To give some
background: In late summer, DJ was very excited about “starting school”
(counting the days until March arrived), and the first three days went fine for
him. However, halfway through that first full week, we ran into some very rough
sailing! Thankfully, two days ago (for the first time since that first week), he
did not cry when JM dropped him off. We’re hoping that this is the beginning of
a new trend. We certainly would appreciate your praying specifically!
So... Why are we proceeding
as we are with E’s and DJ’s education? The answer is undoubtedly rather complex!
Uruguay has traditionally had a high level of education (public education
included) – a fact of which they have understandably been very proud. And a recent
development for those immigrating here (our family included) is the fact that
the Immigration Office requires proof that all school-age children (now
beginning with age 4) be enrolled in a “recognized” school.
Implications for educational institutions (both public and private) include the requirement that all teachers
hold the recognized “teaching license/certification” (very similar to
requirements for public schools in the USA, if I’m not mistaken). The
implication our family was not expecting when we arrived in late 2013 was the
fact that “homeschooling” (even with a supervised program like the Academy of Home Education offers) is not “recognized” as a viable option for meeting that
educational regulation. So, at the moment at least, while we work on obtaining
residency, our children have to be enrolled in “recognized” schools here. We
would appreciate your specific prayers for this ongoing (and more involved than
we anticipated) immigration process.
Once we reach the
(more challenging!) high school years, we may look into putting together “a small private school” where families could work together, teaching some
extracurricular classes but allowing each to choose their own (but obviously
competitive) curriculum for the main learning. This type of idea has worked in
the past (at least for expats) and may be an answer for us down the road. Or
maybe we should pray for personnel (etcetera) to start a truly biblical
(bilingual?) high school by 2018!
A very bright side
to this whole story is that the school day here is only four hours long! Both E
and DJ go only in the mornings and are home for a late lunch – a definite
blessing for our family! We’re thankful, especially because JM is “on call” for
the college most evenings and I teach two evenings.
A positive “ministry”
aspect of having to enroll both kids in schools here is the opportunity to meet
and interact on a long-term basis with other school parents. We’re praying for
opportunities to form friendships and share the message of salvation in Christ
as a result. Please pray with us to that end! Already, both E and DJ have each
been invited to a birthday party for a classmate. Birthday celebrations are
culturally a big deal here in Uruguay and give natural opportunities to meet
the families of classmates.
The cotton candy was a real highlight at that party!
The Jesus Storybook Bible is our gift of choice for E’s classmates...
In the midst of
all the uncertainties, we’re convinced that our Loving Shepherd has led our
family to Uruguay. And we know He is always faithful! And we believe that He
has made His leading clear regarding schooling in the immediate future – with
the immigration office now enforcing attendance at “recognized” schools. That
said, I often feel, as a Mom, that I’m groping my way along. But I know that
God will give us grace for every moment – and there are definitely challenging
moments. But these are the challenges my Uruguayan sisters and brothers in
Christ face every day!
We would
definitely appreciate your specific prayers – not only for E’s and DJ’s education and our involvement in the developing college project but also for the success of the Truth here in our beloved Uruguay!
