News from GRACES
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Escuela Integrada family loses mother to illness, needs prayers and support
On Sunday, August 6, eleven volunteers accompanied an Escuela Integrada family on the long, slow, steady walk from the funeral of their mother to her burial site. Maria, 37 at the time of her death, leaves behind four girls—Maria Fernanda, 11, Evelyn, 9, Norma, 8, and Anita, 4. The three older girls are students at Escuela Integrada, and Anita will join them when she is old enough. Each girl, dressed…
Northview team builds bathroom for Escuela Integrada family
This week, volunteers from Northview Bible Church built a bathroom, complete with a toilet and shower facilities, for an Escuela Integrada family. The family lives high on the hill in San Felipe and previously relied on a neighbor’s bathroom. “It’s an issue of dignity,” said Kendall Noller, a volunteer with Northview Bible Church. “They won’t have to go to next door to use such a simple thing as a bathroom…
Northview volunteers teach health workshops at Escuela Integrada
Fourteen volunteers from Northview Bible Church in Spokane, Washington, are helping the children of Escuela Integrada learn about health and fitness this week. The children rotate through small group stations with their grade-level classroom for an hour of instruction and fun with the volunteers. “I think it’s important to remember to move,” said Krystal Roach, 25, who teaches dance in Washington. “If we teach health and movement at a young…
Mom, daughters serve together, grow in support for Escuela Integrada
Ann Faller and her daughters, Faith and Grace, spent a week serving the children and families of Escuela Integrada with a mission team from St. John’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, North Carolina. This was the first trip for Grace, 16, and the second for Ann and Faith, 18, who came on a mission trip with St. John’s in 2014. Ann, Faith and Grace played with the children at Escuela Integrada,…
St. John’s mission group installs eco-stoves, makes cooking safer for families
This week, a mission group from St. John’s Lutheran Church installed stoves in four families’ homes. The families, whose children attend Escuela Integrada, previously relied on inefficient wood stoves without a vent system. Exposure to smoke can cause respiratory illness and additional health problems. “The smoke isn’t good for our lungs,” said Hermalinda Salama, through an interpreter. “We won’t have to use as much wood. It’s going to be easier…