September 2021: Interns Complete Internship at our Central American Training Center in Costa RicaEditor’s Note: Each month, we mail an article with our contribution statements to the previous month’s donors. Click here to download a PDF version. Written by Sarah Corson, SIFAT Co-founder For the past three months, eight interns from Honduras have been working and studying with SIFAT at our Central American Training Center in Costa Rica. They had finished their classes at the National Agricultural University in Honduras, but they had to do a senior project before they received their degrees. They came to Costa Rica to build their projects on our campus, so that we could use them in future training sessions. After working during the day, they received SIFAT training at night and on rainy days. It was a win-win situation. Both the interns and SIFAT benefited greatly from this three-month session.  Our interns from Honduras participate in team building exercises at our training center in Costa Rica. Ecuador: Intern Luci’s Last PostEditor’s Note: High school junior Luci Bryson, daughter of SIFAT training director Kathy Bryson, is spending six weeks this summer as an intern with SIFAT Ecuador. Having already been part of Learn & Serve programming and training events both on our Galilee Campus and internationally, Luci is helping our teams in Ecuador and improving her Spanish translating skills. You can read her first entry and second entry. It’s been one week since I’ve returned to Sweet Home Alabama. I’ve never felt more exhausted in my life, but I’m warm and content. Today is my second day at home as we went to Brasher Springs Camp Meeting and the Flippen-Shaw-Barkley family reunion. Wednesday, Jennessa, Evie and I are traveling to visit Brianna in Chicago. It’s been seven months since we’ve last all been together, so it will be nice to use this little window of time before Jennessa goes back to school in Boston, and Evie and I start our new life in Costa Rica with Mom. If it’s one thing from this summer that I’ve learned, it’s how much of an importance family has. But family is a broad term.  During her summer in Ecuador, Luci found an extended family in Aida Leon.
Ecuador: Intern Luci Checks InEditor’s Note: High school junior Luci Bryson, daughter of SIFAT training director Kathy Bryson, is spending six weeks this summer as an intern with SIFAT Ecuador. Having already been part of Learn & Serve programming and training events both on our Galilee Campus and internationally, Luci is helping our teams in Ecuador and improving her Spanish translating skills. You can read her first entry here. Greetings to all! You’ll have to forgive me for not writing to you all these past two weeks–to tell you the truth, there really never was a free moment to sit down and write! Since I last wrote, we have had three different teams of which I’ve had the pleasure to work with two of the three–Faith United Methodist Church and Guntersville FUMC . Aldersgate UMC was the third team, and I only had a chance to visit with them at night in the hotel.
 Add Felipe’s babysitter to the list of the many ways Luci is helping this our teams this summer! Felipe is the son of one of the ladies who cooks for the teams serving in Aida Leon. Ecuador: Intern Luci’s First Week in QuitoEditor’s Note: High school junior Luci Bryson, daughter of SIFAT training director Kathy Bryson, is spending six weeks this summer as an intern with SIFAT Ecuador. Having already been part of Learn & Serve programming and training events both on our Galilee Campus and internationally, Luci is helping our teams in Ecuador and improving her Spanish translating skills. This is the first installment of her trip journal. June 11 — Today marks day 11 of my internship here in Ecuador. It seems that there hasn’t been a single moment to sit down and write. This past week, I worked with a medical team from Pensacola translating, and wow, how very eye opening it truly was for me! Literally. One time, I translated for an older gentleman who had never experienced glasses. Being able to translate his words to the doctors– connecting two languages for a clearer vision really cleared my own. I’m not only here to translate, but I am here as a bridge between two cultures. This first week, I have been hit hard with how much of what I considered “common sense” to really be another word I used for past experiences. It amazed me how shocked many were, even in tears, at the poverty that is so prevalent here in Quito–especially during the home visits at Villaflora.
 Luci Bryson, SIFAT Ecuador intern, translated for VBS and a medical clinic, hosted by the St. Luke UMC (Pensacola) mission team, during her first week in Ecuador. Ecuador: Summer Intern Wrap-UpBethany Lake interned in Ecuador with us this summer. She has now been back for a few weeks, but wanted to share her final journals with us. Thank you, Bethany, for your service in Ecuador and for sharing your experiences on our blog! You can read Bethany’s previous posts here (introduction) and here (first two weeks).  Thank you, Bethany, for all of your energy helping our Ecuadorian teams this summer! We could not have done it without your enthusiasm and hard work.
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