SIFAT participates in Alabama Gives Day on Feb. 2!

On February 2, 2012 the Alabama Association of Nonprofits, in partnership with the Alabama Broadcasters Association, is taking one day to harness the power of individual contributions statewide. Never before in our state have Alabamians had the opportunity to come together in such a unique and synergized way to support hundreds of nonprofits like ours during a dedicated day of giving.Alabama Gives Day is supported by the Razoo Foundation, the Alabama Press
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Please pray for the Corson and Murphree families this week. SIFAT cofounder Sarah Corson’s mother, Mrs. Winnie Murphree, passed away Monday afternoon at the age of 100. Mrs. Winnie, or Granny as she was known around SIFAT, was a retired schoolteacher and United Methodist pastor. She blessed the lives of many people in Randolph County and seemed to have a positive impact in everything she did. For years, Granny was active at SIFAT, even traveling to Bolivia when she was in her 70s! She will be missed by all of us.

Visitation will be Thursday, Jan. 27 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Benefield Funeral Home in Wedowee, Ala. The funeral will be on Friday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. at Wedowee First United Methodist Church. A graveside service will follow at the cemetery in Wedowee.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to SIFAT or the Wedowee First United Methodist Church.

Our current intern in Ixiamas, Bolivia, is 2008 Practicum graduate Becky Forrest. During Practicum, Becky shared her experience on our blog. Now that she is in an intern in Bolivia, she will post updates as our interns in 2008 did. Becky served on short-term mission trips in 2007 and 2008 in Ixiamas.

I survived the month without Rachel, and my Spanish has improved a great deal. My sentences may not have the correct tense of the verb, but I can usually say what I need to say. Everyone here has learned some English, so they help me by using some of the words they have learned. I just pray I don’t forget all I have learned during my two months at home. I would hate to start over again.

 

The buttermilk biscuits were such a hit that we are teaching the cook and girls how to make them. They have been placed on the menu for breakfast once a week. After all, SIFAT’s campus is in Alabama, so we can make the Internado “southern”. Earlier in the year, we had a brick oven built for baking bread. It has finally been cured. This past Friday, the kids were out of school, so with their help, we cooked bread in it for the first time.They made cinnamon rolls, the regular round bread that is normally sold here and empanadas (sort of a cheese turnover). The smell was wonderful, and I slipped off with a hot cinnamon roll for Rachel and me to sample. They were to be saved for Sunday’s breakfast.

There was no school the week of Sept. 7 – 12 because of teachers meetings, so all of the kids went home except Nancy and Julio. They usually stay here during short breaks from school because their dad works and lives at a saw mill. At the end of the week, I decided we needed an outing, and I needed a conversation in English. We went to visit the Mennonite family we buy cheese, etc from. I had been there once with the group at the end of the rainy season, and so I knew the way. Ha! (We had to walk part of the way on that trip because the road was so muddy.) We loaded up in truck, Marcial (dorm dad), Mercedes (the cook), her children (Juan, 10, and Belen, 3) along with Julio and Nancy.  We get almost there when we come to a small river, so we decided to leave the truck there and walk the rest of the way. I convinced Julio and Nancy (they had been there two other times) that we crossed the river there instead of going up the road to the left. Why would they listen to me, a really dumb American? We walked for close to 30 min. when we all decided we were not the going correct way. So after the 30 min walk back to the truck, we drove up the road to the left (the way Julio suggested) and right up to the gate of their yard. I don’t think they will ever follow me again. But we had fun even if we did hike in 90 degree weather. Most of it was in the shade. We all had a big laugh over it.

September 14^th was student’s day, so in honor of it we let each of the kids invite someone from school here for a celebration. We had devotions, played games and had snacks. It was a great hit and made us think if we should do it more often as a way of reaching out to the children in town.

The English classes are growing and doing great. All my students are making great progress. The classes also help me increase my vocabulary because as I teach them, I learn the words in Spanish. A couple of the students are not church goers, so I am praying for God to use this as a way to open up his word to them.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we are looking for a new dorm mom and someone to help next year with the animals and farming here on the campus.

Much love to all back home,

Hermana Rebecca

Well, my name is Katie Acker, and I’m from Ohatchee, Alabama. I just graduated high school, and I’m about to move to Mississippi to attend Belhaven College. This past spring, I began thinking about my summer plans. I knew that I wanted to take a trip somewhere new, but I had no idea where. A couple opportunities came my way, but Bolivia seemed to constantly be on my mind. My mother spent a whole summer in Bolivia when she was about my age. I’ve heard many stories about this foreign country, but never saw myself actually going. I remember saying when I was younger I would never go there just because my mom had already been. Well, God definitely had other plans because as I type I am sitting on a bunk bed in a room with screen windows and no air conditioning. I stare out the window, and I see palm trees, little huts and buildings, and a sunset that will make you go crazy over your creator. I am here in Ixiamas, and I can’t believe it. It’s nothing short of an adventure when you’re following Christ and doing his will, and that is simply why I am here in Bolivia.

Two weeks ago, I met my team from Christ Community Church and braved the Atlanta airport. I was super nervous to meet them, but then as soon as I did, they immediately welcomed me in. I said goodbye to my family and headed off to security check. I looked back to wave my last wave, and there my mother stood crying, I can’t imagine what she was thinking. She was doing the same thing 30-something years ago. Now, her only daughter was leaving for the familiar country.

We landed in La Paz super early and slowly started to grab up our luggage and, hopefully, catch a flight to Rurrenabeque. We quickly found out that the plane was not flying due to a muddy runway, which meant we would be taking the bus. That’s when I started to get a little nervous. I began remembering all the stories I had heard mom tell about the “death road” and the pictures I looked up on Google. This is when I started fervently praying for God’s safety.

What a ride it was. We saw some incredible scenery, and oh, did I mention I slept through the bad part of the drive? Some of this could be blamed on me getting close to no sleep on the flight from Miami, but another factor might be the sleeping aids I took. Boy did they work! I felt good when we got to Rurrenabeque. We arrived in the early morning and then hopped on some motorbikes to go meet up with Rachel, Mateo and Chas. We ate breakfast, crossed the river and got back on our awesome bus to head to Ixiamas. We arrived in Ixiamas, and I got settled in to my new home for the next three weeks. I met some of the kids, and I met my roomie, Miss Becky. I automatically knew I was going to have fun with her.

The next week was a whirlwind. We had devotionals at seven in the morning before the day got started. I dreaded them every time I had to wake up, but they were so good. While the team was here, we went to a village in Santa Rosa and hung out with the kids. We did work projects at the Internado and even had bible school with 200 children. It was crazy. I didn’t realize how much I had enjoyed the team being here until they had to leave. I only knew them for a week and still I cried watching them go. They really blessed me.

Rachel, Miss Becky, and Mateo went with the team to go to La Paz to finish up some business. So that meant I would be here with the kids and Chas. I was a little anxious to see how Chas and I would get along and also, just to see how the kids would be around me. I knew that doing God’s will might mean me being “alone”, but it hit me that day hard and fast; I was no longer in my comfort zone. I was in Bolivia, and I might have to put my big girl pants on and grow up a little.

Come back to tomorrow to read Part Two of Katie’s summer.