Printmaking and Girls Retreat

Fermin with his finished work

Working on sketches

Finished products!

Tuesday, June 9


A rough morning with advanced got better with some dancing and the beginners class.  Beginners got to start printmaking today! We went on a nature walk to collect interesting things that we would use to design our prints.  I'm telling you, I seriously love this group!  I wish I had gotten a picture of everyone together, but I do have everyone in different pictures, so that will do!



After collecting materials, students drew a picture on paper of their favorite place or a place they would like to go (Some drew something they knew how to draw- I'll take that, too!).  Then used the leaves, flowers, and other things they'd collected to illustrate the picture they drew.

I'm genuinely so impressed with how they turned out!  Tomorrow the glue will be dry so they will be able to print them.  In the mean time, Marcos and I got styrofoam while the kids were at music class.  We're going to use them for a different printmaking method.  We also picked up chicken sandwiches and strawberry smoothies!

The kids drew the same picture on the styrofoam plates, then colored it with marker and printed it.

After school, the girls retreat started!  The Georgia team hosted a two day retreat for the older girls and I got to go and be a part of it!  We took a bus to a camp ground within Huehue.  It was so beautiful!  Not that the rest of Huehue isn't, but this was so clean and so green with pools and a bridge over a creek.  It was an oasis within a city.  The group I went with arrived a bit later than everyone else, but we still got to eat Domino's pizza (yes, you read right, Domino's).  Then we headed down to another building to hear Ashlie talk about sin and how Christ died for us to take it away so we could be with God forever.  I was very impressed with how succinctly she worded things and with how well she did with it being translated.  AND she had a great visual- tupperware.  A shoe box sized one represented us, a smaller one was Christ in us, with another similarly sized to represent sin that could not be in us if Christ was (so clever) and then a giant storage tub represented God and how we live in Him.

Keep in mind that many of these girls come from not great places and are now living at the Fund or at the Daughters of Purpose girls home.  Many were abused physically, sexually, and emotionally and some have kids of their own at age 16.  This retreat gave them an opportunity to not worry about things for a while because there were plenty of women around to dote on their babies, they didn't have to prepare any meals, do homework, wash laundry, or pay for anything.  They were able to enjoy the random dance party which broke out when the movie didn't work later that night.  The girls loved making headbands, necklaces, and their very own paintings.  They were able to relate to Americans when Heather shared her testimony and realized that they ARE loved and they ARE NOT alone.  Many opened up about what had happened to them.  A few found a new Father in Christ, girls that the teachers have been praying would find and accept Christ.

Teresa and I  :)

It was such an honor and privilege to be a part of the retreat, even for one night.  The girls that I've met here are so amazing and full of life! I love them and I love spending time with them, even if I hardly understand them and vice versa.

This bug interrupted the evening and is
twice the size in flight!  GROSS!!