September 2023 Update
Dear Friends of Love and Hope,
September is a big month for Love and Hope! We hope you have seen us sharing on social media and in prior communications what a significant fundraiser Kilometers for Quito (KM4Q) is. Our foundation is responsible for raising about 50% of the school's operating costs and all KM4Q donations go directly to the school. We are off and running (and walking, biking and rolling, too!) to raise as much funding for our beloved Amor y Esperanza as we can. Won't you join us?!
Today is the last day to register for Kilometers for Quito and get a T-shirt! We will keep registration open through the 15th for anyone else wanting to join a team to help us meet our distance goals or raise money for our wonderful cause. We truly need your support! Remember - every dollar helps pay the teacher salaries and keep the lights on in Quito! Can we count on you to join a team - many led by students who have spent time in Quito - and either donate funds or commit to seeking donations from others? Your prayers are always coveted, but during September we especially ask you to pray for fiscal support and a fun, successful event. #KM4Q
As promised, this month we feature some highlights from the Trinity Youth mission trip to Quito in late June. The agenda was similar to prior trips, starting with a weekend of acclimating and team building, with bartering at the outdoor market in Otavalo, stunning crater lake in Cuicocha and exploring the Museo Intiñan on the equator. The team bonded quickly and by Monday were ready and expectant for all the Lord would do during their time at AyE.
Language differences did not prove to be a barrier as students recognized each other from the prior year. What sweet reunions and hugs as old friends found each other again! Pancho and Pitty's daughter, Maria Victoria, is an invaluable resource at school, able to help with translations, games, singing - anything and everything! After each morning's classroom activities, the group began projects around the property to help out. Painting the security wall around the property was a significant summer project which was finished up during Trinity's time at AyE. A huge blessing!
A highlight was Pancho and Pitty's group time. As second time team member, Jill Yoder, said "Their passion for the Lord is contagious...The Holy Spirit was so present in our space and it meant a lot to experience it alongside our youth family that we've formed." What more could we ask? Most students were a bit out of their comfort zone at one point or another, but together they adapted and grew closer to each other, but more importantly, in their walk with the Lord. By mid week, during evening prayer time led by Pancho, the Trinity students prayed to let go of their “dead bones,” the things holding them back from a full relationship with Christ.
This aspect of the time away is true for all of the groups. Something divinely special happens when everyone is away from home and routine, and open to stepping outside their usual bubble to experience whatever the Lord has for them. The faith and hope exhibited by the teachers and staff at AyE, especially Pancho and Pitty, is humbling and encouraging. Everyone wants to hold on to that and take it home with them!
Here is the KM4Q Week 1 Prayer Calendar so you can join us:
Faculty and Staff
For the teachers to have joy in their work and patience as they lead
Psalms 32:11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart
Unity for all within the walls of AyE
1 Thess 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing
That they might be the light of Jesus for the students
Psalms 34:11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Protection for them and their families
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.
For the Zola family (Pancho and Pitty)--For endurance, wisdom, continued obedience as they lead the school and their family
Psalms 1:2-3 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.