Thursday, January 31, 2008

MIGUEL- "Child of the Week"


MIGUEL ANGEL CHOQUE




Miguel, who is six years old, and lives in the Villa Israel home is our child of the week. Miguel is a joy to work with. He is an easy going kid, who enjoys the company of others. Miguel´s brother Roberto (who was last week´s child of the week) also lives in this home. Miguel is currenly in tutoring with Jaclyn, one of the interns here now. Right now Miguel is studying his alphabet, basic math, reading, his colors and basic English.


Here are some other fun facts about MIGUEL:

Favorite food: Sandwich


Brothers and Sisters: Roberto, Jackie, and Evelyn


Likes: To paint, play video games and transformers.


Favorite Color: Orange


When Miguel gets older he wants to be: A Professor


Thank you for your support and prayers which help Miguel and the other children at this home learn more about the Lord and grow in their character as well!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

ROBERTO-"Child of the Week"




Roberto Fernandez (right)is this weeks "Child of the Week" at Villa Israel Orphanage.





Brandon, Michelle, Roberto (left) (tuturing class)


I (Michelle) have had the pleasure of working with Roberto for the last 4 months in tuturing each week. As of now, I am working with Robeto in reading, double and triple digit addition, and subtraction. We will soon move into multiplication. One of the joys of working with him has been seeing his academic and personal development. When I first came to work with him, it would be so hard to get him motivated. We would start on a project and he (without even trying) would say ¨no puedo¨ (I can´t). He would also shut off every few minutes and not respond to anything I said. Now this is rare for him, and he is so much more motivated to work during our tuturing session. He also is developing in his reading. Roberto can read, but he is a bit slow at it. So I have him read to me during our time. I also give him a book to read for the week and the next week we exchange it for another. He now loves to read and try to see if he can do it on his own. Roberto is usually very cheerful and happy. He is a fun kid, who likes to joke around and enjoys the company of others.
Here are some fun facts about Roberto:
Birthday: March 24


Siblings: Roberto has one brother (Miguel) who lives with him at the home, and two sisters who do not.


Likes: He enjoys drawing and painting.


Color: Favorite color is red.


Favorite thing in school: Art projects


Grade in School: 2nd.


Passing Time: Likes to hang out with friends and neighbors who live nearby


Thursday, January 17, 2008



Last week, we went to summer camp, and I will say that it was far better than I expected. It was a great time to learn about the Bolivian culture, practice some Spanish, and make some friends. The camp was pretty good size and had 700 people there from all parts of Bolivia and even other countries. We met people from Sucre, Santa Cruz, Chile, Argentina, and of course Cochabamba. And it was so cool to see how God provided for us. To start off, we left on the morning of a blockade, which I was under the impression that you don´t cross blockades with a car much less a bus. But we approached the blockades, and every time, they would decide to move the cars and let us pass on our way to camp. It was amazing. And God continued to work through the rest of the week by providing people that we could understand easily, friends quickly, and when we couldn´t understand we were never far from someone that could translate. That was definitely a first in Bolivia. And on the last night, there was a banquet, and we got to see what a formal event looked like for Bolivians. All in all, I would say it was an amazing experience. So glad we opted to go.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

JHOEL- ¨Child of the Week¨


JHOEL at Villa Israel Orphanage.


Jhoel has three brothers who live with him at the orphanage, Erlan (4), Samuel (6), and Brandon (8). He also has a baby brother who does not live at the home,but with his mother, and another brother on the way. Jhoel has been at this orphanage for a few months now and is really starting to feel that this is his home. Jhoel, being the oldest of all the children before Anna arrived, has a true leadership position among the rest of the kids. Jhoel is leadership material, and has become an example for the rest of the children at Villa Isreal.

Here are some interesting and fun facts about Jhoel:

He enjoys coloring, playing soccer and other sports, and watching movies. Something Jhoel really enjoys doing is visiting other places like parks or the public pool, which Nate and Kate have taken them to a couple times. He enjoys getting out. He also enjoys going to the Cancha (the outside market here) with his house parents and helping to purchase food or supplies for the house.

Jhoel is 10 years old and his birthday is March 27th.
He will be entering the 3rd Grade in February when he starts school.
Jhoel is studying addition, subtration, English and writing with Justin. His favorite subject in school is writing.
His favorite color is red.
His favorite food is asado (a type of meat).
When Jhoel gets older, he wants to work in a bank as a teller.

Please pray for Jhoel as he enters school next month, for his growth in the knowledge of the Lord, and that he would use his leadership abilities for the good in the house and outside as well.

Thursday, January 3, 2008