English Class

This last October we were able to start our first English class here at El Refugio.  We can not even begin to describe to you how much we enjoy this time.  We meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:00-9:00 pm.  Howie helps me out each week with our conversation and game time.  This has been such a fun thing for us to do together.  I  tell you these twelve students of ours are faithful, week after week we learn, practice and build.

I (Mary) wake up each day of class, anticipating our time together and when I arrive home I can not go to sleep as I think through what worked and what didn't.  Really, my journey of learning Spanish has greatly influenced how I teach the class.  I am just so thankful to God for this opportunity.

English Class in Calacali, Ecuador 

For nine of the students, english will be their second language.

Our "class time" has been modeled after our language school in Guadalajara.

For three, english will be their third language.

The Grace Center has been such a great setting for our class.

We told them, "Let's do something silly, this is what they came up with :)"

Let me demonstrate how difficult it is for these second and third language learners, and how one lesson can go off track pretty quickly, when I tried to explain the word "up".  I said a simple little phrase, "OK class, let's open "up" our english books...."   I have no idea who the author is,  however, thought you would enjoy viewing the english language from their vantage point for a minute.

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?

Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends.

And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.

We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has real special meaning.

People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary.

In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.

It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.

When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.

When it rains, it wets the earth and often mess’s things UP.

When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP,

For now my time is UP,

So...it is time to shut UP!

Ministry Video

Grace Chapel of Lancaster, California sent Shelbey Hunt, their Media guy, to capture on video what our ministry, El Refugio does and more specifically what it is Howard and I do. We are so thankful that Shelbey has chosen to use his talents and gifts in this way.

Scholls-Vimeo from Shelbey Hunt on Vimeo.