Letter to the congregation describes their assignment, April 24.

Dear Friends and Family,
We have recently accepted an assignment from Mennonite Mission Network, and Ñukanchik Yachay (Kichwa for “Our Wisdom”) Elementary School in Cebadas, Ecuador in which we will serve for two years (possibly three) as teachers/rural development workers. We have been dreaming of a possibility such as this for years, long before we became a couple. We have both seen the hand of God at work in our lives to bring us to this point and have both felt a sense of calling to work alongside others, and share the love of God with them.  It is with a sense of awe that we look back at our individual journeys in life and see them leading us to this opportunity to serve God in a cross-cultural context together. Ericka’s experience on EMU’s cross-cultural semester in Central America has produced a love for the children in that part of our world, and their need for equal opportunities in education. David’s experiences in Ghana, West Africa and the RAD program in Spain have continued to feed a passion and fulfill a sense of calling to serve God in mission. 

During our time in Cebadas, we will be working with the Ñukanchik Yachay School, which is a church-based trilingual intercultural indigenous alternative elementary school. In the public schools indigenous children often become very timid and develop low self- esteem. At Ñukanchik Yachay the children develop strong self-esteem and communication skills. Most of the children arrive knowing Kichwa and Spanish fairly well. These two languages are developed further, while adding basic English, recognizing that this is an important language in the Americas.  Teaching English to the different grade levels as well as helping with enrichment activities will be Ericka’s main responsibility, with the possibility of teaching the preschool class as well.

Until recently Ñukanchik Yachay has used classrooms at the Belén Evangelical church.  It is currently in the process of constructing a new building of its own. The desire to build a new school has been Ñukanchik Yachay’s dream since it initiated: new, larger, well-lit classrooms, recreational areas for the children to play including a playground, soccer field, and basketball court, a kitchen and enclosed cafeteria area, administration offices, and a computer lab and library.  David will assist in organizing community workdays at the school, as well as teams that come from the U.S. to help with the project. Maintenance of the school and assisting the school staff will also be included in his responsibilities as well as teaching a “Productive Technology” class at the school, and probably some English. 

We greatly appreciate the role you have played in our lives. We are who we are because of the community we have around us and are grateful that you have been a part of that. We greatly appreciate your continued support as we begin this next step in our journey, and hope that you will be partners with us in prayer and support.
David & Ericka Gingerich