This is my first time being able to tell you about what God has been doing here this summer. My name is Kate Sudduth, and I am the new Mission Team Liaison. I am living and working down here full-time. I have gotten the fantastic pleasure of joining Vanessa in working with many groups already and getting to know our children here at El Ayudante.
First of all, we have been booked straight for this summer! Thank you for your commitment to El Ayudante and coming to serve with us! Here is a list of just some of the AMAZING work God has accomplished through our teams since the beginning of June:
- Almost finished building the second room of the new preschool in New Soledad
- Seen over 425 medical patients
- Vaccinated over 100 animals
- Had medical education clinics for local nurses and doctors
- Been to over 18 homes of special needs children and brought food and encouragement to their families
- Given out over 180 food packages to families in rural areas
- Had 3 special picnics for our kids and their families
God is using the teams and the various resources they have to share in fellowship with the people of Nicaragua!
Now for an update on our kids!
We have had the blessing to go to the pool with teams many times this summer; this means our little ones are learning to swim! Each week I have seen our kids get better and better in their confidence and abilities in the water! Francisca and Erika have made the most improvement in their swimming over the past 4 weeks!
We recently drew pictures for all the “padrinos” (what our kids call their sponsors – it means god-parent). I was able to see the amazing artistic abilities of the kids! So far I have noticed Heynerk, Ingrid, Kevin, Valaría, Carlitos, Jonathan, Mabél, and Luis have the most enthusiasm and love for drawing and coloring! They had a great time creating something special! These drawings will be made into stationary for El Ayudante! If you sponsor our kids, you might even find one in YOUR mailbox!
Something I am looking forward to in the weeks to come is building a house for a family with 2 special needs children. This family lives far from a main road with no electricity or water; they have a house made of wood, plastic, and cardboard. I am very excited to say that in the coming weeks we will be building a new house and future plans of a latrine and smokeless stove/kitchen!
Finally, I want to express my thanks to the staff here in Léon, the Board of Directors, our kids, and especially our amazing teams for welcoming me into the El Ayudante family! I look forward to getting to know you all better and help in creating sustainable, accountable, transforming partnerships here in Nicaragua!
Blessings,
Kate Sudduth
Mission Team Liaison
May 2012-May 2013
