September 2003 News Archive

September 30, 2003

Among Ministers

• Paul Dunbar is no longer the interim pastor at Lurgan Church, as of September 30. He will be unassigned for now.
• Richard Mose is the new interim pastor at Lurgan UB (Shippensburg, Pa.), effective October 1.
• Rudy Tamez, associate pastor at Emmanuel Community Church, has resigned effective September 30. He will be serving in another denomination.
• Barry McCune, senior pastor at First UB Church, Van Wert, has resigned his position. He will live in the parsonage for the rest of this year. He is not being reassigned at this time, and the church will be unassigned. This is effective October 1.
• Kent Maxwell has retired as pastor of New Hope UB in Huntington, Ind., effective September 30. M. E. Burkett has been named senior pastor of New Hope.
• Robert Reid is no longer pastor of Friendship UB (Vancouver, Wash.), effective August 31. He will not be reassigned.

September 25, 2003

Safford, Ariz. On Monday, September 29, ABC's Good Morning America will air a segment about the Open Bible Fellowship UB church in Safford, Ariz. The piece focuses on Angels Closet, a community clothing bank sponsored by Open Bible Fellowship. It will air sometime between 7-9 am.

Dallas, Texas. Roger Reeck, a UB missionary with Wycliffe in Honduras, is in Dallas undergoing tests for some health problems which have plagued him for some time. "Things are looking a little more hopeful than we thought at first," says Marilyn Reeck, "but he still needs to undergo a few more tests."

A bronchoscopy was to be done on Wednesday. "Our prayer is that through that test, they will see exactly what is behind the mass."

Chambersburg, Pa. June Brown, who served some 30 years in Sierra Leone as a missionary, underwent a four-hour quadruple bypass surgery on Wednesday, September 24. It went very well.

June will be in the hospital probably until September 30 or October 1. Here's the hospital address:

Harrisburg Hospital
111 South Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101

A malignant tumor has also been found; it will be dealt with after the heart surgery.

Jackson, Mich. Vicky Lorencen, Director of Discipleship and Assimilation at Gethsemane UB, reports, "Nearly 100 children participated in this summer's Building Champions Soccer Camp July 21-25). Our theme was 'Soul Survivor--Only the Strong Survive.' It included a drama and reality show format based on an unlikely combination of the NBC show Survivor and the verse Joshua 1:9, 'Be strong and courageousÉ.' Kids learned soccer skills, made crafts, and enjoyed a lively teaching time each night. Sixteen children responded to the gospel message at the end of the week."

Waynesboro, Pa. Here are several items about summer events at Otterbein UB in Waynesboro.

• On July 8-10, over 20 players and coaches met for 3 days of High Flyer basketball camp. The camp offered players a chance to develop physically, socially, and spiritually. Players learned both basketball and life skills in a fun and competitive environment. Each player left the camp with a t-shirt, a ball, a pizza, and a great learning experience.
• On July 11, 34 men and women participated in the Annual Otterbein Golf Scramble. The winning team shot a 65. Gift certificates were awarded to the top teams of each flight as well as the longest drive and closest to the hole. One person commented, "It was a great opportunity for me to spend some time with my son and get to know the others on my team in a fun environment."
• Twelve men from Otterbein attended the Promise Keeper event held in Pittsburgh July 11-12. The men had a great time together and were challenged spiritually to be men of God. They arrived Friday and attended the opening session, then stayed overnight and attended the sessions on Saturday with 11,000 other men.
• Over 40 players and coaches met for this year's Golden Goal soccer camp, held July 21-25. Players learned several soccer skills and a life skill on each of the five nights of camp. They also played games against other teams in the camp. Each player received a t-shirt, soccer ball, pizza, and a week of camp experience.
• Otterbein held a "Group Connect" night on September 7, from 6:30-8:00. It was designed as a non-threatening environment where people could connect with others who share common interests, life stages, or geographic location. These starter small groups will meet for a total of four weeks at the church's ministry center before going out on there own. This will provide the groups with a safe and comfortable environment to see if their starter group wants to continue beyond these four weeks. Fifty people showed up for the Group Connect night--potentially, another 3-5 small groups. The church already has 22 LIFE small group.

Huntington, Ind. College Park UB's youth embarked on a missions effort to help Honduras Conference get its church camp ready for ministry. Twenty-two people, including 16 youth and 6 adult staff, went on one of several short-term mission trips, working in partnership with Honduras Conference.

College Park is starting its second year with the Upward basketball and cheerleading program. Thus far, 27 kids have accepted Christ as a result of the ministry. They anticipate well over 200 students being involved during the second year.

Fort Wayne, Ind. Here are several items from Anchor UB, which on October 19 celebrates its fifth anniversary.

• About a dozen youth from Anchor UB, along with several adult sponsors, attended the DC/LA youth conference in Cincinnati. Some of the neighborhood youth made decisions for Christ during the event.
• Soon after returning, the youth headed off again, this time for the Cornerstone music festival in Bushnell, Ill.
• Jamie Knuth, a member of the youth group, led this year's VBS program during June. She incorporated high-school, college, and adult volunteers. A great example of youth ministry leadership. Jamie, who has also been a youth leader with Campus Life, is now a freshman at Taylor University's Fort Wayne campus.
• Every year, Anchor holds a baptismal service/picnic/worship service at the Stillwater retreat just south of Fort Wayne. This year, five people were baptized. They included a mother and adult daughter; the daughter had led her mom to the Lord during the previous month.
• Over fifty kids showed up for our fifth annual Neighborhood Carnival. Many of them came for the first time.

Chambersburg, Pa. Rhodes Grove Camp had 613 campers this summer, 23 of whom made first-time salvation decisions. Campers gave $3,000 to help with world hunger.

Greencastle, Pa. Pleasant Hill UB's student ministry is called WHAT--Weary Hearts Acquiring Truth (based on Matthew 11:28). This summer, they participated in the "Ultimate Van Tour." The participants included 20 students, 6 adults, and 2 children.

They left after church on July 27, traveled to the UB church in Oak Harbor, Ohio, and stayed there Monday and Tuesday nights. The youth were challenged to show Christ in a practical way while at the Cedar Point amusement park. Youth came back with many stories of how they showed Christ to others--from holding doors for people, to asking strangers about Christ.

Oak Harbor's youth pastor, Don Gentry, led the group with devotions Monday night after the Cedar Point experience. Then on Tuesday, they traveled to Adrian, Mich., where they spent time using the pool, gym, and bowling alley at the Christian Family Center.

Then it was on to Mason, Mich., where they spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the Eden UB church. They had a bonfire on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, it was on to the UB church in Fowlerville, where the youth were involved in a prayer walk with Youth Pastor Bill Blue.

Say Ray Dutcher, youth pastor at Pleasant Hill, "A trip like this allows students to experience other UB churches and other states"

Among Ministers

• Darren Duncan, formerly a pastor in Central Conference, holds the rank of Captain in the US Air Force. He began his active duty chaplaincy at McChord Air Force Base in Washington on May 30. He says he will be deploying to a classified location from November 4 to March 4.
• Tanya Hardaway is the new Director of ChildrenÕs Ministries at Hillsdale UB (Hillsdale, Mich.), effective June 15. She is part-time and not licensed.

Bluffton, Ind. Park UB participated with 17 other churches in a Prayer Tent at the Bluffton Street Fair, held September 16-20. Each church was responsible for two time segments during the week. They wore t-shirts that said "Thirsty? Whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst again." The back of the shirts read, " Churches cooperating for a changed community."

Each team greeted the people as they passed by, offered them a cup of water, and received any prayer requests that were given. They gave away 50-70 gallons of water each day. And each day, they emailed a list of prayer requests to the participating churches.

During August, 12 people from Park traveled to Vermont to work at a local church. While there, they built a handicapped ramp, replanted new landscaping, and led the children in VBS. The team members raised their own money throughout the summer in order to make this event possible.

Macau. Jana Hoobler, director of the Macau ELP work, sent these notes about the summer in Macau.

• During the summer at the Taipa Center, we held six weeks of English classes for children and teens. We helped them with their English conversation skills and also shared Bible Stories with them. Then we had VBS for a week, with the theme "Surfin' God's Word." We were happy to build our relationships with more of the families we're working with on Taipa.
• Linda Neely returned to the States in August after a year of service as a volunteer missionary in Macau. Lamar and Karen Crumbley arrived at the end of August to serve with us until Christmas.
• Living Water Church held a water-gun fight and BBQ at the beach in July. It was a great time of fellowship with the church members and some of their friends. We even BBQ'd some eggplant! The after-dinner activities were cut short, though, when a typhoon started blowing in. Everyone made a dash for their cars as the rain and wind started.
• Living Word Church held a calmer BBQ in August. Several teenagers who have been attending worship services came to the event. Everyone ate and talked and BBQ'd a variety of meats for several hours.

Sunfield, Mich. On October 12, Sunfield UB will dedicates it new fellowship/Christian education building to the Lord. Former pastor Kevin Cherry will be speaking.

October 12 will also be the annual "Miracle Sunday." Every year on the second Sunday of October, they take a special offering for the construction fund. Last year they raised close to $40,000. The building, which cost $500,000, has a remaining indebtedness of about $100,000.

Sunfield will participate in a spiritual journey called "40 Days of Purpose" between October 12 and November 23. It is based on Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose Driven Life."

September 23, 2003

Chambersburg, Pa. June Brown, former missionary to Sierra Leone, will undergo quadruple bypass surgery on Wednesday, September 24. The need for heart surgery was discovered at the same time she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. The malignancy will be dealt with after the heart surgery. June is from the King Street UB church in Chambersburg.

Chambersburg, Pa. Mark and Angela Vincenti, both of whom serve on staff at King Street UB in Chambersburg, are the parents of a baby girl. Kiana Kristy Vincenti was born early in the morning on September 23, weighing 7 lbs., 7 oz. Everyone's doing fine.

Macau. Jana Hoobler sent these items from Macau on September 21.

• "Last night one of our ELP students went forward during the invitation at an all-city evangelistic meeting. His name is Michael. He's in his 30's and works in the police department. A Christian friend of his from another church has been witnessing to him. Pray that he'll take his commitment seriously and mature as a Christian.
• "We started an English class for 1st through 3rd graders on Saturday afternoons. Nine children come each week. We do some English activities, have a Bible story and songs, and help them with their English homework. They've been very attentive during the Bible story time each week. Pray that they'll develop a solid Biblical foundation through the time they spend with us.
• "We're accepting applications now for a new ELP secretary. Michael, our former secretary, will not be able to work for us at all anymore, although he hopes to stay involved in ministry on Taipa. Pray that God will bring the right person to work with us.
• "Because ELP enrollment is so low, I don't have as many classes as I anticipated. I've been in contact with a Christian Dean of Students at Pui Va High School, a school on Taipa that I taught at a few years ago. She's in the process of looking at the possibility of setting up a study group for a few of their seniors here at our center. Pray for God's leading in this opportunity. This is a Communist background school, but there are around six Christian teachers teaching there this year. God is working at that school!
• "Pray for wisdom as we look at what changes we might need to make in the ELP or our entire approach to ministry on Taipa over the next several months. I'm feeling overwhelmed and somewhat discouraged by all of it right now. Pray that we'll be sensitive to God's leading during this time of re-evaluation. Continue to pray, too, that God will provide a pastor to serve with us at the Taipa Center. We feel this need more and more keenly as time goes on."

Jamaica. Bishop Emeritus Wilber and Mossie Sites are in Jamaica, serving another short-term stint at Jamaica Bible College.

La Ceiba, Honduras. Missionary Roger Reeck is currently in the States undergoing tests for what may be cancer. He flew to Dallas to see specialists on September 20. Marilyn was scheduled to fly up later. Daughters Amanda and Teresa live in the Dallas area.

Marilyn writes, "About six weeks ago Roger came down with a virus that was going around. He couldn't seem to shake it and was feeling not up to par. The middle of August he took a trip to Guatemala and had a hard time driving the 14 hours back home. He went to see a doctor who, after running preliminary tests, decided that he had a recurrence of the virus. He was still feeling poorly with strong headaches, weakness and low grade fevers, so he went to another doctor who recommended several tests.

One of the tests was a CAT scan, which they did a week ago. The results showed that he has a problem area in the lungs. Dr. McKinney (a thoracic surgeon and part of the mission hospital where our daughter Christy works) read the tests and concurred that it needs immediate attention. He suggested that Roger leave for the US immediately.

On Monday, September 15, Roger contacted a doctor at the Wycliffe clinic in Dallas. He set up an appointment with a pulmonary specialist for September 22 in Dallas. He will see the specialist, who will schedule him for another CAT scan and then for an endoscopy and biopsy. At the moment things do not look good, but we believe in the God of miracles and are very hopeful for a good outcome.

"We praise the Lord that this was discovered quickly and that necessary medical attention has been set up for Roger so quickly in Dallas."

Huntington, Ind. Bishop Emeritus C. Ray Miller Dad was trimming some trees on September 15, and was on the final one, when the ladder toppled. He sustained multiple fractures around his shoulder area, three or four other small fractures around his pelvic and lower back area, and also jammed his hip. A full recovery is expected. However, he faces 8-12 weeks of bed rest. Address for cards: Bishop C. Ray Miller, 2260 Dieringer Drive, Huntington, IN 46750.

Haiti. Luanne Brooks, UB missionary in Haiti with OMS International, sent this note on September 23: "My heart is very heavy this morning. I have a very good friend here named Delores Pudwell. Delores and her husband, Brunell, have become like parents to me. She is in her early 70s. She and her husband have been independent missionaries to Haiti for many, many years. Over the past few months, Delores has been having stomach problems and losing a lot of weight. Last week the Pudwells flew to the US for tests to see why Delores has been so sick. Brunell called me this morning and told me they will not be back for a while. They are flying to North Dakota (their home) this week, where Delores will undergo surgery and further treatment. In the tests this week they found that Delores has a malignant lesion in her stomach. Please pray with me that our God, the great physician, will touch this sainted child of his."

September 18, 2003

Holly Hill, Fla. The International Executive Committee met September 15-16 at the Daytona UB church in Holly Hill. This group consists of the top leader from each UB national conference. The persons attending included:

• Sierra Leone: Albert Beckley, General Superintendent.
• Jamaica: Winston Smith, Superintendent.
• Honduras: Francisco Raudales, Superintendent.
• Nicaragua: Juan Pavon, Superintendent.
• Canada: Brian Magnus, Bishop.
• United States: Paul Hirschy, Bishop.
• Hong Kong: Peter Lee, Superintendent.

Also attending was Gary Dilley, the US Director of Global Ministries.

This was the first meeting of the International Executive Committee. The committee was established as part of the new international structure at the 2001 General Conference.

Brian Magnus, Bishop of the UB Church in Canada, was named chairperson of the IEC.

Huntington, Ind. Sue Cherry has been the "voice of the UB Headquarters" for 24 years. It was in 1979 that she began serving as receptionist. So when people called, her voice was usually the first voice they heard.

Sue concluded her service at the UB Headquarters at the end of August. She has been greatly appreciated, and will be missed.

Sue is the husband of Dr. Howard Cherry. They pastored several UB churches before Dr. Cherry joined the staff of the Huntington College Graduate School of Christian Ministries in 1979. They will remain active in various types of ministry.

Macau. Jana Hoobler sent these items from Macau on September 13.

• "Our ELP classes started in early September with VERY FEW students. This is discouraging for all of us. Pray that more of our students will return during the next couple of weeks. Pray for wisdom on how to handle the situation. Pray for a sense of peace that this is God's ministry, and He's in control. (To be honest, I'm feeling more stressed than peaceful right now.)
• "Lamar and Karen Crumbley arrived safely, with their arrival nicely timed between two typhoons, so that their flight schedule wasn't affected by bad weather. They're getting settled in and finding their way around. Pray for them as they continue to adjust to Macau and develop relationships with our Chinese friends.
• "English Bible Studies started again after the summer break. Several women returned. A few others are planning to come after their children get settled into their new school year. Pray for Tiffany, Miss Cheong, Carmen, and Pansy. All of them are non-Christians who have returned to our English Bible Studies. Pray that their lives will be changed as they study God's Word."
• "Our ELP secretary, Michael, is taking come church-related courses this year. He thought that his class schedule wouldn't affect his work schedule with us, but it ends up that there are a lot of time conflicts. He will decide by the end of this month whether to continue working for us with fewer hours or whether to just quit the job and focus on his classes. We've appreciated his commitment to our ministry on Taipa, and we want to encourage him as he seeks God's will for his future. Either way, we'll need to find another part-time secretary. Pray for God to lead us to the right person."
• "My financial support is now at 99% for this term. Much of this consists of one-time gifts, so I will continue to be in need of monthly supporters in the future. I also have teammates who are still in need of monthly supporters. However, I am thankful for God's provision for this term."

Canyon Country, Calif. Sam Quinn, superintendent of California Conference, sent this note: "Please be in prayer for the Canyon Country church, as they are making decisions as far as having to move to a new and larger location. The cost could be as much as $10,000 per month--a large commitment." This Hispanic congregation of about 400 people was recently told that they could not continue using the Lutheran facility where they have been meeting for many years. Edwin Recinos is the pastor.

Huntington, Ind. Bishop Emeritus C. Ray Miller fell from a ladder and injured his shoulder and hip. He drove himself to the hospital for treatment. Doctors determined that his shoulder was broken.

Idaville, Pa. Dirk Small, pastor of the Idaville UB church, is still having serious difficulties with injuries sustained over five weeks ago in a motorcycle accident. He has a serious infection in the 14-inch incision from the surgery. He is in a lot of pain and would appreciate our prayers.

Among Ministers

• George Rhodifer has been named Interim Pastor of Hillsdale UB of St. Mary's, Ohio, effective September 14. He was formerly the associate pastor at Park Layne UB in Dayton, Ohio.
• Eric Ross is supply pastor of Eden UB (Reedsville, Ohio). Gary Reed, the lay leader at Eden, had been serving as supply pastor.
• Angela Burnside is the new Director of Children's Ministries at Gaines UB (Caledonia, Mich.), effective September 3. She replaces Kelly Dutcher, who resigned from that position as of August 15.
• Doug Wendt, who had been music minister at Gaines UB (Caledonia, Mich.), resigned from that position in June.

Pasadena, Calif. Here is a September 12 update from Dave and Cathie Datema, endorsed missionaries serving in Pasadena with the US Center for World Mission.

• "The INSIGHT students have finished their 3rd week and are now studying ancient civilizations and the beginnings of the Old Testament. They seem to enjoy each other and are working hard to finish their assignments and readings. We are happy to have 16 students here on campus from Wales in the UK, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kansas, Oregon, North Carolina, New York and California. One woman is from a United Brethren church in Harrisburg, Pa. She came after hearing Dave speak at her church last fall.
• "Cathie has agreed to be a mentor for one of the female INSIGHT students. Most of the students are away from their families and friends so this relationship is intended mostly to provide friendship. They meet for one hour, once a week.
• "Dave recently returned from a weekend in Colorado, celebrating his aunt amd uncle's 50th wedding anniversary with other Datema relatives.
• "Cathie and the girls are traveling to Ohio this week to visit friends and family."

Haiti. Luanne Brooks sent this update on September 15. She is a UB missionary serving with OMS International in Haiti.

"A few weeks ago I attended the Haitian National Convention for United Brethren in Christ. It was held in Port Au Prince, and was a great experience. I was able to address the conference in Creole and was very happy with the response I received. I sang with a Haitian choir, because I just happened to be wearing what they were wearing. They approached me and asked if I would sing with them, and of coarse I was happy to add my voice in praise to our Savior.

"Coming home to Cap Haitian, I was very ill, but I received a note from a prayer supporter in Michigan, who in the middle of that night answered Gods request to pray for me. Because of that prayer, I was able to sit through the OMS annual field council meetings and participate. I was elected to the position of Social Coordinator and placed on several committees. I will also be the editor of the field newsletter that I will start this month.

"At the council meeting, I learned that I would soon be sharing my house with a young lady from Indiana who would be teaching at the Cowman school. Later that week, Erica Thompson arrived and we have been settling in. She is new to Haiti and is having her anxieties, just as I did. Having a housemate is a new experience for me. I have been Queen of the hive since I was 17. Now for the first time I am sharing that top dog position. Please pray for me that I will remember that I am Erica's housemate and not her mother! She is a sweet young lady who is looking for God's will in her life.

"I have my reservations to come home for Christmas, December 18-29."

Camden, Mich. Lake View UB has a new website up and running at www.lakeviewandyou.org. On September 21, the church will begin a second worship service. You can check out the full list of UB churches with website here.

Poland. Arek and Donna Delik are endorsed missionaries serving with Operation Moblization in Kutno, Poland. Donna is originally from the UB churches in Hong Kong. Here are excerpts from their September 2003 newsletter.

"After two wonderful weeks in the United Kingdom, we returned home safely last week. We did quite a lot of traveling this time and I am really proud of Arek for he drove on the other side without a single accident. We are so glad that we could attend the OM conference in Keswick, which was specially dedicated to our founder, George Verwer. The conference itself was both inspiring and challenging. OM has entered into an new era under the leadership of Peter Maiden.

"During our Global Challenge campaign, the outreach team went to four different towns, ministering to people through street evangelism as well as a gospel meeting. In the second week of outreach, half of the team ran a children's English workshop in Kutno, which went really well. Despite a rumor that some kind of 'sect' may use English teaching to 'convert' people, the feedback from the parents was very positive and we got the chance to share with some why we did this workshop.

The local believers were encouraged by their enthusiasm and hard work as they realized that Poland was not forgotten. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with pastors who faithfully reach out to those forgotten towns in Poland. The soil is hard, and we need to keep praying that God will soften the hearts of those we have shared the gospel with.

"A girl named Marta gave her life to Jesus during the Global Challenge campaign. When her mom, a Jehovah's Witness, learned that she came to our meeting, she got really mad and beat her up. She also took away Marta's cell phone. Now we have no access to Marta and are afraid that she will have more trouble if we try to contact her. Before all these happened, she wrote to us once and joyfully shared with us her excitement of discovering how much our Father God loves and cares for her.

"Our focus for the next few months will be in these areas:

• Visiting churches, especially those showing interest in the ship ministry. We hope to build a better relationship with the Polish churches and promote OM's worldwide ministry.
• The IFES conference at the end of October, where George Verwer will be the main speaker. We are invited to take part during the conference. Pray that many students will be challenged for missions.
• Locally under the church plant in Kutno, we will start our English school in two weeks time. In mid-September, we would like to start our first Youth English club on Saturday afternoon.

"By God's grace we will have a full team by the beginning of October! Anu-Riikka returned to Finland after three busy months with us. Caroline (British) and Sylwia (Polish) have settled in very well. At the end of the month we welcome a retired missionary couple from Holland, Theo and Tinneke, who will join our team for two months. We definitely need someone to help us to teach English in the next semester when Caroline returns to UK."

September 4, 2003

Vancouver, Wash. Jim Ellifritt, the Northwest Conference superintendent, is a major in the National Guard. He reports that beginning in mid-October, he will be ordered to active duty for language training in Dari, the majority language for Afghanistan. He writes, "Our unit will be officially activated on November 30 and sent to Fort Bragg, N. C., and certified for deployment. We will arrive in Afghanistan around the first week of January. I will be in a town called Bagram. The deployment is schedule for 12 months beginning November 30. Prayerfully it will only be 12 months in country."

Jim says he's grateful that his children are older--Kori is 15, Stacy 18, and Jim 23. "I am cautiously excited about opportunities of ministry to soldiers and civilians. All of this, like everything else with the military, is subject to change. It will be more real to me when I finally step onto the tarmac in Bagram."

Among Ministers

• Joshua Kesler is the new senior pastor of Bethel UB in Elmore, Ohio, effective September 1.
• Marion Hall is the new senior pastor of Harrison UB (Harrison, Mich.) effective August 17.

Free Copier. The United Brethren Headquarters has a free copier that we are making available to any UB church. It is a Xerox, Model #5028. It is approximately 10 years old, and will need a new dry ink cartridge and copy cartridge. (Our cost in 2001 was $415.) If you are interested in this copier, please contact Susan at: 1-888-622-3019 or susan@ub.org. You would be responsible to move the copier to your church.

Spain. The Troy and Julie Hendricks has arrived in Spain, where they will serve as missionaries with Send International. They are settling into an apartment in Azuqueca. They report, "All of our boxes that we sent air freight arrived safely. We are becoming very familiar and comfortable with Azuqueca. It is a wonderful, friendly town.

"Hannah and Ethan continue to adjust well. They will start school at a public school in Azuqueca on Monday, September 8. Next Monday, September 1, we will visit the public schools here in town to see which has space available for our kids. We have talked to parents from our church here who have recommended which school to request, but at this point in time there may not be space available. We really feel that attending public school will be their very best way to adapt to the culture and learn Spanish.

"Today, Troy went to Alca-Lingua to register for the intensive month-long language course. It begins September 2 and runs through the month of September. It is a very fast and very intense foundational course. He will take the train from Azuqueca to Alcala every morning, about a 13-15 minute ride. It is a 20-minute walk from our apartment to the train station in Azuqueca. Then from the train station in Alcala to the language school is about a fifteen minute walk. So the whole process of getting to language school should be a little less than an hour commute. Julie will begin formal language study in October, after the kids are settled into school."