STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER

How often do we say to someone, "I'll pray for you," and then in the busy hum of life, we forget? How often, when someone shares their burdens with us, do we stop to pray for them right in that moment? These were questions on Dave's mind when he decided to start a prayer team as a new Christian Service Outreach (CSO) at the Alliance Academy International (AAI). 

The CSO program offers high school students a chance to volunteer and serve in the school and surrounding community through a variety of groups such as:

• hospital visitation
• serving meals to the poor
• mentoring middle school students
• playing with kids at an orphanage
• running Sunday School and AWANA's clubs

The groups are sponsored by AAI staff and meet weekly. Dave's new group of eight guys and three girls is called Intercessors and meets every Friday during lunch.

Dave with most of the Intercessors. There are six sophomore
boys serving, which is an exciting reflection of the spiritual
leadership we see in that class.

Some students walk the campus, offering to pray for people they meet, while others are available to pray with people in Dave's room and to pray through prayer requests given during the week. The members include a young man who was an atheist when he first met Dave, a girl who had never prayed with someone face to face in her life, and a boy who was agnostic when he first came to the AAI. The intercessors just had a great team building retreat and are ready to dive into their ministry. Would you take a moment right now to pray for them, please?

Finishing a ropes course on the retreat.

A SPANISH SPEAKING NURSE AND MOM

It's what I want to be! Nearly five years after I (Beth) last wore my nurse's uniform, I am stepping back into my scrubs. The AAI needed substitute nurses and I welcomed the opportunity to be on campus with my husband and sons, as well as the chance to get to know more students and to hone my nursing skills again. I'm glad it's only occasional work, since I treasure my time at home with Aaron and Evangeline. But it's good to be meeting many of the students Dave talks about and to be practicing Spanish with my youngest patients,  who often forget their limited English when their tummies are hurting!

I love seeing these beautiful faces on campus.

Another new venue has opened for me to speak Spanish: in a group for mothers of AAI students. Entre Nosotras (Between Us Women) began five years ago with just a handful of women and has grown to over ninety ladies who meet in four different groups during the week. Please pray for me on Thursday afternoons as I co-facilitate our group discussions of the book Una Madre Conforme al Corazon de Dios (A Mom After God's Own Heart). After spending the last few years in the mostly English-language bubble of home life with my kids, I'm ready (though a little nervous) to jump into more Spanish-language ministry.

AN ENGLISH SPEAKING SUMMER

Our whirlwind five weeks in the U.S. this summer were packed with beautiful celebrations and reunions. We wish we could have seen more of you and are grateful for the visits we did have. Thank you for your prayers and your time and for showing God's grace to us while we traveled. We are thankful for you, our English speaking friends!

Nine cousins (aged 7 and under) spent a week all in one house.

Our Evangeline, the reluctant flower girl

Beth's family gathered from three continents for her
sister Rachel's wedding.

With love and gratitude,

Dave & Beth and kids

TIME TO CELEBRATE

Celebration is in the air. Five children of HCJB Global missionaries are graduating from the Alliance Academy International (AAI) this year. It is an honor to have played a part in their education. Mentoring and discipling young people is the main focus of Dave's work in Ecuador, but a terrific additional benefit is to support the work of other HCJB Global missionaries by offsetting the cost of their children's educations. Because our work is funded by amazing people like you, the salary the school would otherwise pay Dave is instead used to lower the tuition costs of HCJB Global missionary kids.

HCJB Global's high school seniors for 2011
(and proud missionary parents, too)

We celebrate the work that God is doing in these students' lives and we're thrilled about the work that God is doing through the lives of their parents. We congratulate the following students (parent professions in parentheses): Elizabeth Hartwig (hydroplant engineering/national missionary training), Joseph Kurtenbach (communications/teaching), David Quiring (teaching/nursing), Trevor Weeks (radio engineering), and Josh Zook (radio engineering/human resources).

Thanks to your support, young people are getting a great schooling experience and the financial burden on the parents to provide a quality education is lightened. For next year, HCJB Global will have students at AAI whose parents work in health care, media, community development and education. Thank you SO MUCH for partnering with us to bless both young people and their parents. We are blessed so that we can be a blessing and we celebrate being able to do that together with you!

ENCOURAGING WORDS

We all enjoy an uplifting word from time to time, so with joy, we share this good news with you:

• A student who is a self-professing atheist sought out Dave recently to tell him he really appreciated his Bible teaching. 
• The student feedback from the "sex-talk" seminars both of us gave has been very positive. 
• Several weeks ago, a young lady was baptized at our church and afterward, she told Dave that taking his class was one of the reasons she decided to get baptized. 
• Dave was just recognized by a vote of AAI staff and students as the 2010-2011 Outstanding Teacher for the high school. His plaque reads, "By word and deed, your presence has enriched the lives of students... and served as an example for all." The high school boys gave Dave a standing ovation when his name was called. 

  

  Dave with his small group at the Jr. & Sr. Class banquet

• Dave was asked by the senior class to give the address at their Baccalaureate service on June 12. The entirety of his speech will be drawn from Scripture quotations. 
• An old tradition at AAI has been to hold baptismal services at the end of the school year. This June 12, that tradition is being resurrected as four seniors (including Joseph and Josh -- mentioned above) take the plunge before they leave for college. Beth will be leading music at the service. 



Beth helps lead music at a recent

Sunday Service at our church




• We are encouraged by your words, too, so we are really looking forward to spending some time this summer with many of you in the U.S.!

CELEBRATE SUMMER

June and July will find us in the U.S. and we can't wait to celebrate time with as many friends and family as we can squeeze in! We expected to be in Quito over the summer, but since Beth's sister, Rachel, is getting married, we're flying up for a five week visit. Yay! We will be in IL from June 21-July 11 and in MN from July 12-25. We will share in the following churches (follow the links for service times, directions, etc):

• June 26: Palos Bible Church, Palos Heights, IL
• July 3: Fellowship Church, Carol Stream, IL
• July 10: Trinity Vineyard, St. Charles, IL
• July 17: Hope Christian Church, Shoreview, MN
• July 24: To be determined...

We hope to connect with more friends, as well, so please drop us an e-mail (if we don't beat you to it) to arrange a get-together. We have more stories to share and we are eager to hear some of yours!

With grateful hearts, 

Dave & Beth Saavedra

and Levi, Luke, Aaron and Evangeline, too. 

So, How Can We Pray for You?

It's one of our favorite questions to be asked. As we head into April, I (Beth) keep thinking of the saying "April showers bring May flowers," and I am hoping that the showers we get this month are showers of prayer support that will flower into good news in the future.

So, how can you pray for us? Here's the scoop for April:

DAVE:

Time hanging out with the kids is always a treat!

• It's the time of year when lots of students (and teachers) are feeling burned out. Stamina, or even better,  enthusiasm, is definitely needed.
• A., a student who identifies as non-Christian, just thrilled Dave by asking him to fill out a college recommendation for an evangelical school. This young man is one of the most engaged students Dave has and recently told Dave that he never wants to miss his Bible class. Yay!  
• Crime is still a very real issue for students. The family of one student is planning to move back to their home country after a traumatizing break-in and confrontation with thieves. Another student narrowly escaped pursuers on a motorcycle who were chasing him for unknown reasons.
• Lunch and prep periods continue to be popular times for students to seek Dave out. It is a blessing that requires balance so that grading and class preparation can still get done.
• The counseling department is hosting a day of seminars for students, with the theme "Controversial Topics - Things People Have a Hard Time Talking About." Please keep Dave in prayer on April 18, when he co-presents to high school boys about "Purity vs. Porn."

BETH:

Our three year old took this shot. It depicts my life pretty well!

• I'm also going to present a seminar at the counseling summit. My topic is for the high school girls: "Healthy Female Sexuality." I'd like to be able to encourage students through the teaching and hopefully open doors to more mentoring relationships in the future.
• Child-rearing is where the bulk of my energies go on a daily basis. Both Aaron and Evangeline have had major separation anxiety recently, which has been a test of patience.
• Friendships with two young believers (and fellow moms), Margarita and Kim, are a source of real joy and opportunities to share about following Christ. The challenge is to find time to talk and pray and play together in the midst of busy lives.
• I have been having recurring health issues with my eyes over the last few months and am looking into the possibility of corrective eye surgery. We want to carefully weigh options and make a wise decision about this.

ALLIANCE ACADEMY INTERNATIONAL:

• The school is currently looking for secondary English and computer teachers, elementary teachers, an IT support technician, speech therapist and music teacher. Please help us spread the word! For more information, check out our web page.
• For a neat overview of the school (and - at the end of the video - of the country of Ecuador), take a look at this new video:

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your prayers! What an encouragement to know our family and the students at the school are being faithfully remembered before our Father God! We are blessed to be serving together with you and we are eager to hear how we can be praying for you, too!

Peace of Christ,

Dave, Beth, Levi, Luke, Aaron and Evangeline Saavedra

.

ON YOUR SIDE

This little guy knows that Daddy is on his side!

What could be better than having someone truly know you and the dirt about you and still choose to be for you, on your side? Dave recently got a chance to play that role with one of his students at school.

More and more often, the Alliance Academy International (AAI) is a place of last resort for kids who have struggled at or even been expelled from other schools. Parents see the Christian guiding principles clearly laid out in the AAI curriculum and hope against hope that a spiritually grounded approach will help their children where other schools have not been able to help. This dynamic presents the AAI community with amazing opportunities to be part of positive life transformations, but it also brings the challenge of increasing numbers of behavioral problems.

Dave's heart sank when he saw the blatantly copied homework assignments turned in by J., one of his newer students. All first semester, he had worked to build a relationship with this young man, spending time with him, encouraging him to engage with the Bible and to pursue God. Now he knew the disciplinary role he needed to play might destroy the rapport he had worked so hard to create.

In an evening e-mail exchange, J. admitted to cheating and asked for mercy. The next morning, when J. came to school, he was too ashamed to look Dave in the eye.

"This is about more than cheating, J. This is about you betraying our relationship."

"I know. Are you going to tell the principal? I don't want to get kicked out."

"J., what you did was childish, and part of my job is to teach you to be a man. So, yes, as a man of integrity and honesty, I will be going with you to talk to the principal...  But let me promise you that I will be your number one advocate. I believe that this school is the best place for you and I will do whatever I can to help you stay here. J., this is like us and God. He knows exactly where we've been and what we've done and He's still on our side."

J. teared up, maybe from fear of the principal, but hopefully because his heart was softened by being seen in his sin, and loved just the same. During the resulting in-school suspension, Dave dropped by to bring J. a snack and make sure he knew that he was there for him. As part of J.'s consequences, he will also be meeting with a mentor - Dave - to help him stay on track. Please pray with us that this dear young man encounters God in a powerful way and that he surrenders his heart to the One who loves him best.

MORE RESPONSIBILITY, MORE OPPORTUNITY

Some of the precious young people Dave has the privilege to teach

Dave recently ramped up responsibilities at school, taking on the Bible Department Chair position, as the previous chairperson went on maternity leave and will not be returning next year. Several years teaching experience has given him lots of good ideas about the direction of the department, and he is diving in on creating a more defined curriculum, scope and sequence. There are some significant scheduling issues to address (every student must take - and pass - a Bible course for each semester of attendance in order to graduate) and hiring decisions ahead, so we appreciate your prayers for wisdom for him and the administration as they move forward.

SO GLAD YOU ARE ON OUR SIDE!

We are deeply blessed when we consider the many prayers lifted on behalf of our ministry by friends like you. Thank you so much for being on our side, partnering with us in the ministry of discipling young people in Jesus' name. You are essential partners in what we do!

Gratefully, 

Dave and Beth Saavedra and family

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!

We pray that you all had a Christmas filled with the peace of Immanuel, God with us.

The best Christmas present we gave to our own family was a trip to visit some missionary friends who live in the cloud forest (high altitude jungle) about two hours outside of Quito. We tagged along with them on their Christmas box deliveries to poor and remote villages (each box containing food to feed a family for about two weeks). What a powerful reminder to be grateful for the abundance in our own lives!

Anytime I (Beth) am faced with such stark inequalities, I struggle to understand why some of us have so much and some so little. I know that greater generosity is one response that God is calling our family to. But I also see that the suffering in the world requires the response of the entire community of God's people. He calls us to different careers and countries and pastimes, but as we each put our all into living lives that point to Christ, God will orchestrate our actions to bring his hope and mercy and love to the world.

So with deep gratitude, we thank all of you for pointing us to Christ this year with your prayers and giving and encouraging words. And our prayer is that all of us will point more clearly to Christ in the year ahead.

Happy 2011, Dear Friends!
Love from Dave, Beth, Levi, Luke, Aaron and Evangeline

NEW LIFE!

Sunday morning was filled with celebrations of life. Margarita, an Ecuadorian friend Beth has been discipling this past year, publicly declared her commitment of faith at her baptismal service. Then we affirmed God's work in her young children's lives by witnessing their dedication service.

What immense joy there is in walking alongside new believers! There are also many challenges and we ask for your prayers for Margarita as she grows in her faith. Please join us in praying for her as she single parents her kids (two and five years old) and as she seeks out community with other believers. Thank you for your prayers; they make a difference!

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Imagine being far from home and family at the holidays. Many of the women at Quito's prison are foreigners in that very situation. Our church here supports a year-round prison outreach in both Spanish and English in order to reach the maximum number of ladies. Beth will be headed to prison for the first time this December to lead music for a Christmas service for 300+ inmates. Please pray that the Spanish and English songs will bring comfort and joy, but most importantly, will communicate the freedom to be found in Christ!

Please also lift Beth up this month as she leads a musical kindergarten chapel and as she continues to play guitar regularly for women's Bible studies.

THE TRUE HARVEST

Thanksgiving is one of my (Dave's) favorite holiday, with food, friends and family. Even though the majority of my students aren't Americans and are unfamiliar with the Thanksgiving feast, they have helped me reflect this year on a deeper hunger: for the spiritual satisfaction of a life of eternal significance. Jesus' words to his disciples concerning food have made more sense to me this Thanksgiving:

God has given several of my students this year a passionate desire to do his will through missionary work. Over the summer, two of my students served as short-term missionaries. They were bursting with excitement to share with me how the power and hope of the gospel we talk so much about in class became real and alive during their trips to China and Tibet.

H., one of these students, is currently working with me on an independent study about missions, as she prepares to dedicate her life to missionary work in China. She is learning Chinese from V., a Chinese student of mine. V. also has her heart and mind set on bringing the gospel to her Communist family. She is taking my World Religions and Cults class and has mentioned on several occasions how helpful this course has been as she thinks about returning to China.

During this season of Thanksgiving I am grateful to be reminded by my students of the true feast set before us of doing God's will. May we all have the same passion to pursue God's design to reconcile all people to himself.

With thankful hearts, 

Dave & Beth Saavedra

PRAY FOR PEACE

Since writing the newsletter below, unrest has broken out in our country. While we do not feel endangered, school is canceled Friday and we do ask that you pray for a peaceful resolution. Please check your preferred major news sources (such as this article at CNN) for more details on the situation as it develops. Thank you so much!