After a great trip in the United States, we are glad to be back in Ecuador! We feel rejuvenated by the time we spent with family and friends, and are especially grateful to everyone that came to one of our events over the past 2 months. We felt so encouraged to spend time with some of our longtime Mission supporters, as well as to meet many new friends. We are grateful to all of you for being on this journey with us! 

So happy to be back in Ecuador! We returned to the end of the rainy season so most days are cloudy, but the sun is beginning to come out!

We are excited to announce that our return to Ecuador coincided with good news from the Mission School. After a year and a half of virtual learning, the Mission School reopened to students last week. They are the first school in the state to have been given permission by the government to welcome students back into their classrooms. The school was required by the government to implement numerous health requirements, as well as a detailed plan of staggered reentry of the students. 

Students being welcomed back to in-person learning at the Mission School. It was a day to celebrate!

Getting kids back in the classroom was, and continues to be, a huge priority for us. Because of your generosity, Mission Santa Maria gave the school $5000 it needed to comply with the government regulations that allow for in-person learning. This includes hand sanitizing stations, signage, and video cameras for each classroom to comply with staggered re-entry, since the teachers must teach half of the students in person and film the class virtually at the same time for the students still at home. Priority for reentry is being given to students that do not have access to the internet in their homes. 

We have several plans to help the school but it is important that the students return to school first. We will have more updates for you soon.

During this phase of staggered reentry, classes are being taught to half the students in-person, and are filmed for the other half of students at home.