We have been building relationships while partnering with many organizations across the city on projects to tackle important issues in our city. A big one is to help clean and beautify our city, especially at and near schools.That goes from simple clean ups to painting stuff and adding art work, planting trees, etc. We have grown in our connections to volunteer groups from the U of A. We also rally volunteers to spend time with refugee children. We see bigger opportunities in the future in all these areas as we pool more people and resources. We are now including discussion, skill sharing and vision casting alongside our volunteer opportunities. We have also been able to help connect churches to participate in prayer together across church lines. This includes prayer walking at sites to see and feel the needs there... This helps awaken a heart for service and favor for connecting in those same areas. Over time we hope to connect more "dots" to see greater collaborations on tough issues.

After years of practice and trying new ideas, I have developed a "building block" method of teaching English or Spanish. The idea is to learn key word groups/verb forms that can then be used with endless vocabulary themes to explode language learning. Using verbal, visual, movement and game techniques makes for lots of fun and faster acquisition. Having worked with most ages 5- adult has kept things fun and diversified the activities we can use. I would like to package all this together some day.

This all started with a prayer to learn Spanish so I would be more useful to the school children, people in prison, etc.. so I went south for one year ... and stayed six! In Tepic, Nayarit, I noticed that while local churches kept their members busy with many long services, and without much community impact... doors were opening for me for home Bible studies and activities with disadvantaged children hanging out on the streets. So things developed where we were able to start two weekly children clubs, one on a street corner and another in an impoverished little town on a basketball court. The children earned useful things like toothbrushes, etc. and we made my one room home like a kids center with crates of toys and games to play and borrow. We also learned how to teach children to read that were behind by tutoring them one on one. We had numerous home Discovery Bible studies going in these same areas. One family who came to faith is now fully involved and serves food regularly to the people visiting sick relatives at a local hospital.