Heather and I are excited to announce that with God's help, we will be moving to Quito, Ecuador, in August to serve at Alliance Academy International (AAI). I, Bryan, will be serving as a high school Physics and General Science teacher as my principle mission. Alliance Academy International is a Christian, English-speaking, multi-national school that educates and ministers to nearly 600 students from more than 30 nations. The socioeconomic background of the student body is wide-ranging. Some students come from extremely affluent families from around the world, some from middle-class families, and some from extremely rural/impoverished areas, including tribes in the Amazon basin.
AAI is heavily involved in the community through various Community Service Outreach (CSO) ministries. In fact, all extracurricular activities are suspended each Wednesday afternoon to allow for the staff and interested students to go into the community and serve. More than 85% of the high school students at the school are involved. Through the CSOs, students and staff minister to street kids, orphans at a local orphanage, and the poor who live near the Quito trash dump. Other staff and student-involved ministries reach out into the surrounding communities--including villages in the upper Amazon basin along the Napo River (a tributary of the Amazon River) near the area where the Waorani tribe resides. The Waorani tribe is the same tribe that was documented in the movie "End of the Spear."
Quito, a city of approximately 3 million, is a city full of contrasts. While the city is striving to become an international city of commerce, there remain significant areas of poverty and need. Demographically, the city is divided into three sections. The northern portion of the city is the most modernized and affluent. The middle portion is the historical district. Southern portion of the city is the area of greatest need, the area where most of the poor reside. AAI is located in the central portion of the city.
We are humbled to be called into this ministry and are eager to serve. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us in our mission? In order to live and work in Quito, Ecuador, we will need your prayers and financial support. AAI provides teachers a stipend that covers nearly one third of living expenses. As full-time missionaries, we need to raise $2,000 a month to supplement the stipend. Bryan received a formal offer yesterday, May 15, leaving us approximately 10 weeks to raise financial support. We know that with God all things are possible. If this is something that you are able to do, please contact us richardhenry2011@gmail.com for more information. Thank you so much. We look forward to sharing much more with you in the coming years!
Bryan and Heather
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