May Happenings

This past April I made a return visit and met up with Luis in Bocachica. The pastor from the local church is living in our house, so we stayed with them.
 They were great hosts, and it was nice to be there with friends.
 Luis and I went and visited a number of houses to follow up on filters we installed three years ago. Many are giving good testimonies about the changes they have experienced with better water. More than one had the same story about how they can no longer buy juices in the street because they will be sick shortly after drinking them. Some also filter water for other family members that need clean water as well.

 A new devolvement that is happening with the filter in Colombia is there is another project in Bogota that has made the filter body out of plastic. We have joined with them in working towards providing the best system for household treatment of water. This month they finished the first filter out of plastic. We worked on doing this a couple of years ago, but there were no companies that could do it cost effectively for us.


A plastic filter body will give this system a more professional finished look. It does cost more. The estimated cost for the filter will double. The good thing about a plastic body is that we can take this into hard to reach areas that normally aren't accessible due to the weight of a concrete filter body. Previously, Luis made a filter out of a drain tile, but in the future, we could return to this remote area and install more filters using this plastic filter body.

Another project that we are embarking on with the local church in Bocachica is the building of a new Christian private school. There is a public school in the village now, but it is woefully below standards for providing the minimum in a good education. The church has already started this year with the preschool in the faith that God will provide for them to add a class each year until they have ll the grades for a complete education. Luis and I visited the school which for now is using two borrowed classrooms from another site. The full vision is to have a bi-lingual private Christian education available to people of the village. The parents of the students are paying monthly to have the kids taught, this is a big sacrifice for them because the normal mentality is that they are poor and receive things for free. However, the parents who want the change are willing to sacrifice monetarily in order to provide something important to the next generation. The need then is for the church, they had an architect design the plans according to the regulations of Colombia for the structure and layout of the school. The estimate for the school structure without the finished details is quoted at 125,000.00 dollars. This is a lot, but it also isn't a lot considering the lives it can change for the future. This year the goal is to build out two classrooms and the bathrooms so that the school can move into its own place.

Kids in uniform ready for school.                              

Teaching English classes with Luis                                           

Right now we are in the planning stages of bringing a team to Bocachica in January 2018. Please tell us if you would like to be part of this team.  Join us in praying as we get the details to come together.

Blessings from our family to yours,



The Ariels

January Colombia Team

Hey readers,

This summer God has given me the opportunity to begin organizing a mission group that will go back to my second home. We will be going to January 3rd through the 10th, but the work begins now. A team of about 15 will be traveling to Bocachica, Colombia. This focus of this trip is a new project. We will be working in collaboration with the local church to start work on a Christian school for the island. The need for this school is so great, not only to provide a good education for students but teach them the word of God.

The reason a Christian school is so important is because the school already on the island has many issues. The first problem is that the school is very overcrowded, often combining grades and classes into one. They are under equipped and do not have supplies and materials for all the students. There are no textbooks or learning supplements, just notebooks. They also only require the students to attend half days in order to serve all the students on the island.The government pays for the students to attend school and parents are not involved in their child's education.  Children are not mandated to attend and if they do not feel like going to school there will not be a consequence. All of these problems put together result in a poor education for the students. As we can see, there is a need for a better school on the island of Bocachica. The school will also be bi-lingual, this is necessary to have in Colombia. Students that want to go beyond a two year degree in a Colombian university need to have a level 6 or higher fluency in English. This is impossible with a public education that is offered on the island.

 The school will have teachers who care about their students, and will teach them the about God. With a classroom per grade, enough bathrooms, supplies, and materials, students can receive the education they deserve through the Christian school.

The project, so far, has a decent start. Borrowing a single classroom from a local building, the school is up and running for first graders. As of now, 16 children and one teacher make up the Gimnasio Cristiana De Bocachica.

My dad, the pastor, the teacher, and the class of first graders.

The property on which the school will be built has been purchased, and blueprints for the school made. The finished building will include 10 classrooms, offices, a lab, and a preschool.

The land for the school.

Blueprints for the school.

The goal for our team is to finish the first two classrooms and a bathroom. Besides building, some of our team will be able to work with the students and help teach. In order to complete our goal, we need to raise $12,000 to begin and also have the locals continue working after we leave. The entire project requires $125,000, and Lord willing we will raise as we go after our trip. 

The long-term goal of this project is to continue building a classroom per year, and adding on a grade for each new classroom up until 12th grade. Besides funds for the school, we are asking that you join us in prayer. 

Please join us in prayer as we sort out all the logistics for this trip. If you would like to be part of this team please feel free to contact me via email: arariel786@access.alamancecc.edu. And last but not least, if you would like to donate funds to help build this school you can mail a check to Ariel Missions, 3706 Union Ridge Road, Burlington NC. 27217. Please put Bocachica school project in the memo line.

Thank you,

Alicia Ariel