Adult English Classes

Yesterday, we told you about our mornings; today, we'll explain what goes on in the evenings around here.

After siesta time (during which both boys get naps, but not necessarily their parents), we eat a light snack, called la merienda, around 5:00 to tide us over for a late dinner, which the Spanish call la cena.  Then I get in the car with Ben and Hannah, the two students currently living with us, and drive into Alcoy to the church for the adult English classes.  The classes are held at Iglesia Bautista "Monte Sion" de Alcoy (translated:  Mount Zion Baptist Church of Alcoy) in the heart of downtown.  The church graciously repainted the entire inside of their building and even installed air conditioning in some of the classrooms in preparation for this event.  Hosting the classes is a good advertisement for the church, which is one of only a couple evangelical churches in the area due to the fact that many people here view Protestant churches as part of a cult.  Their hope is that by hosting these classes, people will not only become more comfortable with the church, but will also be able to form relationships with some of the members.

Iglesia Bautista "Monte Sion"

At 6:00pm, formal classes begin, during which the students are split into three groups:  beginner, intermediate, and high-intermediate.  They're taught by Jessica, Katie, and Ben, the three Bethel student teachers who came with us.  Then at 7:00pm, we split the students into groups of 4-6 to have some free conversation time.  The other American volunteers (comprised mostly of people from northern Indiana Missionary churches, along with the extra Bethel students we brought with us), give up their evening to come to the church and lead conversation groups.  We're very grateful for their help, as the Alcoy residents eat this time up.

Pastor Pedro with Inez from California and Jessica from Indiana

At around 8pm, everyone is exhausted and ready to head home...so we do.  Ben and Hannah and I usually arrive back home around 8:45, where Eric is laying out a delightful cena on the table on the east balcony.  We feast and chat and rest until it's time for bed, which happens for us old people around 11:30pm, while our students usually stay up for a bit longer to get some work done in preparation for class the next day.  

The next morning, the whole schedule starts again.  Thus our weekdays go.