Kelsey and Erica Hartman
Quito (Ecuador) Mennonite Church
August, 2010 - May, 2011 

Kelsey and Erica Hartman served with Quito Mennonite Church in Quito, Ecuador between August, 2010 and May, 2011.  They collaborated with church members to help with their monthly peace education workshops.  The workshops ministered to children from the church and the surrounding neighborhood from ages 5 to 15; typically about 40 children attended.  The children learned about God, peace, conflict resolution, and values through songs, dramas, stories, crafts, games, and snacks.  Erica and Kelsey were tasked with creating, preparing, and teaching the crafts to the children.  They also loved participating in - and even sometimes helping to write - the dramas, plays, and puppet shows!  Erica and Kelsey taught English classes at the church for any adults or children from the church or neighborhood who were interested.  They also taught English at an elementary school to grades K-6.

From Kelsey:  "The peace education workshops are surely one big way Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Quito is helping bring about God’s peace.  I think God must smile right along with the kids during our workshops.  We can only pray that all that we teach these children will end up in their homes, lives, and futures."

From Erica:  "Ever since my first peace education workshop, I have grown to love my time spent planning, preparing for, and participating in the workshops.Being able to use my creativity in creating theater scripts or crafts was invaluable to me.I love that one day a month when all of my work comes to fruition, and I get to see the kids play, sing, watch plays, listen to stories, and make crafts.I honestly can’t say enough about the workshops.They bring the kids joy, and they bring me joy. I feel God’s presence in each one."

Kelsey and Erica Hartman were sponsored by the Ecuador Partnership, a joint project of the Ecuador Mennonite Church, Mennonite Mission Network, IMCOL: The Colombian Mennonite Church, and the Outreach and Service Committee of the Central Plains Mennonite Conference.  For more information about the Ecuador Partnership and its members, please visit the webpages linked above.  Financial support for the Ecuador Partnership is always welcome.  For information about financial support, please visit the Central Plains Mennonite Conference Donation Page. 

Kelsey and Erica Hartman (bottom row, 3rd and 4th from left) with members of Quito Mennonite Church in February, 2011.