Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As you already know, we have an outstanding staff at ELM. Last week, all three of the school’s teachers taught sick.  Currently, we don’t have any substitute teachers and, as you probably also know, we teach an extended school day at ELM until 5 PM every day except Friday, when kids go home at 3:40.  Our incredibly dedicated group of teachers, Ms. Griffith, Mr. Harrelson, and Mrs. Boers, continue to show up daily and regularly give all they have to their students.  They also give all the glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for what they achieve on a daily basis.  Please keep praying for ELM’s teachers, specifically for their health and energy.  Also, please pray that if it’s God’s will, we’d get someone to help us out with PE on Mondays and Thursdays.  As always, we’d love to have more volunteers come to help out this semester during tutoring on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4-5.

Great news, ELM was recently selected by World Book Night as a giver site.  World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books.  This year, it will be held in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and Ireland on April 23rd.  It is anticipated that tens of thousands of people will go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free World Book Night paperbacks. World Book Night, through social media and traditional publicity, will also promote the value of reading, of printed books, and of bookstores and libraries to everyone year-round. ELM has been chosen as a giver site, which is very exciting. We will be hosting a night of reading appreciation at the school to give out books to our families.  We hope to have students and teachers reading from their favorite books throughout the night.  If you would like to come help us support and foster a love of reading in the families the school serves, donate new or used books, or volunteer to read with a student during tutoring, please contact Language Arts teacher Mrs. Kristen Boers at <Kristen.d.simpson@gmail.com>.

The ELM Thunder basketball team finished their season with a 26-23 victory on January 25th over the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe.  It was a very good win for the team and a wonderful learning experience for the team to visit the NMSD campus.  The basketball team finished the season 2-3.  This season, in addition to playing Corona Middle School twice, the Thunder played games against Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School, the Native American Charter Academy (NACA), and NMSD.  This was the first season that we played games against Our Lady of Fatima, NACA, and NMSD and was a great way for ELM to become known to more schools and people in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Many thanks to Coach Becky for all she has done during the past three seasons to help us have a basketball program, no small feat for a small school with a limited budget.  Coach Becky, and her husband Kris who assisted Coach Becky with many practices this year, recently adopted two beautiful young children, so she won’t be able to continue as coach of the team.  Please keep Kris, Coach Becky, and their new family in your prayers.  And if you’re interested in getting more involved in the ELM basketball program, possibly as coach, please let me know.

Okay, time for a confession.  In December, I emailed you about ELM’s financial shortfalls.  Well, I’m embarrassed to admit that I was clueless and didn’t know that many of you had donated to the school through our wonderful website at <www.elmabq.org>.  I now know how to regularly check for donations given on-line.  For those of you who donated on-line, please accept my apology.  I would very much appreciate it if you’d prayfully consider making a tax-deductible donation to Escuela Luz del Mundo again soon.  Thanks to many of you, we received some generous donations at Christmas.  We are now in need of continued support for the months remaining this spring.

Thanks to Craig Hanna, you can keep up with what’s happening at ELM on a regular basis through our revamped website.  We now have blogs on the front page describing new news and upcoming events.  Our next fundraiser is on Saturday, March 3rd at 5 PM and will be held in the East Central Ministries warehouse at 123 Vermont St NE, which is located just ½ block north of Central Boulevard and 3 blocks west of Wyoming.  Of course, our parents will be making a delicious homemade Mexican dinner for all of us. After the meal, we’ll have a live band perform some “ranchero” music as well.

Thank you again for helping to make a difference in the lives of so many children who wouldn’t have the opportunity to receive a rigorous Christ-centered education without you.  Please do continue to keep ELM and the community we serve in your prayers.

Yours in CHRIST!


Dr. Rick Kitchen, Escuela Luz del Mundo Founder and Director
Cell: 459-5863

Escuela Luz del Mundo
301 Chama St. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
<www.elmabq.org>

ELM is a 501(c)3 federally tax exempt organization

January 14, 2012


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

By His grace and your generosity, ELM received many generous donations during the Christmas holidays.  Thank you for continuing to support the school, despite tough economic times!  As I wrote a few weeks ago, ELM continues to be a walk of faith.  It is also a school where we regularly seek to glorify God.  Thank you for all you do so that Escuela Luz del Mundo can be a place in the La Mesa community where His light shines so brilliantly!

Lots of wonderful things continue to take place at ELM. Yesterday was another amazing day as, among other things, 8th and 7th graders made science presentations to their peers and volunteer judges, 6th graders and a few 7th graders received some serious language arts enrichment, and 8th graders engaged in a hands-on experiment to begin learning about money management.  The basketball team is beginning to gel, winning their first game of the season last week, 37-34, over Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School. The team played great, learning that teamwork and hard work pay off.  The players are continuing to improve, and are really dedicated, practicing on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, often outside in the cold.  Great job Coach Becky!  The team’s record is now 1-2 and their next game is against the Native American Charter Academy (NACA) on Wednesday, January 18th at 2 PM in the gym at Sandia Presbyterian Church (10704 Paseo Del Norte NE in Albuquerque, just east of Euback and Paseo Del Norte).  We also have a game on Wednesday, January 25th at 4 PM at the New Mexico School for the Deaf (NMSD) in Santa Fe (1060 Cerrillos Road).

We are seeking volunteers to help out during Physical Education this semester.  We regularly have P.E. on Mondays and Thursdays, 11:20-12:30. If you’d like to help out one or both days, please let me know.  If you’d like to get involved with tutoring, we’ve started our afternoon tutoring this semester and it’s being held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 4-5 PM.  Please feel free to just show up on any one of these days, if it suits your schedule, and we’ll get you set up to do some tutoring. Finally, please mark your calendars - ELM will have two fundraisers this spring.  The first will be on Saturday, March 3rd and the second on Saturday, April 28th.  Both events will start at 5 PM.  We’re planning to have some fun activities at both events.  I’ll send more information in a few weeks.

Everyday at Escuela Luz del Mundo is truly a blessing for the students and families we serve and all of us at ELM. Thank you again for helping to make a difference in the lives of so many children who would never of had the opportunity to receive a rigorous Christ-centered education without Escuela Luz del Mundo.  Please do continue to keep ELM and the community we serve in your prayers and may 2012 be a year in which all of us grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!

Yours in CHRIST!


Dr. Rick Kitchen, Escuela Luz del Mundo Founder and Director
Cell: 505-459-5863; Email: kitchen@unm.edu

Escuela Luz del Mundo
301 Chama St. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
www.elmabq.org

ELM is a 501(c)3 federally tax exempt organization

Christmas Newsletter 2011

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We have much to be thankful for at ELM this Christmas season! First, we are thankful for the students and families that God continues to bring to the school.  At one point this fall, we had 43 students attending the school, the most ever.  Second, ELM continues to be a school where we see students’ lives being transformed. We’ve become known in the community as the school that takes the “tough kids,” as the school that can make a difference in their lives. God is changing hearts at ELM, and it’s quite amazing to witness. Finally, and most importantly, ELM continues to be a unique school in the La Mesa community where students can come and learn at high levels and where families can see Jesus' love for us being modeled and lived out by our amazing teaching staff. ELM is a place of hope in our community, a place where students have opportunities that they normally wouldn’t be afforded.

I have several announcements to share with you:

• ELM has a new and improved website thanks to Craig Hanna. Please check out the site at www.elmabq.org. The site includes a photo gallery that includes lots of photos of students and teachers. There’s even a donate link on the site for individuals to be able to give to the school, either through Paypal or Google Checkout.

• We’ll have our Christmas fundraiser on Saturday, December 3rd at 5 PM at Crestview Baptist Church, 301 Chama St NE in Albuquerque. We'll share some fellowship time and a delicious homemade meal made by our parents. The cost of the meal is a paltry $5 or $20 for a family of four or more. In addition, ELM students will present a short Christmas play. The parents are also planning to hold a raffle during the event to raise funds for the school. Please let me know if you’d like to donate items for the raffle. Of course, you are invited to the event – please come and bring family and friends as well!

• ELM will have beautiful new basketball uniforms this season. The cost for 15 new uniforms (jersey, short, and t-shirt) is $465 and we’d appreciate any assistance that you’d like to give to support this purchase. Also, we’re going to be selling Thunder t-shirts at the fundraiser on December 3rd. The t-shirts are gold and will have the team name and logo on them. Please let me know if you’d like to purchase a t-shirt to show your support for the Thunder.

Some excellent news, representatives from the McCune Foundation visited ELM in early November and the visit seemed to go well. The students did a great job welcoming and responding to the visitors and one of our parents showed up and really wowed the group with her personal story and testimony about the difference the school is making in the community. We have requested $12,000 from McCune and have grant proposals out to other foundations as well. Please pray for continued provision for Escuela Luz del Mundo!

Thank you for your prayers and gifts for the school this Christmas – we greatly appreciate all you do for ELM! By His grace, we continue to share the gospel and provide a high quality education to the poor in Albuquerque’s toughest neighborhood. I would very much appreciate it if you would regularly pray that His light continues to shine brightly at and through Escuela Luz del Mundo.

Yours in CHRIST!

Dr. Rick Kitchen
ELM Founder and Director
Cell: (505) 459-5863

Escuela Luz del Mundo
301 Chama St. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
www.elmabq.org

ELM is a 501(c)3 federally tax exempt organization

P.S.: If you are on the school's mailing list, you will also be receiving the Christmas newsletter by mail.

November 5, 2011

Dear Friends of Escuela Luz del Mundo,

Excellent news, representatives from the McCune Foundation visited ELM yesterday and the visit appeared to go quite well!  The students did a great job welcoming and responding to the visitors and one of our parents showed up and really wowed the group with her personal story and testimony about the difference the school is making in the community. We have requested $12,000 from McCune, which we can actually use toward operating expenses. Please pray for continued provisions for His school.

Our next fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, December 3rd and will start at 5 PM at Crestview Baptist Church, 301 Chama St NE. We'll share some fellowship time and a delicious homemade meal made by our parents. The cost of the meal is a paltry $5 or $20 for a family of four or more. In addition, ELM students will present a short Christmas play. Finally, the parents will hold a raffle on the 3rd to try and raise additional funds for the school. Of course, you are invited to the event – please come and bring family and friends as well!

We’re still interested in having more people serve as volunteers at ELM this year. We continue to have tutoring for students on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, 4-5pm. If you’d like to tutor once/month, once/week, whenever it works best for you, please feel free just to come to the school at 4pm on the day of your choosing and we’ll get you started – no experience needed! We are especially in need of tutors on Mondays and Tuesdays. Also, we need volunteers to serve in the spring to teach art, music, or some craft that you’d like share with our students. We typically have time for extracurricular activities on Wednesdays, 4-5 PM. Lastly, it would be extremely helpful to have someone come around on occasion to help with simple clerical duties, like answering the door when we have visitors, helping teachers enter grades in their grade books, etc. If this interests you, please give me a call. Of course, we always appreciate your financial contributions. You can make your tax-exempt contribution out to Escuela Luz del Mundo and mail it to 301 Chama St. NE, Albuquerque 87108.

One quick announcement, ELM has a new and improved website thanks to Craig Hanna. Please check out the site at www.elmabq.org. The site includes a new photo gallery that includes lots of photos of students and teachers. There’s even a donate link on the site for individuals to be able to give to the school, either through Paypal or Google Checkout.

Thank you for your prayers and gifts for the school. By His grace, we continue to share the gospel and provide a high quality education to the poor in Albuquerque’s toughest neighborhood. I would very much appreciate it if you would regularly pray that His light continues to shine brightly at and through Escuela Luz del Mundo.

Yours in CHRIST!


Dr. Rick Kitchen, Escuela Luz del Mundo Founder and Director
Cell: 459-5863

PS: Please also pray for rest and peace for our female teachers - they just wrapped up an overnight sleep-over for 16 middle school girls at ELM - our teachers are some of the most dedicated and passionate teachers that I've ever had the pleasure to work with...


Escuela Luz del Mundo
301 Chama St. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
www.elmabq.org

ELM is a 501(c)3 federally tax exempt organization

September 21, 2011

Dear ELM Supporter,

With the school year in full swing, we’ve scheduled the following two dates for fundraisers this fall: Saturday, October 15th and Saturday, December 3rd. Both events will start at 5 PM and will be held at Crestview Baptist Church, 301 Chama St NE. As usual, we'll share some fellowship time and a delicious homemade meal made by our parents. You are invited to both events – please come and bring family and friends as well!

Pastor Steve Freeman of Crestview Baptist Church was kind enough to interview me recently about the school for his weekly radio show. The interview will air on KKIM 1000 AM this Friday at 9:30pm, and then again on Sunday evening at 6pm. If you live outside of the Albuquerque area, you can listen in at <www.mykkim.com> by clicking on the world globe. You’ll need high speed internet to do so.

We would love to have more folks serve as volunteers at ELM this fall. As usual, we have tutoring for our students on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, 4-5pm. If you’d like to tutor once/month, once/week, whenever it works best for you, please feel free just to come to the school at 4pm on the day of your choosing and we’ll get you started – no experience needed! Also, we’d love to have someone come around on occasion to help with simple clerical duties, like answering the door when we have visitors, helping teachers enter grades in their grade books, etc. If this interests you, please give me a call. Of course, we always appreciate your financial contributions. You can make your tax exempt contribution out to Escuela Luz del Mundo and mail it to 301 Chama St. NE, Albuquerque 87108. Lastly, the McCune Foundation will be visiting ELM on Friday, November 4th. I’d really appreciate it if you’d start praying that McCune will start giving generously to support our operating expenses.

By His grace and thanks to you, Escuela Luz del Mundo continues to share the gospel and provide a quality private education to the poor in Albuquerque’s toughest neighborhood. Please pray that His light continues to shine brightly at and through ELM.

Yours in CHRIST!


Dr. Rick Kitchen, Escuela Luz del Mundo Founder and Director
Cell: 459-5863

Escuela Luz del Mundo
301 Chama St. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
www.elmabq.org

ELM is a 501(c)3 federally tax exempt organization