CEIVA Impact Report

Partnerships

CEIVA School

CEIVA (Centro Educativo Integral Vida Abundante) is a learning center for children that is an oasis of healing and aid in family preservation. CEIVA started as an after-school program and now operates as a one-room schoolhouse, offering biblically based education for children in the village.

CEIVA serves as a vibrant educational community in Guatemala that seeks to nurture students academically, creatively, and spiritually. Through programs like I AM ART, students are given opportunities to explore artistic expression while reflecting on deeper themes of faith, identity, and purpose.

Grace Christian Academy Mission X Team

This year, a team of ten students and teachers from Grace Christian Academy in Franklin, Tennessee, joined the I AM ART camp as part of their school’s annual Mission X week. Mission X is a special week when the entire high school steps out of their normal routines to serve others through local, domestic, and international mission opportunities.

During their time in Guatemala, the team led workshops, built relationships with students, and supported the camp’s creative activities. Their willingness to serve, share their faith, and engage through art created a meaningful cross-cultural experience that impacted both the CEIVA students and the visiting team members.

San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala

The I AM ART camp took place in the beautiful town of San Antonio Aguas Calientes, a community known for its rich cultural traditions, vibrant textiles, and strong indigenous heritage. Located near Antigua Guatemala, the town reflects a blend of historic Guatemalan culture and daily community life.

Hosting the camp here created a meaningful setting where art, culture, and faith intersected. The local environment and welcoming community provided an inspiring backdrop for students and volunteers alike, allowing them to experience creativity while building relationships and deepening their understanding of God’s love across cultures.

Part 2 — The Camp Experience

The camp rhythm itself became part of the story—gathering, worshiping, making, printing, and seeing the environment speak the message of restoration.

---

Large Group: Where the Story Begins

Storytelling, Worship, and Play Set the Tone for I AM ART Camp

Each day of I AM ART Camp began with something simple but meaningful: gathering together. Missionary Noe Chan shared the story of Joseph through engaging storytelling, helping students reflect on the themes I Am Art, I Am Broken, I Am Restored, and I Am Connected. Worship led by Chris Campbell invited students to express joy through music and movement, while games led by Guatemalan volunteer Pablo helped build friendships and community.

These moments created the spiritual and relational foundation for the week’s creative workshops. Students weren’t simply attending classes. They were becoming part of a community where faith, creativity, and relationships could grow together.

---

Discovering Their Superpowers

A Theater Workshop Helped Young Students Build Confidence and Creativity

Six elementary students at CEIVA discovered they each have a gift during I AM ART Camp.

Led by Grace Christian Academy students Anna Joy and Ella, with support from Guatemalan volunteer Pablo, the Super Powers Theater Workshop invited first- and second-graders to create their own superhero characters and stories. Students imagined powers such as protecting animals, dancing, and playing fútbol, then designed masks, created props, and performed a collaborative story in which each hero used their unique gift to solve a challenge. The workshop created a safe space for creativity, confidence, and teamwork.

For the younger students, it was an opportunity to discover that their ideas matter. For the high school leaders, it was a chance to practice leadership and encouragement across cultures.

The experience reflected the heart of I AM ART: helping students recognize that their creativity and their gifts can be used to serve others and make a difference.

---

From Pieces to Portraits

A Collage Workshop Showed Students How Broken Pieces Can Become Beautiful

Six elementary students at CEIVA discovered they each have a gift during I AM ART Camp.

At I AM ART Camp in CEIVA, elementary students experienced a surprising moment in the creative process. They cut their own artwork into pieces. Led by Grace Christian Academy students Brooklyn Edmonson and Haleigh Carr, along with an Athentikos staff member, Amy Martinez, students first created colorful painted papers, then cut them apart and transformed the pieces into life-sized self-portrait collages.

The process helped illustrate the story of Joseph, whose life included hardship and uncertainty but ultimately revealed God’s plan for restoration.

Students also created playful 3-D chameleons inspired by Eric Carle’s The Mixed-Up Chameleon, celebrating the truth that each person is uniquely created.

Through creativity, students discovered a powerful message: broken pieces can become something new and beautiful.

---

Shaping Hope by Hand

A Sculpture Workshop Helped Students Experience Restoration Through Art

At I AM ART Camp in CEIVA, students didn’t just hear about restoration; they experienced it. They created it.

Led by Athentikos team member Amelia Moore, students built mixed-media sculptures using wire, fabric, and paint while reflecting on the themes I Am Art, I Am Broken, I Am Restored, and I Am Connected.

The first layer of each sculpture was painted black to represent brokenness and pain. Later, students added color and swirling stars inspired by The Starry Night, symbolizing hope shining through darkness.

Students also created pastel landscapes that were covered with black and then scratched open to reveal the vibrant colors underneath.

Through these projects, students experienced a powerful visual reminder: even when life feels dark, beauty and hope can still emerge.

---

---

Light That Finds Us

During a four-day I AM ART painting workshop at CEIVA School, students explored creativity, faith, and personal expression through a hands-on study inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. The workshop met two hours per day and brought together 14 participants from Guatemala and the United States, including CEIVA students and teachers, Grace Christian Academy students, and local volunteers.

Students reflected on “light in the darkness,” guided by John 1:4–5:
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Through painting, discussion, and reflection, participants explored how creativity can help express identity, process struggle, and recognize hope even in difficult seasons.

On the second day, students worked only with dark colors while reflecting on the theme “I am broken.” This intentional limitation created space to acknowledge personal challenges before gradually introducing color and light—mirroring the journey toward restoration.

Each student created a personal interpretation of The Starry Night. Some adapted Van Gogh’s original village and tree, while others reimagined the scene using familiar Guatemalan architecture and landscapes.

• Adelee painted the Antigua arch with a volcano in the distance and added a pink-flowering tree inspired by Guatemala’s natural beauty.
• Emily, who initially felt unsure of her artistic ability, discovered confidence through the process and especially enjoyed painting the movement in the sky.

Through shared creativity, cultural connection, and faith-centered reflection, students experienced art as more than a technique—it became a way to express their story and discover light in the midst of darkness.

---

Screen Printing

Ink, Fabric, and First Discoveries

Screen Printing Helped Students Experience the Joy of Making

At one station during I AM ART Camp, creativity appeared in a surprising place: a T-shirt. Guided by Grace Christian Academy teacher Bobby Miller and missionaries Liz Campbell, Anita Beyer, and Dale Beyer, students learned to screen-print their own camp shirts. For many participants, it was their first experience with printmaking.

Students carefully pulled ink across the screen and lifted it to reveal the design beneath—often reacting with excitement and pride. The activity taught patience, focus, and craftsmanship while giving students something meaningful they could wear and remember.

Through the process, students discovered that creativity is not just something we admire. It is something we can participate in with our own hands.

Banners

Creativity That Points to the Creator

Visual Banners Helped Reinforce the Message of I AM ART

Throughout the week, large visual banners reminded students of the camp’s themes. Created by Athentikos Program Director Kathlyn Chan and missionary Liz Campbell, the banners illustrated the four ideas explored during the camp: I Am Art, I Am Broken, I Am Restored, and I Am Connected.

These visuals helped connect the storytelling sessions, art workshops, and spiritual reflections. The environment itself became part of the learning experience. Students were surrounded by reminders that creativity can communicate truth and ultimately point us back to God, the ultimate Creator.

Part 3 — Encountering the Community

Beyond the classroom, students encountered creativity already alive in the community—in stories of perseverance, artistry, family, and faith.

---

Artist Kenny

When Creativity Becomes Healing

A Local Artist’s Story Showed Students the Power of Art and Faith

During a community visit, students met a local artist named Kenny, whose life had been transformed through creativity. After a devastating accident left him with a severe spinal injury, Kenny was introduced to art as part of rehabilitation. What began as therapy became a lifelong passion for mosaic art.

Today, he runs his own studio, creating intricate pieces and sharing his story of faith and perseverance. For the students, his testimony showed that creativity can become more than an activity. It can become a way to process pain, discover purpose, and find hope in difficult circumstances.

CEIVA Family

Creativity That Sustains a Family

A CEIVA Home Visit Revealed the Strength of Weaving and Community

During another community visit, students met a CEIVA family of ten people living together in humble conditions. The family supports itself through the traditional art of weaving, creating textiles that help generate household income. Students witnessed firsthand how creativity can be both a cultural expression and a livelihood.

Two of the daughters have graduated from CEIVA and now serve as teachers at the school, demonstrating how education and opportunity can transform families and communities. The visit offered a powerful lesson in resilience, gratitude, and the role creativity can play in sustaining life.

Part 4 — Celebration

The week ended not with an ending, but with a reveal—artwork on display, courage on full view, and a community invited to celebrate what had been growing all along.

---

Art Show: A Room Filled With Courage

The CEIVA Art Show Celebrated Creativity and Community

The week of creativity ended with a joyful celebration. Families and community members gathered for an Art Show, where students presented the artwork they had created during I AM ART Camp. For many students, it was their first time sharing their work publicly.

Standing beside their art, students discovered something important: their ideas and voices matter. The event also gave families the opportunity to see the creativity and growth their children experienced during the week.

The Art Show became more than an exhibition. It became a celebration of creativity, courage, and the gifts God has placed in each child.