We are praying for people that want to come for short or long time to do:
- Pray Walk Around the community, clamming for the families of this place (31,000)
- Evangelism At the community and the schools, where God ask you to do something
- English Classes We need teachers that want share ISL with the kids of the schools at the squatter villages.
- Small Bussines Training We need our people develope new ways to ear some founds to support their families.
- Homes Project Small fix project in homes that can be maked in short time, like, roof, floor, walls, electrical system, ect.
- Contare Teachers For serve in more schools that are open to receive us in the future.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Brilliant, talented and poor
His name is Brian. He is talented, brilliant, and so poor that he will not be able to attend high school. That means that he will spend his life living on an income of $3- $5 a day.
I first met him when we came to Guatemala this past summer. He plays the keyboard for the church service. He is a student – an eight grader – in the local school. We were drawn to him, in part, because he is learning English and he was willing to practice with us. Throughout the week that we were here, he would come to us and initiate a conversation in English. It was endearing.
Then we learned another part of his story. We met his 82 year old grandmother. She is raising Brian and his two younger siblings. His parents came to the U.S. about five years ago with the intent of making money and then sending for their kids. But, they got a divorce while in the U.S. and neither of them were willing to have the kids. So the grandmother is raising them.
When we returned to Guatemala this week, we met Brian again. He’s still playing the keyboard and he’s still in school. He’s not heard from his parents since we were here last. He’s a very bright young man who is excelling in school – literally #1 in his class academically. This school year he participated in an annual city wide competition in which a student is chosen to be the President of the Supreme Court of Guatemala – Corte Suprema de Justicia – for one day. Brian placed second in that competition.
Today we learned that Brian will not be able to go to high school. Once you complete the eight grade, it cost approximately 500 American dollars, to attend high school, and the school system does not provide scholarships. Que triste (Spanish for ‘how sad.”)
I never hear stories like this that I’m not pushed to realize how much I have and what a little sacrifice it would take to alter the trajectory of another human being’s life. And then I realize how large a network of family and friends God has given me and it makes me wonder why any child in this community of Linda Vista in Guatemala City would ever not have the opportunity to go to high school.
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