Back to School

When I was younger I can remember feeling the sense of hopelessness as the month of August came to an end meaning that September was soon to come. And we all know what happens in September in North America. Back to school. In Guatemala I feel as if it is even a little worse as the "Back to School" hype happens right at the beginning of January. As a type of popular-culture thermometer, I felt the intensity of this change walking into WalMart. It is no lie that HOURS after Christmas had passed, the Walmart employees had successfully dismantled the entire atmosphere responsible for the dreams of dancing sugar plums, and in its place constructed a "back to school" bazaar. But thankfully, something beyond the constructs of consumerism made this January a little different for me.

Over the past few months, God has been opening different doors for the youth here at Casa Bernabe, specifically in the area of education. I can recall talking with some of these youth through the years as they longed to connect with people beyond the confines of these walls and have the chance to study outside of the orphanage. Well, starting in January we took a giant step of faith and enrolled 14 of our youth in Verbo School No.1 (www.colegioverbo.edu.gt) on a half scholarship generously given by the acclaimed school. A half scholarship. The financial commitment of sending our youth to this school has been significant, yet we continue to trust that God will provide for every aspect of this journey He has called us to walk . Personally, I have felt so convicted and convinced about this decision that I was willing to literally place all of my personal finances on the line (correction: as of October 21st, they became OUR finances. Love you sweety!) with the unwavering belief that this is what God has in store for our kids. So we did it. We enrolled the kids. We bought the uniforms. We paid for the books. We prepped the kids. And now in front of me, I can see the pictures of these 14 kids: all of whom were one day rescued from some of the worst situations and sent by a judge to Casa Bernabe. I look at them and can't believe that God was so rich in mercy to have purposefully rescued each of these lives, to have taken care of them for years and now to have sent them to an amazing school where the only verb I could use to explain their current state is....to THRIVE. They are thriving. The homework is plenty and the challenges both socially and academically are great, but God has given these 14 youth the will, strength and courage to stand up, recognize who they are and choose to thrive in spite of their pasts. Talking with one of the boys this weekend about the social scene, he told me he had initially felt embarrassed to let his class mates know that he came from an orphanage. But he then told me that he has come to embrace these things and has made lots of friends and freely tells them where he comes from and that he doesn't have parents. That is the kind of courage that inspires me. I believe that this is what has made this year so different. Sure, I still don't find much encouragement going to Walmart (we are now on to Valentine's Day....) but it has been the wildest ride seeing our youth rise up to such an incredible challenge and learn to rise above. They have come to trust God on a deeper level. We all have; and we are thriving because of it.


dsm.