The Power of Dreaming

    Literacy class is now in full swing!  We have five students and it has been a lot of fun!  The girls are all very eager to learn and all come from the same family.  The first class I started off with a devotional about the importance of dreams for the future and setting goals for ourselves, and about how God has plans for our life.  They each drew a picture of what they would like to be when they grew up. We have a future doctor, teacher, fire-woman, shop keeper, and car owner in our class!  

    Kids in Guatemala often have very few dreams, if any at all.  Dave and I frequently will ask the kids we work with in Puerto Abajo what they want to do when they are older, and very few of them ever have much of a response.  We believe it's important to dream, to reach for goals, and to trust God for the good future He promises us.  We have fun talking with the kids about stuff they like to do, and helping them build dreams.

 

     I think that is part of the wonderful thing about teaching literacy.  By reading we can learn about things that are outside of our day-to-day existence.  We hear stories of courage and we ourselves are encouraged to step out for the things we believe in.  Reading affects us deeper than watching movies, especially when it is a parent that reads to us,not only building character through the stories, but also good memories of times spent together.  My mom read to my siblings and I every day, twice a day, until I was around 15.  Those memories, and the stories she read to us, are a part of who I am... And I dare say, some of the better parts.  

    Literacy class is something I believe in because we are able to send the Bible into homes where it has never been before.  We give the mothers each a children's Bible so they can build those memories with their own children, and learn about Jesus themselves in the process.  I am really excited about this class of five young girls. Not only will their futures have more hope with a basic skill like reading and writing, but they are being exposed to the gospel of Jesus... And the power of dreaming and planning for a bright future outside of the cycle of poverty.  

   Please pray for our students, and for Eloisa and I as we teach and minister to them.  

 

We decided to celebrate the graduation of our two students from last year as part of the new school, to encourage the new students that they will one day be the ones graduating.  Dave made a banana cake (a big favorite from last year), and we had a little party! 

Olga receiving her graduation gift- a children's Bible with beautiful pictures.  She and her little boys will finally have something to read together!  

Eloisa and I with the new class of girls.  This class is five cousins, all within the age rage of 12-13!  It's a fun group and they are learning incredibly fast!  

The girls hard at work.  

It all starts with learning the sound of each letter.