Today we visited with two rural schools in very poor communities; one near the volcano and one on the outskirts of town where there is increased gang activity and lots of problems.
One of the workers here, Morelia, has been working in these types of schools for many years, spending time with the students, teaching abstinence classes and sharing Jesus at every opportunity. I admire her greatly; she takes the risk to go to areas where few would be willing to go to share the Lord.
We have been to the Volcan school several times, but it is a joy to return. We got to go into eight classes, singing, sharing the gospel, doing crafts, laughing and just loving on the kids.
Some of the team got to join in recess (wasn’t that always one of our favorite times?) for a pick up game of soccer (football here) and found that these little kids could really play and give them a run for their money.
Jeremy had quite the following as he played his guitar and let some of the kids have a try at plucking the strings. All the team had an instant gathering of kids around them, and what fun they had.
The principal has served here for 11 years, is a believer, and has invested himself greatly in this community. They are so grateful for any encouragement/help, and it was just a great morning. We were able to leave some school supplies with them, which they greatly appreciated, and gathered around the principal to pray for him, the students, staff, and community. It was a joyous time! There is nothing like children’s smiles and the delight of their laughter!
In the afternoon we went further out to a different school, new to us, which we were told was in a “bad” area where gangs have taken hold and violence is all too prevalent. The principal here is very concerned about the students, seeing some of the middle school kids being drawn into this kind of activity. She is so grateful for Morelia’s visits and prayers.
It’s a pretty large school, so they had an assembly of the 4th-6th graders outside in an open courtyard where they also had a stage area. The team sang songs in Spanish, led action songs, and presented the drama of Jesus walking on the water. Zack shared his own story of coming to know Jesus and gave a clear gospel presentation and prayer, inviting the kids to put their trust in Jesus. The principal asked for prayer specifically for protection for these students and guarding against the evil forces at work here, so we closed by praying for these requests, trusting that God is at work in this community, knowing that He can and will intervene.
We are inspired by the people here, like Morelia, Naomi, Minina, Ilsa, and others who volunteer their time and resources to reach out to those in need materially and spiritually. They aren’t a part of a “program;” they aren’t paid to do these things; they are just responding to needs the Lord puts before them. What examples to all of us! How may the Lord be calling to each of us to respond to needs around us at home? How can we best encourage the believers here in their work, now that we have experienced it? These are the questions we are praying about, asking for His special word to each of us, and that we would hear it clearly and obey.
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