Soy and I began our ministry in Guatemala without any clear directions. It seemed as if the Lord was only giving us the next step no matter how much we begged for detailed plans. So we were open to do anything as we sought clearer direction.
When I was determining what to study in college then I wanted a degree which allowed me open doors in the majority of the countries. Education and medical were my choices. The thought of medical was not even an option for so many reasons. Trust me when I say that you do not want me as your nurse for any type of medical need. Therefore, my best choice was education, however, I never planned to teach one day in a classroom in the states. Fast forward to 2017 when we moved to Guatemala and I had 10 years of teaching experience in the public school system. Not my plan. I had no idea how the degree and the experience was paving the way for the future.
Grace Ministries had been looking for someone to focus solely on the children at the feeding center. This had been promised to the former directors, but every time they thought the right person was about to be in place then the plans fell through. I laughed when my dad called me and explained the Grace committee wanted to know if we would temporarily be the directors of the feeding center. I laughed because we were the last options! Desperate times call for desperate measures.
There were 120 students who came to the feeding center every other day to receive lunch and tutoring. The students represented 6 elementary schools in our community. I was certain that the schools would want to partner with us as we could provide so many resources to help strengthen the education for the students. I was 100% naive!
As I studied and observed the education system in Guatemala, I began to question the purpose of the our feeding/tutoring program. The program was designed to only help the children through sixth grade. Then what? The average grade for students to complete in Guatemala is fifth grade. The boys are needed to work in the fields for extra income and the girls can help with the household chores. Were we trying to temporarily help them the children or were we trying to break the cycle of poverty? Were we interested in helping a child for a few years or did we want to change generations?
I can remember the exact place where I was standing when I clearly heard God say, “If you want to change generations then start your own school”. I did not dare tell anyone. I was certain that it was only my emotions and they would quickly pass. This was an absolute God-size dream and not a reality. Although I heard the Lord, I dismissed His words.
A few days passed and my dad called me. I had really not shared my concerns about the feeding/tutoring program being a temporary solution. I definitely didn’t tell him about what the Lord had spoken to my heart—that would be crazy. In a normal conversation, my dad said, “I think we need to build our own school.” I remember the exact feeling that stirred in my heart. I wanted to cry because I knew it was confirmation from the Lord. I wanted to cry because I knew this was not humanly possible for us. I am certain the Lord laughed at how I thought my secret was safe and He would not speak to anyone else about His plans.
“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” John 5:17
