Monday brought our team to Apoyate en Mi where we met school director (and so much more!) Giuseppe Teruel. Giuseppe founded the school in 2005, with an opening enrollment of just 5 students. On the day we visited, there were 300 students in his K-12 program. Guatemalan public schools only operate from kindergarten to 6th grade. After 6th grade, families are required to pay for private secondary education. More often than not, a child's education simply ends around their 12th birthday, and prospects for the future are grim.
This fuels a myriad of social issues, including poverty and addiction. Giuseppe's work seeks to address these challenges head on, by raising a generation of Guatemalans who are equipped to be agents of change for the future. His vision statement reads:
To be for our students the place where they can learn to express themselves, feel and think freely in an environment of safety and happiness, and in this way discover the purpose that God has for their lives, carrying out a high level education as well as principles and values, providing the opportunity to grow.
And this is exactly what we saw. The school offers advanced educational opportunities within a beautifully nurturing school environment. They provide holistic care including food, clothes, job skills, and humanitarian ministry to students and their families. At the heart of Giuseppe's mission is reshaping identity. He acknowledges that you cannot choose your birth story, but even a street kid from the slums can rest securely as a child of God, prepared to work in His kingdom. As we went from classroom to classroom it was abundantly clear that this is a place where joy abounds.
In truth, it left me wondering what our team could offer in comparison. The answer was simple. Though the program was the same at each ministry site, the students at Apoyate en Mi were no strangers to the gospel. They knew firsthand that it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Our conversations and shared songs of worship were sources of encouragement and fellowship.
It was here, at Apoyate, that I felt the confirmation of the Spirit for our call to ministry in Guatemala, and the Lord was so gracious to begin to prepare me in that very moment.
In this place we saw how one man's obedience is building a legacy. The scope of the work is immense, and so is the cost. Giuseppe has trusted the Lord for all his financial needs, and the Lord has provided. One way He's done that is through the enrollment of tuition paying students. Graduates of Apoyate pay to send their children, and often students return themselves as teachers. One teacher told me that once you come, you never want to leave. After only a day, I understood and agreed completely! Our hearts look forward, with joy, to the day when we can walk alongside ministry partners like Giuseppe.
As we prepare, and as we go, our greatest need is partners who will pray with us and provide financial support for the work that God is doing in Guatemala. If you are interested in being a co-laborer as we carry out the Great Commission, please visit our giving page.
Comments