SOH Library Center

Welcome to the Steps of Hope Library Center! The students have a chance to come for free play and use the center to spend time with their friends and family members. 

 

 

 

First Weeks of Classes

Enjoy the photos of the first 3 weeks of classes! There are English classes from students ranging from 8-9, 10-13, and youth. There is also the tutoring program for the students who are ages 4-10. Many of them (those little ones from the tutoring classes) are not in school, and are simply learning the basics-letters and numbers. Some of their parents simply aren't sending them to school.  These students have grabbed my heart and I thank God for this opportunity to be working with these beautiful children.

 

 The tree being painted is for the library room that is in progress, a room for free learning time with books, games, puzzles, and toys.

 

The English class ages 8-9. 

 

A few of the English students ages 10-13.

 

The older English students doing groupwork.

 Tutoring with the little ones!

 

 Enjoying some free time.

Registration

The Steps of Hope project has finally begun registering students! The more the community finds out about
the project, the more they stop by for information. I am collecting student information and school schedules to put together my own schedule for the students. I am now advertising for English classes, but have come across some children that could benefit from Spanish and Math tutoring...some students who are older and are just now learning to read and write. I fall in love with the community more and more each time I am there, and with the people. Guatemala has such beautiful people. The house has now been painted, thanks to the owner and his family, and looks fresh. 

I wanted to thank the CUMC Vacation Bible School program for this year for choosing Steps of Hope as one of their projects! They raised money each day of the week. I am so grateful. Thank you! 

Steps of Hope Education Center...Work in Progress!

I am very encouraged and believe that God's hand is leading the Steps of Hope Center. I just wanted to give an update and show some photos of the almost rented space in Santa Maria. It is a beautiful house that has a large hallway space in the middle as well as 3 rooms on the side. Upstairs is another room, bathroom and patio. I am in the process of figuring out how I am going to use the spaces. That will come in time! I also was able to purchase 38 desks for students...at only $4 each! God provides. 

This week or next the contract on the house will be signed and the family currently living there is finding another place to live. Lord willing, within the next few months I can start to make schedules for classes and have students register with their families. I thank all of you for your support in all ways and for being a part of this educuation center along with me!

Now Back Home in Guatemala

It didn't have much of a chance to write while I was home, but also spent a lot of time enjoying being with my

family! As I mentioned before, my Mom had serious hip surgery and up until the last month was not even able to leave the house without help, as my house has two stairs. It was so great to be home with her, I admire her patience and courage. I know it is not easy and it has cost her a lot of energy to continue on each day and stay positive. I cannot imagine being in her shoes. Again it was great to be home with her as well as meet my new nephew, Henry. He is absolutely beautiful and feels like one of the family even at a month and a half! The only word I can think of is blessed. How blessed I am to be part of my family.

Now back to work! These past few days in being back home in Guatemala I have been visiting with my students and schools, and have begun looking for a project space to rent in Santa Maria de Jesus. I feel so alive with this new Education Center and am certain that God's hand is working in it already. Once I have found the space, I am preparing to set up the classroom and have a week registration week where I can meet the families and students and give them schedules for English classes and Math and Spanish classes. Education is very important, I believe with my whole heart that through education, these children and teenager´s lives can be changed. I pray that they have their eyes opened to the world and see that their future can be all that they hope it will be. Please pray with me and I will give you the udpate as soon as I have chosen a space and begin renting. Thank you all for your support and encouragement always.

Home in Maryland

It is great to be home, especially after all of the issues my Mom has had with her hip. I can see it has been stressful to say the least on both her and my Dad, who has taken care of her as well as my siblings and continued to work full-time. But it gives my Mom and I a chance to catch up as she can't leave the house or we go places together! It has also been so nice to meet my new nephew and spend time with him and my sister, who is off work during the next few months. I am incredibly fortunate to have my family and spend each day with them.

I am also in the process of making some changes. All good ones! God is leading me down a different road. I will no longer be working with Small Change 4 Big Change, as student sponsorships are not a program that will be offered. I will continue with the 6 students I have now who have been sponsored to go to school, but will be working separately. Lord willing, I will begin a new

education program in a town called Santa Maria de Jesus. The focus will be on education (English classes and math and literacy tutoring) as this community has very little and has the highest illiteracy rate in the department of Sacatepéquez. Through education, it will also be a means to reach out to these families and children and help them understand that there is a God who loves them and sees their needs and wants to be a part of their lives. Before I came home, I began looking for spaces to rent and making a "plan." As I'm home, my goal is to find the funds needed for this program. (A space to rent, desks, a large whiteboard for the classroom, English books, materials for the classroom). I believe that God has Santa Maria in mind and will be alongside these new steps!

Please join me in prayer for this new chapter and that God will specifically put the people that He wants involved in my path. I thank you always for your support and look forward to giving more details and updating everyone as time goes on!

Changes and Hardships

This is something my Dad sent me yesterday and has touched my heart during this particular time. Enjoy.

 

"My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

When we are afraid, the least we can do is pray to God.  But our Lord has a right to expect that those who name His name have an underlying confidence in Him. God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the ones who are reliable.  Yet our trust is only in God up to a certain point, then we turn back to the elementary panic-stricken prayers of those people who do not even know God.  We come to our wits end, showing that we don't have even the slightest amount of confidence in Him or in His sovereign control of the world.  To us He seems to be asleep, and we can see  nothing but giant, breaking waves on the sea ahead of us.

    "...Oh you of little faith!" What a stinging pain must have shot through the disciples as they surely thought to themselves, "We have missed the mark again!"  And what a sharp pain will go through us when we suddenly realize that we could have produced complete and utter joy in the heart of Jesus by remaining absolutely confident in Him, in spite of what we were facing.

    There are times when there is no storm or crisis in our lives, and we do all that is humanly possible.  But it is when a crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely.  If we have been learning to worship God and to place our trust in Him, the crisis will reveal that we can go to the point of breaking, yet without breaking our confidence in Him.

    We have been talking quite a lot about sanctification, but what will be the result of our lives?  It will be expressed in our lives as a peaceful resting in God, which means a total oneness with Him.  And this oneness will make us not only blameless in His sight, but also a profound joy to Him."

 

What does this mean to you?