I think God must be looking
out for me. Within 48 hours of finding out that I was without a paid
job with which I pay my house rent and food, I was offered another
job. The new job was to start 3 weeks later, but I was also given
two translating jobs in the meantime. In other words, I've been
doing okay financially.
The new job isn't high on
my list of things I'd like to be doing down here, but it offers me
enough flexibility that I will be able to serve more in the
communities where I have been led to serve. It will also allow me
opportunities to translate for mission teams which is another way in
which I am able to serve the people down here. I'm working as a
manager for some hotels in Antigua. It's 4 hours per day, 5 days per
week. The hours and days are almost completely flexible. It's
definitely higher stress than teaching English. I'm now responsible
for all of the English which happens in 8 different hotels; this
includes making sure the receptionists can sell rooms to
English-speaking people. In short, give me middle schoolers any day!
However, while on one had I feel like I'm getting away from my
goal—helping the people who need help—I also feel that I'm
getting closer to it—being able to be in the communities where I
would soon like to be able to bring groups and have the flexibility
to be with those groups.
The story I have to share
with you this month, though, is a sad one. I ran into one of my
students from last year on the bus a week or so ago. She graduated
from the 9th grade and is now studying at a high school in
Antigua. I asked her about her former classmates, if any of them had
gone on as well. She told me that of the 12 of them, 9 or 10 are
still in school. For me, the saddest part of it is that the
brightest student out of the 12 of them (the only student in the
entire school to have enough points to pass my class by the end of
the third marking period) is not continuing on in her studies. This
is likely due to a lack of money in the family. I've been
considering what can be done, if anything, and what should be done.
I'd ideally like to find someone to sponsor her education. The
girl's name is Ana Gabriel, and she is one of those girls who could
be a neurosurgeon or some sort of engineer or president of Guatemala.
Someone with her drive and intelligence could become anything she
wanted to be. But in this, one has to realize that maybe she just
wants to be a wife and mother. Maybe she has come to her own
conclusion that she doesn't need her family to spend any more money
on her education. Maybe she herself has decided that ninth grade is
good enough. Anyway, keep an eye out for further thoughts about her,
and if you know someone who might wish to sponsor her education, let
me know. (If you're not an e-mailer, you can send me messages
through my mother who regularly e-mails me.)
The Care and Keeping of a
Missionary
Obviously,
I'd
like
for
you
to
keep
Ana
Gabriel
in
your
prayers.
As
for
me,
I
want
to
thank
you,
as
always,
for
your
constant
support—both
in
prayer
and
financially—of
the
work
being
done
here
in
Guatemala.
I
hope
to
travel
to
Solola
soon
and
present
a
roof
and
clothes
for
5
boys
which
a
sponsor
in
the
US
has
donated.
I'd
like
to
ask
for
your
prayers
of
safe
travel
not
only
for
that
trip,
but
also
for
an
upcoming
trip
to
the
capitol
to
renew
my
visa
for
another
3
months
which
I'll
have
to
take
in
the
next
2
weeks.
As
always,
you
can
read
more
at
my
blog:
http://GringaOnTheGround.blogspot.com
and
you
can
e-mail
me
at
asimmer@gmail.com.
I
look
forward
to
hearing
from
each
and
every
one
of
you!
No comments:
Post a Comment