Students are back (Again!)
At the start of this year, we were so thankful for the resumption of
in-person classes, which was something we had longed for since March of 2020. It felt like a return to normalcy after two years of shutdowns. We were getting back into the swing of things when the ministry of public health visited us in early March. They told us that we were missing certain requirements they had expected to see.
As this was happening, the president announced that all schools could have in-person classes regardless of the COVID infection rate in their municipality. However, the Ministry of Health then established new restrictions and requirements in response to this announcement, and we had to start the paperwork all over again. We asked if we would be able to continue hosting classes while we acquired this permission, but we were denied. And so, almost exactly two years after our first COVID shut down in March of 2020, we had no choice but to revert to online and video classes.
On the day this news broke, we received a written testimony from a student. She talked about her previous struggles with mental health and how coming to this school had helped her, given her hope and changed the way she thought about herself.
“When they announced in-person classes, I came feeling normal (not depressed). It no longer made me ashamed to show reverence (in devotions). I enjoyed those moments from God and felt like I was part of the ministry. It felt like medication for my anxiety.”
Testimonies like those are why we do what we do. This girl was encountering Christ, who “surely…took up our pain and bore our suffering….” With the understanding that our students needed to be back in school, we knew that the Lord wanted us to pray and fast for the resumption of classes.
With no end in sight, but greatly encouraged by the support of our parent community and ministry of education supervisor, we continued to pray. After an 8-week suspension, we received news that our students could return to school. We are delighted to have kids back to school for the second time this year. We pray that the rest of the year would be unimpeded for the Lord to work in their lives as he desires. The heart of Jesus overflows with love for our students. It’s up to us to steward that love and help the children come to him. What an incredible privilege that is.
Arise and build Campaign
started on our new administration and science lab building. We recently spoke with our science teacher, Profe Roger. Roger has been with us since 2016 and has a passion for showing students the wonder of creation:
The truth is that since I started working here, we have always tried to have projects where the theoretical would meet the practical because students learn better that way. To have a building where there is a science lab, with all the necessary equipment, they will be able to demonstrate those theories better.
We want them to comprehend that everything surrounding us, including ourselves, was made by God. And that he is granting us the ability to see these marvels through science and the other areas where he has given man knowledge and understanding. But we don’t want to forget that he is the creator of everything. So the students can experience and show how God is perfect.
Knowing that this is just the beginning of expansion for our ministry, we trust God to supply all we need to complete this project. Rising inflation has affected building material costs this year, and the funds we need to finish the project are more than we expected.
The success of the year-end fundraiser in 2021 helped us start the project well, but we need your help to finish it. We currently need $200,000 to complete the building. If you would like to support this project, you can go to globalshore.org
Upcoming Events
A couple of the annual events we used to have before COVID are coming back this year. For our Ontario friends, the highly anticipated pig roast will be held on Sunday, June 26th at 4:30 pm at the Ark. For more information you can go to globalshore.org/pigroast/
We are also excited about the return of the Kermesse, which is a street fair here in Guatemala for our students and their families. It is organized and hosted by our school staff with the purpose of raising funds.
Slowly but surely, things are returning to pre-COVID normalcy. However, one of our greatest desires for 2022 would be to host our annual kids’ camp. We haven’t had one since 2019, and our students always look back on “Campamento” as a moment when God powerfully touched their lives. Please pray for things to continue to open up so our students can receive all that God has for them this year!
Thank you for your continued support. Please pray for us that we will be able to continue our ministry operations without any further disruptions. God has been faithful thus far, and we know that the best is yet to come.
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