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Summer 2023 Newsletter

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    Summer 2023 Newsletter

    By Global Shore Opportunites | Main Highlight, Ministry Reports | 0 comment | 5 September, 2023 | 0

    FATHER TO THE FATHERLESS

    Isaac, one of our grade 11 accounting students, has attended our school since 2013. He lives with his mom and many cousins (there are 18 of them in the house!) He’s a likable kid; he studies hard, serves in the church, and is a good friend to all his classmates. A pair of cracked glasses rest under tousled, curly hair. Early last year, he noticed that he had to strain his eyes to focus, even when using his glasses. Even something as simple as buying new prescription glasses can be an economic challenge for some families. Isaac had mentioned his vision problems to his father. One day, Isaac’s father promised to buy him new glasses. It was a Thursday.

    At Global Shore, we’ve come to recognize that healthy fatherhood is one of the most critical elements in a child’s development, if not the most important. Good fathers provide stability, identity, guidance, and confidence. Fatherlessness is an epidemic in Guatemala, and where no father is present, poverty and brokenness often follow. Many of our students have absent fathers, and giving them an understanding of the fatherhood of God and an experience of his love is integral to any ministry effort. Although his parents had separated, Isaac was blessed to have a good relationship with his father. 

    The following Sunday, Isaac went to serve in Sunday School like normal but was soon called into the Pastor’s office. Pastor Danny sat him down. “He started to talk to me,” said Issac. “He said, ‘You’re not alone. You have a powerful God who will never abandon you, and he is your Father.’” Pastor Danny explained that God would always be there for Isaac to help him in everything. Then he broke the news: Isaac’s father had been suddenly killed in the course of his duties as a truck driver.

    “It’s like everything is spinning around you,” said Isaac. “You are focused only on that (news). Everything else is set aside, and you only think about what just happened.” It was especially difficult because Isaac’s father had been the one who paid his monthly tuition and supported him financially. “He said he was going to help me find a job once I graduated,” Isaac said. “All of this weighed on me, and my only thought was, ‘Ah, my dad. I can’t do it. Now, what do I do?’ I lost control.” Isaac’s emotional health began to decline, to say nothing of his academics. 

    His relationship with his younger sister helped him regain his focus. As she is his only sibling on his father’s side, Isaac felt the responsibility of being an example for her. “We didn’t use to talk; we would only communicate via my dad. Now we talk. My sister helped me concentrate. I wasn’t doing well in my studies, and she helped me because, between the two of us, I’d always had better grades, and my father was proud of that. But I wanted him to be proud of her as well.” 

    Many staff members reached out to Isaac during this time to offer their comfort and support. “Everyone began to help and tell me that God would care for me.” With their help, Isaac continued his studies and kept attending church. “I’ve been in the church almost my whole life, and if it weren’t for my mom making me serve, I would’ve gone down a different path.” 

    God is a Father; he’s a father who’s inextricably drawn to those who need him. Psalm 68:5 says, “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.” Isaac received a fresh touch of the Father’s love during this year’s Campamento (our annual kids camp). “In our first devotions, I felt God beside me. It had been a while since I felt the presence of God, not since my father died. I had felt alone, but when I was there at camp, I felt renewed by the Spirit and confident that I was not alone and never would be.”

    This year, Isaac has started sharing his testimony, telling people how the Lord had brought him through that dark time. He was still straining to focus through his old, cracked glasses—the same ones his father had said they would replace only a few days before he died. In July, Isaac shared his testimony with a visiting short-term team. After hearing his story, the group decided to pool some money and gift Isaac a new pair of glasses. 

    Isaac still remembers the last thing his father said to him; he has it recorded. “He said, ‘I love you.’” A pair of glasses may not be particularly significant, but they become an unmistakable image of the Father’s love in this context. “God is concerned with our needs,” Isaac said. “Sooner or later, he always comes through and fulfills his promises.” 

    When I was at Camp, I felt renewed by the Spirit and confident that I was not alone and never would be. -Isaac

    Our new building project is on schedule to be ready in 2024. The second-floor roof has been poured, and work has begun on the interior. Although we are just over 80% funded at the time of writing this newsletter, we have received some excellent news: we have a matching donor! If we can raise 50% of the remaining funds by October 31st of this year, this generous supporter, who shall remain anonymous, will donate the other half. We don’t want to waste this opportunity. Help us finish the project well! Go to globalshore.org to donate or scan the QR code on the back of this newsletter.

    September is a busy month at GSO. Our annual MOVE campaign promises to be bigger and better than ever. MOVE 2023 unites GSO’s global network of supporters in a team-based fundraiser to raise money for Christ-centred education throughout September. Teams choose a physical activity to do in September and a fundraising goal. Anyone can start a team! This year, our total goal is $50,000. Go to globalshore.org/move or scan the QR code on the back of this newsletter to learn more, sign up, or start a team!

    This year we are hosting our first-ever GSO Golf Classic, on September 10th, at the Walter Gretzky Municipal Golf Course in Brantford, Ontario. Come down for some good, competitive fun and great prizes—all for a great cause. Our goal for this event is $10,000. Go to globalshore.org/golf to reserve your spot today!

    These projects and events exist for the same purpose: to transform Guatemala through Christ-centred education. Without you, our donors and supporters, we couldn’t do any of it. Thank you for your continued investment in this ministry. God bless you!

    Ministry Reports, Ministry Stories, Newsletter

    Global Shore Opportunites

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    • About Us
      • Our Vision
      • Our Story
      • Our People
      • Our Missionaries
      • More Stories
    • Arise and Build
    • Opportunities
      • Short-Term Opportunities
      • Teach English
      • Host An Event
    • Sponsorships
    • Donate
      • Make a Donation
      • Become a Vision Partner
      • Sponsor A Student
      • Partner with a Staff Member
      • Give to a Missionary
    • Contact Us
    Global Shore Opportunities