Earlier this spring, Paul Haberstock and the team from Living Waters Christian Academy in Spruce Grove, Alberta joined us in Guatemala. Join him as he tells their story:
We were all excited as the van laboriously made its way down a single-lane dirt track towards Chijulhá. We had been working as a school community from Canada to sponsor the construction of a new school in Guatemala and now here we were, just moments away from seeing it for the first time. We safely crossed the rickety bridge at the bottom of the hill, and Oscar put the van into low gear as we climbed around the corner to see the beginnings of a small, three-room school emerging from what had been an agricultural field. There it was! Several years’ worth of prayers, grant applications, phone calls, emails, and fund-raising events revealed the start of a new school for the children of Chijulhá, a small village outside of Tactic.
Later that same afternoon, we participated in an outreach Children’s Ministry event at a nearby church (at the end of the road and up a path to the top of a large hill) to introduce the children to the Gospel and to the idea that a new school was coming to their community. We were told to prepare for 50-75 children for the first day’s activity, so we felt well prepared at having supplies for 100 kids. When over 200 kids showed up eager to learn and participate in anything we had for them, we were simply overwhelmed!!! (In a good way.)
These two events collided in our minds as we were witness to the incredible need and desire for Christian education in this community. Not only did we see the bricks going into place but we met the kids who will likely, one day soon, be students in that school. As we worshiped and prayed and worked on this construction site, our team of grade 11 students caught on to the idea that this is what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ. The purposefulness of their faith in action was a powerful tool that taught us while blessing others. We are so grateful to Impact Ministries for having given us this opportunity to serve in this unique way.
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