By now you’ve probably heard that there’s a brand new Vida School coming! Are you ready to be part of the launch of Vida Mestela – a new school in an unreached community?!?
This Christmas, every dollar you give to build a brighter future for kids in our schools will be matched to build this brand new Vida school in the community of Mestela!
Let us tell you a bit about the needs in Mestela:
Like so many rural communities, Mestela has a lot of kids and not enough schools. Conservative estimates for this community of about 500 homes put the number of school-aged children at over 1500. Right now, there is a single public elementary school that serves about 200 of those kids. The school has just four teachers, and even they don’t make it to school every day. The system in Mestela is broken, and there is a desperate need for educational opportunities.
There are also huge economic needs. Most of the families work in agriculture, earning barely enough to put food on the table. Families are poor and malnutrition is rampant. School meals and medical checkups will make such a difference in the health of the children and their families.
But the biggest need in Mestela, of course, is spiritual. This is a community that has not yet been open to the Gospel, and families live in spiritual fear and bondage. The Lord wants to offer them His peace! The community knows that our vision is to grow godly leaders and to teach the children to know and love Jesus, and they’re inviting us in! They’ve checked out our current schools and they’ve decided this is what they want for their kids. We’re so excited to see what God has planned as He pours out His Spirit on the community of Mestela.
We anticipate starting construction of Vida Mestela early next year, and hope to welcome students as early as January 2025. Your gift to Build a Brighter Future makes sure that the current Vida school programs are well-supported, so that we have the capacity to expand – and the match goes directly toward building the new school.
Thank you for building a brighter future for kids in Guatemala – right now, and for years to come!