A new thought on danger

Groundwork Guatemala (GG), this new ministry, strongly believes in the value of education. We believe that education can be the means by which the cycle of poverty is broken. Without education, the local Guatemalan child is likely to turn to gangs, and other substandard ways of providing for themselves and their family.

GG has been blessed to find sponsors to pay for the tuition, books, uniforms, notebooks, etc for 12 local children this year. (The school year runs mid Jan-late Oct, more or less.) Yesterday we had our first parents/child meeting here at the ministry. It was a time to make sure the parents knew their responsibilities and our responsibilities. And the children are responsible for keeping the equivalent to a "C" average. The 2nd half of the meeting was used as a craft time for the kids and a Bible study for the adults. In general, we'll have meetings like this twice a month in order to stay on top of things. The parents are also encouraged to come and volunteer at the ministry when they can (such as mopping the floors, cleaning the windows, etc.) I overheard one parent already scheduling time to come volunteer.

One of the things that was explained to the parents is that this sponsorship money, in many cases, is being given sacrificially by Americans who are also facing hard times. Some of these sponsors will be on teams from the US coming to work here this year. Therefore, a normal part of the team schedule will be for teams to visit some of these homes. It gives the team members a good first hand "inside look." Here's the danger part. One mom apologetically spoke up, and requested that the teams not visit her home. Not only is her home in one of the most dangerous areas, but she strongly believes that gangs will rob her, her family, and her home frequently if Americans are seen to be in her home or with her family. It is a normal belief here that Americans are rich, and therefore we may possibly have left money or valuable goods are this mom/child's home, therefore making them a target. How about that!

You know, this makes me think about Jesus and his disciples. I'll bet there were plenty of folks who didn't want to be seen with Him or His followers. Hmm. Something to think about