a great opportunity to give

The following piece I wrote as a description of what is going on with my school's satellite school that we've started in a poor, crime-ridden, and neglected part of Parral called Almanceña. We're right now in the process of trying to find more people would like to provide scholarships for the students, so I wrote this piece to post on the web for those interested in providing scholarships. The cost to support a child at Instituto Las Américas Almanceña is $800 a school year, or $100 a month from October to May. If you'd be interested in seeing the Kingdom come in the lives of these kids, post a comment or shoot me an email (billy@thenyes.us). Enjoy.

“I thank God for my school, because it’s giving me the opportunity to have a different life.”

“I know that I’ve been born again…”

“I’ve learned to work well…”

“Since I’ve been a student at this school, I haven’t stolen anything or said any bad words.”

“If my child changes, then I know that our lives are going to change as well.”

  These are the words of children and parents whose lives are being changed because the coming Kingdom of God. Instituto Las Américas Almanceña started as a dream in 2003, when a few teachers from a church called Vida Abundante in Parral, Mexico began thinking about how they could bring an excellent education to high-risk kids in a low-income, neglected part of town called Almanceña.

It all started in a converted house. Bedrooms became classrooms, and were promptly filled to the max with tiny donated desks and chairs. Well-trained, loving teachers began to speak life and order to children who were accustomed to hear nothing but death and live in nothing but disorder and abuse. Kids who would have never had a chance to learn English, the key to success in today’s global society, are now learning their abc’s and 123’s in Kindergarten.

After three years, the students were crammed into their rooms like sardines. A functioning school building was needed, so one was built. The church was given some land a few blocks away and constructed a beautiful new school. In the middle of a neglected neighborhood, whose reality is filled with abuse, the cycle of poverty, drug abuse, and violence, ILAA now stands as a monument of righteousness and the lavish love of God.

Children whose futures would otherwise be destined to the mediocre cycle of poverty are now being given the opportunity to see life’s other side: the way God intended it to be. A life of love and selfless giving. A life defined by discipline and excellence. A life that respects and treasures the beauty of God’s image in every human being. In the midst of darkness, the light of Christ is beginning to shine.

           So what does this have to do with you?

 As Cornelius’ care and compassion for the poor rose before God as a pleasing aroma (and thus opened the door for the salvation for his family!), your care and compassion for these kids in Almanceña will catch God’s attention as well. Take the following story as a beautiful example:

Arturo is a kindergartner whose single mother has no money to buy him food for a lunch, so he often comes to school without a lunch. In response to this, his teacher began asking his fellow students to give him a cookie or cracker so that he would have something to eat. One day, one of his classmates asked his mom to make an extra sandwich for Arturo, and gave it to him during the lunch break. Upon seeing this, his teacher told the friend, “Thank you so much! When you give to somebody who doesn’t have what you have, God sees it and is pleased!” After hearing this, two of his other classmates standing nearby immediately offered Arturo a part of their lunch, without being asked.

Giving is joyously attractive. Therefore, we hope that you take advantage of the opportunity you now have to give in order to bring life and hope to the lives of these children, their families, and their community. 

the teacher's worst enemy

Every morning from 9:10-10:00, I have the privilege to teach English to 28 beautiful Mexican 4th graders. I have really come to enjoy this class. After dealing with a few issues regarding order and discipline, I think I have come to the point of being able to coolly conduct the class with order, with a little fun thrown in there as well. 

But, no matter what degree of order I have in the class, it can be broken in an instant. All hell breaks loose, students start to howl, cover their noses with their shirts, crinkle up their cute little faces, and begin to yell, "AWWW! SOMEBODY FARTED!"

Yeah, you've just got to give it some time. Open some windows and hope the odor leaves quickly. If there's a teacher reading this that knows a secret to regain control of a class after somebody rips a bad one, please leave me a comment. It sure would be great to know. 

i've got to get over this...

I think I have "blogging perfectionism."

Every time I think about writing on this amateur electronic publication, I get overwhelmed with the thought that everything I write here must be flawless genius. And combined with a lack of Internet access (until recently - hallelujah for an apartment with a phone line!), and a severe lack of free time, I've abandoned my poor little blog. But to start off its re-ignition, here's a little sound-bite about what's been going on in Parral lately:

1. Passion Conference in MX City: I was privileged to go with my church youth group to Passion's World Tour stop in MX City in 3-4 October. Although the 20-hour bus ride and nonstop action during the weekend caused a little sleep deprivation, I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the event. I was a volunteer, which meant I kept really busy during the whole event. I was able to practice my translation skills a lot as well. Our volunteer group leader was a girl from Brazil that spoke English quite well, but couldn't speak Spanish! So I translated for her to our group, half of which was Mexican and couldn't speak English. So that's a new favorite thing for me: translation!

2. "So, how's school?": I'm often asked this by friends (when I have the time to catch up with folks via chat, Facebook, or email), and my answer is always, "Busy!" Things have really picked up the last few weeks, and I've gotten a little behind in my plans, especially in my math class. Over half my math class failed the first grading period, which is rather alarming for a green algebra teacher. There's good reason for said failure: almost half the students are new to our school, which has an exceptionally high level of excellence for math, and these kids really had a hard adjustment coming in. Another reason is losing a whole week of school due to the flood. Also, many of the students are really quite lazy: they're failing because they don't work. So, that's been fun. But my other classes are going well: my history students are learning about WWII (my favorite period of history to teach), and my little 4th graders are in the process of earning lots of little "happy dollars" to get the chance to go to a special activity we're presenting on Friday. Oh, what fun it is to teach!

3. Parral and the Druggies: Mexico has been in the news lately for a whole lot of drug-related violence, and Parral has been no exception. A close friend of mine here was a witness to a shooting about a month ago: he saw a man empty an automatic weapon into a pickup truck and its passengers as he was walking down a relatively quiet street at twilight. The dad of one of my 4th graders was kidnapped about a month and a half ago, and showed up dead a few days later. Another one of my students' uncles was gunned down in Chihuahua 3 weeks ago. There's just a lot of violence going on here, and it doesn't help that the government and the police force are still fighting corruption within their own ranks. As much as the rest of this bloody world needs it, Mexico is in great need of God's justice. Pray that his Kingdom would come here as it is in heaven.

Well, that should serve for now. I'm off to do my Algebra lessons. 

I'm still alive.

I promise I'll write something of value soon. Just not right this instant. 

A shout out from dried-out Parral.