Every morning, Vida Schools start with devotions where kids raise their voices – loudly and enthusiastically – in worship to God.
But growing godly leaders doesn’t just mean tacking devotions on to the school day – it means incorporating faith into every aspect of what we do. This, after all, is how we build a brighter future for kids in Guatemala.
Over the years, we have taught our teachers that they are serving in a pastoral role. We recognize that if our students reflect the national statistics, very few of them would actually complete Grade 7, and fewer still would graduate. That is the reality for rural Indigenous youth in Guatemala.
We want a brighter future for our students. So our principals give our teachers the mandate to first care for their students’ souls. Minister to them, pray for them, and encourage them to become all that the Lord intends for them to be. Then, equip them with all the needed tools – knowledge, training, understanding and wisdom.
Incredibly, our students are shooting far past the national statistics. Our students are scoring higher than others in the region on national tests and our students are winning regional academic awards. THAT is what happens when Christ comes and redeems a life. THAT is what happens when teachers see that their first mandate is spiritual.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could equip our teachers with even better resources to carry out these mandates? They do a fabulous job of teaching our students with the patchwork of resources that are available.
But Spanish-language Christian resources are prohibitively expensive. So we’ve long dreamed of having a Vida Schools curriculum that reflects Christ’s love in every element of what is being taught. And this is where Principal Yesmi Chén comes in.
Principal Yesmi is excited about assembling a team of educators to take the curriculum provided by the Ministry of Education in Guatemala and presenting it in a Christ-centered way. So that even when there are few resources available, our teachers will be able to count on having our own well-designed materials for a quality Christ-centered education.
Will you help us expand and deepen our ministry by developing a Vida Curriculum? A curriculum that incorporates faith into everything our students are learning – and a curriculum that will build a brighter future for Vida students for many years to come?
Until the end of the year, all your gifts to Build a Brighter Future (up to $100,000) will be doubled! We’ll use these donations to go deeper for our current students – providing programs and developing resources – and to go broader by reaching out to children in yet-unreached communities.
Thank you for building a brighter future for kids in Guatemala!