School

The kids are on break from school now.  And unlike American school kids, the ones here weren’t jumping up and down with excitement because they have a whole month of school off.  Instead, the kids at this school were sad that it was the end of the term. Why? Because the reality is, for many of these kids, no school also means no food. And no school means no get-away from a very difficult life that you and I could not even imagine.  School, actually, is the break for these kids.

Tuesday we went out into the village like we do every Tuesday to visit with families that live here, bring food to them, and share the gospel- eternal food- with them. Every other Tuesday that we went the kids had always been in school so we never saw them in their homes.  This week, however, when we went, the kids were all there. They were no longer dressed in their nice school uniforms, but instead they were dressed in torn, dirty, ripped-up clothes that you and I would have thrown away long ago. It’s at that point you realize, school is not only a get-away for them, but it offers them the opportunity to get out of poverty.

The kids here are so eager to learn. The Primary 4 (comparable to 4^th grade) teacher offers an optional Saturday class to the Primary 5 students for whoever wants to come. The first Saturday I went I was shocked by the number of students that showed up. There were 16 students there by 9:30am and they continued to trickle in after that. I was shocked not only because they were 11 to 14 year old kids who were choosing to go to school on their day off, but also because some of these kids have to walk an extremely far distance to school.  I told the teacher that if I offered a Saturday class in America, the only way anyone would show up is if their parents made them.

A few weeks ago, I was teaching and we had some spare time in class, so I taught the Primary 5 students about the world. I attempted to draw a map on the chalkboard, which was horribly inaccurate, but it worked. I showed them where they lived. I showed them where all the continents and oceans are. I showed them where I came from. They were so interested. One of the boys raised his hand and started asking about something called, “Mart or something.” He went on to describe these “circle things that are in a line.” He was talking about the planet Mars. They had never learned about the solar system. I started teaching them about the moon, sun, and planets. Their faces were priceless. Their innocence was incredible. Questions came like, “Are there people living on those planets?” and, “What happens if you went to the moon and fell off, would you land on a star?” and comments like, “Wow! I want to live on the moon one day!”

 The potential in these kids is immeasurable, but the opportunity for them to exercise it is so small. I think of many kids in America who are constantly told, “You can be anything you want to be.” I think of how so many parents in America fight so that their kids can have every opportunity imaginable. But here, life is not so much about striving to be all that you can be, but instead it’s about survival. Here kids must sleep on dirt floors with their family’s chickens, goats, pigs, and sheep sleeping on the same floor. Here kids have little to no food outside of school to keep their minds going. Here kids are often sick because they can’t afford a mosquito net to protect them from malaria. It’s sad, but it’s reality.

The odds are against all of them, but in Jesus there is hope. Not hope that one day each of these kids will move to the big city and make lots of money, but hope that they were each created for a purpose. I am thankful for God’s faithfulness. His faithfulness spreads to every person in this world.

“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands.” Psalm 138:8

This verse provides hope for the kids in this school, for sweet Grace whose future is still unknown to us, for every abandoned baby that is brought to our doorstep, and for every person that God has brought into this world. I am so thankful. Hope does not mean that they are promised money, a nice home, safety, health, or stuff, but it means that in the midst of struggles and affliction, Jesus is always the answer. This life is filled with hardships, disasters, sickness, and struggles. Whether you’re from America, Africa, or somewhere else, this life is hard. It’s hard because of sin. Your sin. My sin. But praise God that He rescues us out of it when we did nothing to deserve it. Through Jesus, we have hope that when this life ends, it’s not over. When we put our trust in Him and choose to follow Him alone, He does not take away all of our struggles and hardships, but He promises to help us through them and use them all for our good and ultimately for His glory and purposes. Praise His name. We all have a purpose, and He promises to fulfill it in all of us.  I want every child to know this. I want every child to know Him. That is why we’re here. Education provides opportunity, but without Jesus, it’s all vanity. All of it. It’s all worthless without Jesus. Oh Jesus, please penetrate the hearts of each of these kids. Penetrate the hearts of each of their parents. Penetrate the hearts of each person in this village. They are yours, and You are faithful. Always.