Year #8

New uniforms, sharpened pencils, fresh backpacks… ready or not, here they come!!

Today begins our 8^th year of existence for 2^nd Mile Education Center.   We are starting our 8^th year of school in the building on the church property with 800 kids!  Before that, we had a little school in the Haitian church in Monte Verde for 3 years.   In those days, Haitian parents had no desire to send their kids to school.  We had to go door to door begging them to let their kids come! Reluctantly, some of them finally did.  Even though most of the parents never attended school themselves, some of them realized the importance of at least learning to read and write.  They had no hope that their children could ever graduate from high school much less leave Monte Verde and do something significant in the mostly Dominican, very racially biased community. And who could blame them?

But things are changing. We have many Haitian students in the high school—the same ones whose parents were brave enough in 2007 to send them to school. Parents now thank us for the school. Students are thriving and have goals and dreams to become teachers, lawyers, and doctors. And so many students and parents have come to know Jesus because of the message of hope through salvation that they have heard in our school.

On the down side, we have so many kids on waiting lists to attend our school. We have run out of room. The village of Monte Verde is 5 times bigger now than when we started in 2007. There are 400 kids that do not attend school. Our hearts are breaking and we long to spread hope through the gift of education to EVERY child in Monte Verde.

But it’s year #8. In the Bible, the number eight signifies NEW beginning. Those in Christ are becoming a NEW creation, with godly character being created by the power of God’s spirit. We pray for God’s anointing that he will multiply the work and use the new children of God to spread HIS word throughout the land. We pray that He is glorified in all that we do. This is God’s story. May year 8 be the brightest and boldest year yet!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!”

2 Corinthians 5:17