Loving InDeed Phase Two: Claudia's Story

The Bible says that God is pleased when we ask Him for big, hard things.  With that in mind, I'd like to announce that Loving InDeed is expanding!  LI began in August of 2014 to help meet the nutritional needs of indigenous families living in extreme poverty.  After the first year, it changed to specifically target widows with young children, since they are by far the most vulnerable among us. The ultimate goal of LI is and will always be introducing people to Jesus and helping them to grow in their faith.  But speaking from a humanitarian perspective, the purpose of Loving InDeed is 1) to enable the women in the program to become self-sufficient and 2) to empower young ladies by giving them opportunities that will prevent them from needing LI in the first place. Phase One addresses the immediate food crisis of the participants in the program. This is going well. So...I think it's time for Phase Two: a scholarship program!  

Check out those red, ripe coffee beans!

Meet Claudia.  She is one of my very favorite young ladies in all of Santa Barbara. She is so sweet, responsible, and mature that I honestly thought she was at least 20.  I was shocked to learn last week that she's only 15! She is the oldest of 5 beautiful girls, and she helps the family by working around the house, by working in the corn fields and coffee plantations, and sometimes by cleaning for wealthier people in the city.  I have known Claudia's family for 2 years now but had never heard their story until yesterday. When Claudia was a baby,  Rogelio, her father, got very sick.  His family had no money for medical care, so he suffered in bed at home for years.  He told me with tears in his eyes that many people mocked his wife for staying with him. He said, "I felt bad that I couldn't provide, so I told her she could leave and find someone else if she wanted to, but she never left my side." People also mocked them for refusing to seek healing with local witchdoctors. After many years of fervent prayer, Rogelio and his wife decided to fast for three days. God answered. After being bedridden for so long, Rogelio was finally able to get out of bed! They still have no idea what he had, but the disease left his legs very twisted and his right foot completely useless.  He can stand and walk, but not without great difficulty. Needless to say, this makes it impossible for him to find a job here, so he sustains his family by farming his own small piece of land.  

Guatemala only provides a free education up to the sixth grade. After that, the only option is private school, which is completely out of reach for the vast majority of indigenous families. There isn't even a high school in Santa Barbara to attend if one could afford it.  The only option is to come in to the city of Huehue which adds transportation costs to the already hefty expense of schooling.  So the sixth grade was the end of the line for Claudia, even though she desperately wanted to continue her education. Without further education, she will likely marry young and be resigned to a life of having babies and then working the fields in order to help her husband provide for them.  There is not one thing wrong with that if that is the life you choose.  But I hate it that so many of these girls are forced into that life because there simply is nothing else to choose.  Then when tragedy strikes, they have nothing left to fall back on, which is the type of situation that necessitated the creation of LI in the first place. But I believe in Claudia. I believe that she is the very best choice to begin Phase Two.  She is smart, hard-working, and dependable. There is not one doubt in my mind that she will be a good student. She wants to be an elementary school teacher--a noble profession--and I desperately want to help her get there.  Will you join me?  The yearly cost of a high school education here depends on the career you want to pursue and the school you choose. It can be anywhere from $1000-$2000 a year.  Claudia's school of choice is on the cheaper end of that, costing around $1100.  This includes her inscription, books, uniforms, materials, monthly fee, and transportation back and forth to school.  If you'd like to help Claudia achieve her dreams, you can do so by scrolling up and clicking on the CTEN link on the right to donate. School here begins in January, so now's the time to get her enrolled. Every little bit helps! If you choose to donate to further Claudia's education, please leave a comment below, email me, or send me a facebook message so I know to put your donation towards this project.   I'm so excited to see what God has in store for Claudia and her family, and I'm grateful that He allows us to be a part of it!  Phase Three--the construction of a local ministry center coming in 2016. Stay tuned!