This last month has been utterly amazing in the classroom and amongst the students. During the last 2 months we were without four of our students for 3 weeks. They were being "grounded" for some disciplinarian reasons at the Remar facility where they live. We missed them so much in their absence and were sad that they did not have the opportunity to attend classes. They have told us that being in class is the highlight of their day. We were also without our four missionary students who attend class. They had a month's vacation visiting back in the States.
During the month we had three new boys come in and out of the class. They come in due to curiosity, a primary care giver brings them to class or they are part of the Remar rehab program. They stay for a day or two, or in one case, they slip out silently after a half hour. Sometimes we learn the reason for their departure which range from intimidation by the work to non-interest to laziness. Some weeks the classroom is like a revolving door, you never know who will enter and you certainly don't know how long they will stay. This has presented a challenge to making a schedule for the week's teachings and work. Flexibility, has been the one word that we have had to adopt into our lifestyle.
Israel, our student who has just passed his one year attendance, is stepping naturally into the role as instructor in carpentry. We have always noticed him to watch over the new students and be helpful to the other guys during work on their projects. It has been our desire from the early concept of the school that one or two students would evolve into an instructor. As the class size enlarged and we are in different phases of learning, we knew that we needed additional help. When we asked Israel if he had interest in assisting with the teaching, he was happy and proud. He is very helpful with the new students who come in and need instruction in the basics of carpentry.
Franklin is a student who started in the class 2 months ago. He came just as we were beginning the electrical instruction. He was our primary student and was able to receive intense, one on one training. He is older than the other students and catches on very fast. He, too, has naturally stepped into the role of instructor in electric. He is teaching the basics to the boys who desire to learn about electricity. As they master a prinicple, we step in to demonstrate another teaching. From that point, Franklin reinforces the teaching and oversees the assignment. He mastered the math skills that were taught him in his first weeks and he now teaches them to the other students. Math is critical in doing electrical work.
This is an answer to prayer, to have our students "reinvent themselves" through teaching others what they have learned.
When the Remar students reappeared after their time of being grounded, only one of the students came back. One of the boys ran away, one decided he did not want the vocational training and another is still under further discipline. However, with the one returning student came 3 new boys one week and another the following week.
Each time new boys come in, it's like seeing a deer caught in the headlights or an animal going to slaughter. They don't know what to expect; all they know is that some gringos are going to try to teach them some skills. It's also a time for us to catch a glimpse of them in their state of being on guard, with all their walls up and totally suspicious of us. Sometimes it takes weeks to have the masks come off them and most recently it takes only days. This is the miracle of God working in our lives and theirs. We are learning how to relate to them and they are learning how to trust us.
I don't have the adequate words to describe the changes we are seeing in all the boys who come to our school. We see changes in their relationship to each other and to us. We see changes in their appearances. And, we see changes in their relationship to the Lord.
We are not doing anything special, what we teach them practically is what Preston has been doing his whole life, construction. We just made a decision to make ourselves available to be used by God to impart hope, understanding, validation and love to young men. Boys, who mostly have been neglected and overlooked throughout their young lives.
We love what we do!
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