Mission Completed!!

Mission completed!! Those are the words that were shouted by Edgar Rafael Osorio Salazar and his classmates on Sunday night. Kevin and I attended Edgar’s high school graduation this past Sunday evening, which is an honor in itself. However, when you know where Edgar comes from it jumps into the “this is beyond special” category.

Edgar and his five siblings live with their mom in an area too dangerous for Kevin and me to go into. They’ve even asked that we don’t come down there because any association with Americans would likely mean that gangs would begin to extort money from the family, making them pay to be allowed to get into their own home. For years, two of Edgar’s siblings, a sister and a brother, have had to live in an orphanage because their mother couldn’t care for them. They’ve since been released from the orphanage, because of their age. Oh, how proud Edgar's mom was this night! HER son, a high school graduate!

Earlier in the week, we attended the graduation of three other high schoolers, due to a gift from St. Luke Lutheran Church in Mesa AZ, which helped them with their unpaid tuition and end of the year expenses. Had it not been for this gift, they would have lost the entire school year. One of the girls walked in behind a special flag as she had been one of the best students in her class. How close she had come to not graduating! Thank you, St. Luke congregation, for this amazing gift of love!

In Guatemala, public education ends with grade six. Seventh grade through the end of high school is done in private schools; that is, when a family can afford it, which for the families we work with, is rare. Many of the young boys and girls simply must begin to work to help provide for their families, selling things on the streets or taking care of their younger siblings while their mom tries to find work.

As these great kids walked down the aisle in their caps and gowns, we knew that each step was one of victory over adversity, of success in a culture of failure. When they proudly held their diplomas, they about burst with the joy of accomplishing something really good in a place where life is really, really hard.

To God be the glory for bringing this gift of education to these fine young men and women through the donations of His people! Thank you for helping to open the doors of opportunity for these kids! We pray that each of them will use their education to better serve the Lord as they use the gifts and talents that He has given them. Woohoo!!! God is good!!!