Story Time

Today during class I heard a story which broke my heart. It began with a discussion on politics, which I found quite riveting. We talked about what the government did, what the purpose of government was, and how that was carried out. The students shared their opinions of Daniel Ortega, the current Nicaraguan President, and of the politics of the country, which were pretty much all negative. They also asked me a bit about US politics, so I was definitely enjoying class. Then we got to the topic of building/fixing relationships. It began because one of the girls accused Ortega of buying votes, while another pointed out the possibility that Ortega was simply trying to mend/build relations with the common people of the country. This led to a few girls sharing about reconciling relationships in their own lives.
Guadalupe, a 10th grader at Colegio Cristiano Monte Hermon, shared about how she would go about reconciling with her friends after fights, then went on to talk about struggles in her home, where her parents fight all the time if she’s not around. When she’s around they don’t fight, she told us, but if she leaves, the fighting begins. She also talked about how her mom was never home, gone before she got up in the morning, and not getting home until almost bedtime, and how they very rarely talked more than to just say hello. Her parents rarely ever asked her how she was doing, or took a whole lot of interest in what was going on in her life. After her sister got married at a young age Guadalupe said she felt basically alone in the world that was her home. School was one world, she said, work another world, and home a completely different world in which she felt alone most of the time. She and the other girls shared stories about problems in family life and in the relationships of their parents and relatives. A lot of it seemed to stem from poor communication, which they attributed at least partially to the fact that almost none of their parents had gone through much school at all, and few were Christians.
Hearing all this broke my heart…it also gave me hope. Hearing these girls talk about these struggles was painful, but the fact that they recognized these struggles, where the struggles came from, and how to truthfully deal with them in their own lives, gave me hope that they would not have the same struggles as their parents in their adult lives. Sure, most of them will probably struggle financially for part or most of their lives. However, many will not, thanks to the education they are receiving. Additionally, even if they struggle financially, they will be much better off in their relationships and lives as a whole, thanks to the knowledge and values they are gaining through constant attendance at school and church. The work that the church and school, led by Daniel’s family, in this community is incredible. I know that this is not the only place such work is going on, but I also know that if such work could be replicated in every community of the world, this planet would be much better off.
In order to effect changes for tomorrow, we need to guide and instruct those who will decide how “tomorrow” is carried out. For this to happen, those in a position to have influence must make sacrifices, as the Aragon family has in leading this community. This applies to politics, where leaders should hold the interests of their country above their own; economics, where business owners should keep in mind the well-being of the communities in which they operate; Churches, which must take advantage of the opportunity to reach out to the community in which they are placed, serving as a beacon of light in a dark world, and all other areas of life. May we seek to be the salt and light of the earth, just as we all are called.
“Ustedes son la sal de este mundo. Pero si la sal deja de estar salada, ¿cómo podrá recobrar su sabor? Ya no sirve para nada, así que se la tira a la calle y la gente la pisotea. Ustedes son la luz de este mundo. Una ciudad en lo alto de un cerro no puede esconderse. Ni se enciende una lámpara para ponerla bajo un cajón; antes bien, se la pone en alto para que alumbre a todos los que están en la casa. Del mismo modo, procuren ustedes que su luz brille delante de la gente, para que, viendo el bien que ustedes hacen, todos alaben a su Padre que está en el cielo.
- San Mateo 5: 13-16