Submitting to God’s Will

Today was a great day! Our normal contact that we volunteer
with was busy this morning. They were attending a graduation party for their
assistant’s child who is the first in her family to graduate high school. So
exciting! We didn’t have anything we had to do so my teammate Kelsi and I
decided to go volunteer at Nuestros Ahijados (God’s Child) Scheel School.

 

Brandon Brickley, one of Kelsi’s friends from growing up, is
the director of the school. He gave us a tour of the gorgeous grounds and
walked us through the school. The school has grades 1^st ,4^th
,5^th , and 6^th. All of the students are at least three
grades behind when they enter the school. The 1^st grade class I
helped with had students ranging in age from 9 yrs old to 12 yrs old. The
school services the neighboring slum and is run entirely off donations. The
students learn all the basic subjects including English and also receive
vocational training in carpentry and cooking.

 

When Brandon took over as director of the school a year ago
they had a “cooking and carpentry program” but they had no stove or kitchen
supplies, no tools, benches or anything in the workshop. He has done an
incredible job, with the help of God and all the supporters, outfitting the
school to have a kitchen full or professional appliances and a workshop with
work tables, benches and tools.

 

The coolest part about the story is Brandon is 26 years old,
has no background in education or administration and had no intention of being
a director of a school when he came down here. He volunteered entering data
into a database for the first three months he was in Guatemala, but God had a
bigger plan for him. He was told he would be the director of the school the
Friday before school started last year. He showed up to school for the first time
the Monday that school started. While at the opening assembly with all the
students, their parents, and all the doners from America there he was asked to
say a few words. He didn’t know it was coming and was still in the process of
learning Spanish but God provided him the words he needed at the assembly and
hasn’t stopped since. Brandon openly admits that the success of the school has
nothing to do with any skill or ability he brought in to the position but only
by his dedication to the Lord and willingness to submit to God’s will has the
school been successful. That reminds me of the verse

 

1 Corinthians 1:27-31

 

27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the
wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the
lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are
not-to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It
is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom
from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as
it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”