Story #2
Door of Hope popped up soon after
we settled in Malaysia. Apparently it had something to do with kids
and some of my teammates had heard about it from other racers. The
problem was that it is not yet officially associated with The World
Race, because of this we had to figure out how to get into contact
with the woman who ran it, how fit it into our schedule, and how to
find Door of Hope.
Ashley and I set out to find Door of
hope one lovely Monday. After receiving both foot and buss directions
we decided to take the bus. We tracked to the bus station and there
we waited.
And waited….
and waited….
for forty five minutes we waited.
Until finally- We gave up.
And decided to walk. It was supposed to be
close by right?
An hour later. With
little Im lost and Im a tourist icons hanging over our
heads we grudgingly admitted defeat. No matter how many times we
walked up and down the same streets, or how many people we asked. We
couldnt find Door of Hope.
The next week we tried again.
This time with a fresh set of directions written down. Unfortunately
we neglected to actually carry said
directions with us. And although we at least headed in the right
direction (last time we went in the opposite
direction we should have), we had to reaffirm our directions back
at home before we finally
found the elusive Door of Hope.
On
entering Door of Hope we learned that it is kind of like an after
school learning center, although
it is open form 9-6. The ages
of the Kids ranged from
around
three to ten. Children who
are sent there have learning disabilities or impediments and attitude
problems.
Deborah,
the woman who runs the program, does so almost single-handedly. When
Ashley and I came to volunteer we were put to work teaching the kids
songs and stories, coaching crafts, and using English. In all there
were probably fifteen or so kids there when
we went, and according to
Deborah, numbers are on the rise.
There
is more to that last statement than meets the eye. You see, because
of some of the
curriculum she uses
to teach, Deborah has come
under a lot of
pressure. Disagreeing with her beliefs some community members made-
and make it difficult for her to run Door of Hope. However, parents
see real- even astonishing improvement in the children they send
there, and word of that success is spreading.
This
is what I saw: children who used to throw uncontrollable tantrums
learning how to say sorry, and listen to directions. Kids who were
too shy to talk, initiating conversations. And little
ones who had already started
to burn out from school- acquire a desire for learning.
Please
pray for Door of Hope and for Deborah, pray that she will get help
running the school and that God would work in the hearts and minds of
her students.
That the
heart of the community would be opened toward Door of Hope.
