Sometimes the hardest things about this journey is learning about the difficult things that people experience and go through on a daily basis that we in America may not understand.
Yesterday was our first day of ministry at the schools. The second school that we visited was very poor. The rooms were super crowded and heat hung in the air like a blanket. We taught one class, had a break, and then taught another class. During the break we sat in the center of the school (it’s kinda like an open courtyard, but it’s very small) and chatted amongst ourselves until the bell rang to head to the next class.
Luis, our contact, sat nearest to me, and a girl that he knew from a previous school sat in between us. Her name is Jaquelin. She’s 15 and her parents recently moved to that particular city because her sister, who’s 16, was beginning to get involved with gangs.
Gangs are quite different here in Antigua and a few surrounding areas. Many gangs are rock gangs, which means a group of people get together and start listening to rock music and refer to themselves as a gang. Luis said that more often than not, these gangs are not violent. Even though Jaquelin’s sister was getting involved in a “non-violent gang” her parents were still concerned and decided it would be best if they moved.
Jaquelin had a very gentle demeanor. The words she spoke were shocking as she shared deeper things about her life. She shared more about her family. Her father is a mechanic and her mother sells tortillas. She stays up until 1230am every night helping her mother make tortillas and then gets up at 5am to come to school. Business is slow and her family is struggling financially. Her Father recently told her to try drugs so that she would know what was bad.
The school is located across from a park, which designates the center of town. It’s common for drug deals to happen in the park. Police are aware of this, but the system is very corrupted, which means the police are often involved in the dealings.
Jaquelin was very open about sharing her life with us. When we asked her questions, she responded. I felt like we had been friends for every. That “quiet” type of friendship. Where you know each other’s needs without opening your mouth. Her face held blank throughout the conversation and a smile didn’t break until the bell rang and she kissed my cheek as she hurried off to class. But I could sense a longing for something within her soul.
To Jaquelin, the life she described feels normal to her. It’s all she knows. She has been through the ethics and character development class, and whether she’s received Jesus as her Savior, I don’t know.
As a team, during debrief, we all mentioned one thing that we want to see God do before this race is over. In Serbia, God gave me the vision that I will see someone come to know the Lord before I board my flight to Reagan National Airport on July 28th. I’m trusting in His mighty power and plans that this month could be the month.
I don’t know if Jaquelin knows who can carry the burdens of her heart in this life. I don’t know if Jaquelin knows there’s hope for her in this world. But what I do know is there’s hope for her yet. And I hope that if she doesn’t know Jesus, that He will use me as a vessel into her life this month. Pray for Jaquelin!
