Jhovana is the sweetest little girl in my classroom and her mom, Doña Venita, is just as sweet.  Doña Venita often comes to pick up her kids from The Center and will stand in the doorway to my classroom, waiting to flash me a smile before she takes her children home.  She stands just around 5 feet, her long, thick hair always meticulously braided and hanging down her back.  When she speaks, warmth radiates out of her and her eyes sparkle.

A couple weeks ago, Doña Venita came into my classroom as I was packing up, wanting to know how her daughter was doing.  As I shared how Jhovana was excelling in reading, her face lit up and she said, "She carries the Bible you gave her everywhere.  I asked her to leave the Bible behind sometimes so I could look at the pictures, but it goes everywhere with her in her backpack!  But," Doña Venita continued, "every night she reads me a story from the Bible before she goes to bed.  I can't read," she said, hanging her head a little, "but my daughter always reads to me from her new Bible and we look at the pictures of the stories together."

Jhovana

 Little Jhovana is sharing the hope of Christ with her mom, reading her stories of truth and grace before bedtime.  She also is sharing that same hope with her classmates.  I often catch her on the playground, her Bible open in front of her and little girls gathered around her, looking at the stories.  Jhovana's public school teacher in the morning even asked me if I could give her a children's Bible to read to the 40 some students in the morning.  I pray that the ripples of hope one Bible started will continue to spread throughout the community.

Each student in my class earns their own Bible when they reach a basic level of reading, thanks to a generous gift from a supporter.  Here are the kiddos who have earned their Bibles!

 Hernan

Jose Felix

 

 Nicol

Nathali

Norma

Cristian

Wilma