Dear Friends and Family,
Thank God it´s Friday! Each week seems long and yet the time is flying by. I can’t believe I’ve been here for over 2 months! Incredible! Here’s what I’ve been up to lately:
I teach classes in the mornings and evenings Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Thursday I don`t go to the school, but instead I go to an NGO called ¨La Fundacion Juan Felipe Escobar Gomez.¨ This fundation works with pregnant girls, ages 13-18, from the lowest socioeconomic classes. In Colombia the economic divisions are oficial and each family has a place in the socioeconomic hierarchy (they’re divided by “strata”: stratas 1 - 6). There are 150 girls in the foundation. They come daily for technical classes on cooking, sewing, child care and now: English! Some have already had their babies, others are pregnant. Some bring their babies to the sessions, others leave their babies with family members at home.
I know these girls; we`ve just met, and we come from different worlds, but I know them. I know their thoughts; I know their struggles; I know their hopes; I know their fears. How? One thing I’ve learned in my short life: everyone is the same. We’re all unique of course, but we’re all the same in the essentials. We all have the same hopes, fears, wants, and needs. We all need love and affection. We all fear that things won’t work out the way we hope they will. We all want to be happy and not be in need. These girls, like most girls, struggle with self-esteem. They look for love and affection. They look for support and ways to reach their goals. They worry; they hurt; they struggle; they smile; they laugh. And I’M super excited about working with them. I know I can learn a lot from them. The world is a difficult place, but it’s full of beautiful people! Cliche? Sure. True? Absolutely.
I know this isn’t much and doesn’t touch on my life here very deeply or directly, but it’s all I feel inclined to write right now. I love and miss everyone at home. I could use your prayers if you have time to spare some. Peace and love today and always!
-Micah
