Friends and Supporters,
The last couple of months have been a huge growing experience as I’ve been preparing myself to do ministry in ways I’ve never experienced, while at the same time currently involving myself in work that also proves to be new. Here are some highlights from July and August and a look into what is to come in this two-year internship:
- In July we began the new term of ourYouth Leadership Development (YLD) program where we offer classes for middle and high school students to study outside of school as well as get scholarship benefits for the rest of their school year. This term we offered courses in Community Development/Organizing Training (Seeds of Hope is what we called it), Health (with a Volleyball component that I led), and Photography.
- In the Seeds of Hope class, college-bound high school students were taught ways that they can engage the people in their community to organize development based on assets and skills already present. Each week students had meetings with adults in their communities to apply that week’s lesson. At the end of this course, students put on a Mother’s Day program/play about drug awareness. Through this class, not only are students empowered to be agents of change, but they have learned to build others to be a people of power that challenge both personal harmful cycles and unjust systems that keep them in poverty.
- Health/Volleyball: In this course we covered a number of topics in metal, physical, emotional/spiritual, and social health. A particular highlight was the time we took to educate youth on sexual health and risks. Our prayer in this is to help decrease the rate at which teens end up with unwanted pregnancies, STI’s, and emotional wounds. Of deep value also was our conversations on healthy relationships (positive attributes for friendships, family relationships, etc.).
- Photography: Similar to last term, students were challenged to develop artistic/creative skills that they can share with others and use for personal benefit. Students developed a keener eye for the beauty that exists in their “slum” communities and perhaps a new perspective on what the kingdom of God looks like.
- Library: Children’s ministry is still taking place each week in the community I live in, and a young Thai woman is continually gaining experience in being a mentor to at-risk kids.
- Movie Editing Completion: Remember the movie that Director Sarah Hanks and the team made? Well it is fully edited and complete! Sarah will be back in October to show the movie to the youth and others in order to spread awareness on sex-trafficking as it relates to life in urban-poor communities.
- When Receiving Hurts: I’m pretty excited to announce that I will play a role in developing a training curriculum for people living in urban poor communities on how they can live alternatively to dependence on charities. Many of you are familiar with the book When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. As helpful as this book is in terms of challenging of it means to give in this globalized age, it still is catered to middle-class Christians and churches. Our When Receiving Hurts project will be a form of training that speaks to groups that are otherwise the “hurt” when faced with well-meaning charity.
- Almost finished with Thai lessons: In other news, language is going well and I only have one more month of committed study time. I’ve personally decided to study for a couple more months after this period is complete so that I can refine my Thai speaking ability as much as possible.
- Prayer Requests: In terms of ministry, I would love to be able to mentor someone this next year. Thus I need prayer for deeper language fluency as well as finding someone to mentor. For my more personal life, I’ve began applying to Divinity schools to get a Master of Arts in Religion, please be in prayer for the application process, finances/scholarships, and selection discernment.
Thanks for reading and committing to praying or this next year. I’m glad that I can share this small taste of kingdom work with you all.
Alejandro