Looking forward to 2012

Dear Friends of WIND,

I enter 2012 full of excitement for what God is doing through the growing W.I.N.D. of God  ministry. It was so exciting for Maurina and me to participate in the graduation ceremonies in Cotzal this past November. I had many opportunities to visit with students and family members – and every one of them wanted me to extend their heartfelt thanks to all the supporters back home.  Without the support from many of the individuals on this distribution list, none of this would have been possible.

We joined in a celebration for 18 men and women who graduated from the Bible and Pastor training programs. It is difficult to put into words, but the ministry is so much bigger than the education of these 18 students.  Eight teachers received an income due to the program. However the incredible thing is the out pouring of community support for the graduates. The churches were packed out with family and friends of the graduates.  It was literally standing room only for the three hour event, a very  festive occasion. It was a privilege to represent all of our supporters  during my “extended greeting” at the ceremony. 

W.I.N.D of God continues to grow as we attempt to meet the needs in the Ixil. We will be expanding both our Bible Training and Pastor Training programs next year. This will result in a record number of students involved in these programs. We are very excited about a new relationship we are building with a private Christian primary school in Cotzal. Consider these facts:

·         The average Indigenous Mayan only has 2.5 years of education.

·         Only three of ten children (30%) graduate from sixth grade.

·         Only 39% of Mayan women are considered literate.

·         Only 54% of Mayan girls will ever enter school.  

Our initial plan is to help support the dedicated teachers who very seldom receive any income due to lack of resources. We are praying about our potential role in constructing a building for the school (they currently meet in rented space that provides a bleak learning environment at best). And if we dared to dream, the future school would provide a holistic approach toward serving the entire family. Our son Jordan will be teaching English at the school for the next three months. This will give us a much needed on-the-ground evaluation of the school and curriculum. You can keep tabs on his journey at: www.jordanrichardrice.blogspot.com.

Thank you very much for your ongoing support. Be assured that your contributions make a significant difference to the education process in this region.  I look forward to providing you with future updates on all these exciting projects as the year progresses.

Dream with me

Although primary school attendance is compulsory in Guatemala, starting at age seven, only one-half of those Mayan girls of primary-school age, who are classified as extremely poor, have entered school. Fewer than 10 percent of these girls aged 13–24 who entered primary school have completed the sixth grade, and just 14 percent of these primary-school graduates have ever enrolled in secondary school.

So let me do the math for us.

Start with 100 economically poor Mayan girls age 7.

50 will enter primary school.

5 will graduate from primary school.

1 might go onto secondary school.

Acceptable? Dare to dream with me. What if we could change this paradigm - even slightly. According to a 2002 census, Cotzal has a population of 9,037 people (the municipality which includes the outlying villages has a total population of slightly more than 30,000 people). With the Lords help – dealing with one family situation at a time – what if we were able to achieve a 100% primary graduation rate for girls who enter the program. We would see lasting change that would impact every aspect of the community within two generations.

Something to throw into the dream machine.