By Elizabeth Boucher
Teaching in Honduras in Central America is a challenge, especially in a bi-lingual Christian school. About 65% Hondurans are Catholic, mostly non-practicing. The remaining population consists of Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and a few evangelical Christians. Many children who enter New Life Bilingual School come from broken homes, have parents who are alcoholics, or parents who abandon them to pursue a better job in another country. The importance of provid-ing a consistent atmosphere is necessary in earning the respect and attention of each child. The families love the school for the English we teach, while the kids love the school because the teacher is always there and is consistent even when correcting the student.
God is using something as simple as teaching English as a way of sharing His Word with children who are not otherwise allowed to go to church. I have spo-ken with many parents who were unhappy that we were teaching their children sto-ries from the Bible, but they still kept their child in our missionary-run school so that they could continue to learn English. This makes the hours between 8 and 3 the only time the children will have to hear about Jesus. Even after the twenty-minute Bible time, we continue to teach the children Bible principles through every subject and in classroom discipline.
The children of Honduras need our prayers. By the time they reach 6th grade, school is no longer a government requirement and many will drop-out and never step foot in a church to hear God’s Word. This leaves us little time to instill Bible truths into the children, and makes the time we do have even more essential. Please remember Honduras in your prayers. Pray that God will allow the Christian school ministry to reach more children as it shares the good news of God’s gift of salvation.