Yolanda arrived at Village of Hope Guatemala at the age of 10 after spending much of her life enduring horrific abuse. The one thing that kept her going was caring for her baby sister and promising herself that her sister would have the chance at a better life. She didn’t stop to ever consider herself- she just didn’t want her little sister to ever go through what she had.
Once her and her little sister were situated in their new foster home at Village of Hope, as every child does, they began to receive the holistic care they needed to grow and heal. During Yolanda’s diagnostic evaluation it showed that she had little educational knowledge and could not recognize letters or wrote her name. However, Yolanda displayed a deep desire to learn and acquire new knowledge.
One day during lunch it was raining outside so Yolanda chose to spend her time in the library. She would look through the pages of the colorful books in awe and quietly ask the other girls to read to her what the words on the book said. From that day forward she works hard, taking advantage of all the resources and classes and a short time later she was able to read and write on her own! Her teacher wept with her on the day she was able read her first word.
Since then Yolanda has not stopped learning and overcoming her challenges. She has proven to herself that she is capable of achieving everything she sets her mind to.
So often in life we have forgotten that the things that we take for granted are not available to everyone. Watching Yolanda’s example has been a good reminder to us all to be grateful for every opportunity we are given- every meal we eat- the bed we sleep in, the vehicle that takes us where we need to go and most importantly the God who never leaves us or forsakes us.
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. -Deuteronomy 31:8
