Our first Run:Hope Teacher Scholar Graduates
We were excited to receive the news early September that Xhun, a Run:Hope teacher scholar from Salquil Grande, finally had his thesis approved and would graduate September 24th.  Xhun faithfully persevered for 12 years, six of those sponsored by Run:Hope, to finally achieve a double master’s degree in Theology and Music from Seteca Seminary in Guatemala City.  A landslide three days before his graduation almost prevented a van going up the mountain to pick him up with his family, his pastor, and two deacons from his church. They were prepared to hike over the landslide area! God provided and just in time, a large piece of equipment cleared the way for the van.  
 
His graduation was such a poignant reminder of God’s steadfast love and provision not only for Xhun, but for his entire Ixil community. Xhun was the first teacher of Light and Life School which has grown from one class to a full school of kinder through high school with 130 students. Xhun plans to continue teaching at Light and Life School and will also begin to teach in our Firm Foundations, Creation to Christ Bible program in his community in 2023.

Run:Hope Events & Sponsors meet our Goal for 2023 School Year
Our Run:Hope events get people moving and represent the challenge and perseverance necessary to achieve an education in Quiché Guatemala.

The Bike Race, MD
Rick and our son Eric participated in an entire uphill 15.6 bike race September 10th on the GAP trail (Great Allegany Passage trail) in Maryland to raise support for our Run:Hope teachers and students. They met the challenge of their first ever bike race together and are continuing to bike together early in the morning a couple times a week to be even more prepared for next year’s race!

East River Park Run/Walk NYC
October 22nd was a picture perfect fall day in NYC for our Run/Walk in East River Park. We had a wonderful group of individuals from a kick boxer and a couple who are running marathons in each of the 50 US states, to kids, and even a two-month old baby carried in a snuggly, all running and walking in support of our teachers and students in Quiché Guatemala!
 
We are so thankful that through these Run:Hope events, and through the sponsorship and support from three partner churches, our goal of $70,000 for the entire budget of Run:Hope for 2023 was reached!  
 
A BIG thank you to all the participants who met the challenge of biking, running, and walking! 
A BIG thank you to all the sponsors who gave generously!
Check out more pictures of this event here.

Update on our Run:Hope Teacher Conference
 
After pausing for two years, our Run:Hope Conference for our teachers finally took place at an open air retreat center June 29 – July 1st.  Twenty-five of our teachers were able to travel from three different mountain communities to focus on our theme, Creation Speaks: Exploring Science. Chloe, Dorothy and Avah from Oversea Chinese Mission's short-term team were a great help! We had a wonderful time of learning, growing, and sharing God’s amazing design for His creation. You can see a glimpse of the conference here.  
 
This is rainy season in Guatemala, and we enjoyed the entire conference together without any rain!  It made our time together that much more productive as strong rains in the open air setting would have made it difficult to hear. The rains began right after the conference ended as everyone was safely on the bus to return to their homes. Thank you for your prayers and support that were definitely felt throughout our time together!

Hola Friends,

We are writing to you from Guatemala to update you on all H.O.P.E. happenings firsthand!
 
What a joy to be able to bring our entire team and their families together at our office headquarters this May. We celebrated “Dia de Gracia”, a day to give thanks in May!  We’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what time of year it may be or whatever challenges we are still facing, we can always take time to give praise and thanks to God.

Update | Pastoral Leadership Program
 
Neri reports that the pastoral leadership program has grown to 65 students from 37 at the beginning of 2022.  There are three current areas where pastors and leaders gather for the training:  Samococh, in Chisec, Grande Sacoj in Mixco, and Joyabaj el Quiché.
 
Currently, the students are working through courses in biblical leadership, communication, and ecclesiastical studies as they work toward a leadership diploma.
 
Neri shared the following prayer requests (1) For consistency and perseverance for all the students.  It is difficult for them to balance the demands of their churches, families, and often other full-time work to provide for their families. (2) Pray for the health and physical protection of the team as they travel. (3) Pray for wisdom and discernment in opening up other areas for training. ​

Hi Friends of Light and Life School,

You are receiving this newsletter as someone who is supporting a Light and Life School student or teacher, have shown interest in this unique Ixil Christian School, or even blessed Light & Life School as a team member serving in Salquil Grande, Guatemala! 

Classes are full and active since the new school year began in January.  From computer classes to sports, the students are busy! In addition to academics, students are encouraged to show respect for their parents and elders. Read below how a recent opportunity to honor mothers for Dia de Madre, brought a large group of mothers together for the first time since the pandemic. The outdoor space used for all gym classes and celebrations was simply decorated and draped with plastic to shield from the sun and rain. A roof over this area would greatly increase the usable space of the school, especially during rainy season! 

In this update we are highlighting one of our 5th graders. Read on to see how your support is helping Sabina Alicia excel in her studies and pursue her dream to study to become a lawyer. Learn more how you can support this amazing ministry!

- Sharon

​Note from the Director Carlos:
 
May is a very special month at Light and Life School.  One of the parts of our curriculum is to teach honor and respect for parents and elders. During May, Dia de Madre, our mother’s day that is celebrated on May 10th in Guatemala, is the perfect opportunity to welcome mothers to Light and Life school to enjoy a special program and celebration just for them.  Our mothers are the pillars in their families and our community. This was the first time to gather such a large group of mothers since the pandemic.  It was a time filled with a motivational talk especially for our mothers and a special meal that they enjoyed together. We were so thankful for this opportunity to celebrate the mothers and show the students the importance of setting aside time to honor mothers.

May is also the time in Guatemala when the rains come. Rainy season lasts approximately from May to the beginning of November.  Although our community is thankful for rains to help crops to flourish, the downpours do make our area for active gym time, assemblies, and celebrations limited to when the weather is dry. Although you can see from the pictures that we do drape plastic over the area to shield from the sun and light rain, a permanent roof cover would be ideal and create much needed usable space throughout the school year. ​

How Your Support Makes a Difference | Sabina Alicia, 5th grade
Sabina Alicia was born in Salquil Grande and is the first daughter of her parents. She loves nature and animals.  One day, her mother bought her a chick and she happily cared for it.  Unfortunately, a cat ate it.  She cried for her chick and her grandmother saw that she was so sad. She knew Alicia had taken good care of the chick so she bought her another chick. Alicia cared so well for this chick that it grew and laid eggs. Now Alicia cares for her hen and four chicks every day.  She hopes that she can sell them to save money to buy a sheep.

​Sabina Alicia is a 5th grader at Light and Life School. Before attending Light and Life School, she attended the public school, but the public school had insufficient teachers and the learning opportunities were limited. Sabina is very happy at Light and Life School and loves to read and help other students read and learn. Her mother is very supportive and comes to school once a week to observe Sabina’s progress.  One project that she was very proud to create was a nature diorama, showing how to care for the environment.  She also loves active sports and is the best scorer on her futbal (soccer) team.

​After school classes, Sabina helps her mother around the house with chores like sweeping, washing dishes and helping prepare meals.  Of course, she also cares for her chickens!
Because she loves to read so much and learn, she hopes one day to study to become a lawyer and notary to help her community.  She knows that to be a lawyer you need a lot of reading to have knowledge of the laws to be able to apply it in each case that she solves.

Hola friends!  Whether you are a long-time supporter of H.O.P.E. Bible Mission or just recently joined one of our Run:Hope events this past summer and fall, we want to update you as we begin a new year.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the ways that God sustained our team and work in the past challenging year. Although our new year begins with some plans having to be altered yet again, we can’t help but realize that God is for us and working in amazing ways! As we keep our focus, stand firm, and continue to give our best, our labor is not in vain.

Highlights of 2021 
Although the year on the ground in Guatemala looked very different again this past year, we are thankful for a sense of unity and incredible camaraderie in our joint HOPE/Agape team who worked together tirelessly to do what was needed to get the job done.

Some of our regular teachers in the pastoral Bible program worked together to deliver a large donation of desks for one of our Run:Hope partner schools to be able to start a new school year this January, as back to back hurricanes in November 2020 damaged homes, crops and school resources. Thank you to our partners at Ridgeway Alliance Church in White Plains, NY for a vital donation of desks and computers.

Our team worked together to prepare and deliver resources to each of our three Run:Hope partner schools, offering them encouragement and an opportunity to discuss the challenges they have been facing. They also presented an introduction to Fundamentos Firmes, a creation to Christ training program for teachers of children in the local churches in Salquil Grande, where Run:Hope partner school, Light and Life is located. There will be 15 students joining this program in 2022.

Although the pastoral Bible training program had fewer students last year, there were 37 pastors and leaders who continued. We are grateful that our team was creative using phones and social media to teach and stay in touch.

A Great Big Thanks for a Run:Hope Goal Accomplished!
​​This past summer and fall, we had three Run:Hope events stateside to raise awareness and support for approximately 250 students and 28 teachers for the 2022 school year. We were thrilled with the outpouring of support and met our goal of $50,000. which covers the entire budget for the program for 2022. One partner church, Maryland Community Church in Indiana, went above and beyond in sponsoring 67 students! We are incredibly grateful for their outpouring of love and for all the amazing support for everyone who participated.

2022 Plans and Prayers
​Our annual conference for our Run:Hope teachers will have the theme: Creation Speaks | Exploring Science. Although the plan was to host this conference in January, it will be postponed until our team and teachers decide it is safe to do so. All the sessions and materials have been prepared. The conference provides an avenue for shared resources, training and dialogue for our Run:Hope teachers. We have 28 signed up for this new year. Please pray for these teachers as they begin the new school year January 15th.

Hi Run:Hope Friends,

The summer has been full of joys and challenges! We’re so grateful to all who have joined us so far in our summer Run:Hope kick-off. Whether through walking, hosting events, or donating, you are a part of making paths to education larger and more accessible in Quiché. And, it’s not over yet! Read on for updates and more ways to be involved. We also invite you to get to know one of the remarkable teachers at Light and Life School and in the Run:Hope cohort, Juan Pérez Marroquín (Xhun).

​Run:Hope Program Development

This past June/July Deb spent five weeks in Guatemala working with the Run:Hope team. We organized a special visit to our three partner schools to offer encouragement and much needed school supplies. Unfortunately due to rising COVID case numbers in the country and slow vaccination roll-out, the in-person meeting component of the trip has been postponed. However, we are working out logistics to deliver school supplies in a safe manner that prioritizes the health of both teachers and our staff.

The team also developed a framework for our next Run:Hope conference, to take place in November. This conference offers 21 participating teachers spiritual encouragement and practical workshops focused on the sciences. As we continue to monitor the situation of COVID in Guatemala we know that we may need to do this conference virtually. Please pray for the wisdom and preparation for this conference that it will be enriching for our Run:Hope teaching cohort.

Firm Foundations for Teachers of Children Program

Deb also had the opportunity to work with the team to develop an introduction to our program, Firm Foundations for Teachers of Children that we hope to restart in January in Salquil Grande, Quiché, where our Run:Hope partner school, Light and Life, is located. This thorough training in God’s word from creation to Christ, including teaching methods and preparation of lesson visuals, has been a vital resource in the past for rural churches in the area.