Update from Guatemala

By Hannah Nadeau-Giron

Schools in Guatemala continue to be closed for in-person classes, the 15th months that our students at Escuela Integrada have been attending classes virtually. Thankfully, all of the teachers at Escuela Integrada have been vaccinated, and the vaccination is now available for all those 35 and older.

We pray for the family of Escuela Integrada student, Arely.

As many of you know, we continue to grieve the loss of one of our students, Arely, below, who passed away in July due to complications of COVID-19. Arely was on track to graduate this November and had dreams of becoming a police officer.
Please hold Arely’s family in prayer, along with all of Guatemala as the country deals with an heightened sense of civil unrest because of the pandemic.

Sponsorship Appreciation Week, September 6-10. All sponsors should be on the lookout for special “gifts” throughout the week! GRACES is extremely appreciative of all the dedicated sponsors who truly make up our ministry.

Sponsorships provide financial support to Escuela Integrada so that the students can have a free education. The sponsorship program began in 2013 and has been slowly growing ever since. With the support of the sponsor program, students at Escuela Integrada receive breakfast and lunch everyday (food bags during the pandemic), psychological support, a quality education, benevolent care, and love and support from the amazing local staff.

Mike and BJ Connor shared a photo of their zoom meeting with their sponsored student and Lucas Hertzberg, Escuela Integrada’s sponsorship coordinator.

Sponsor a Student!
St. John’s has a long history of supporting our schools, local and global. Your support for our school in Guatemala goes a long way to helping families escape the chains of poverty and have hope for a bright future.

The best way to support this ministry is by sponsoring a student, which provides their education and meals while at the school. Because our families live in extreme poverty, students are only able to attend school through the sponsorship program. Sponsors write and receive letters from their students, participate in video calls, and receive regular updates.

Interested? Please contact Lucas Hertzberg, sponsorship coordinator for GRACES, at lucas@wearegraces.org.

Mark Your Calendar
Hannah Nadeau, director of GRACES, will be in worship with us Sunday, Sept. 19. Meet her Whitton Terrace, Sunday, 4:30-6:30 pm.