Jennifer is in College!

If you’re on Facebook, you’ve probably already heard about Jennifer’s wonderful news from this past week. However, if we’re not connected, I’d like to share some wonderful, long awaited answer to prayer good news!

Highschool Graduation, December 2014

After six months of university searching, admissions exams, and setback after setback, we finally found God’s perfect place for Jennifer to further her education!

We were originally focused on the public university, UNAH, because it is less expensive. However, there are a lot of students competing for a spot, and after taking the admissions exam twice, Jennifer was still just below the point level she needed. After the second failed exam, Jennifer took it hard and was visibly discouraged, so I gave her a pep talk, told her I’m still there to support her regardless, and gave her some space to figure out how she wanted to move forward.  Honestly I wanted to see how she would handle it. A denied application to college is hard, especially when you hear it twice, but to be able to successfully make her way through university while also being the sole supporter for her household, she’s got to be able to deal with hard things and still get up and fight for what she wants and not let a setback ruin her determination. I wasn’t too surprised by her decision.

I got a call about two weeks later and it was clear her fire was back.  She went on and on about how she really wanted to study, that she needs to study to be able to find a good job and support her family, that she understands that going to a private university is more expensive but she will do anything to help if I will help support her in this. She will work and pay what she can; she will not lose this opportunity!

So it was decided, we’d start searching the multiple private universities in the city. The day we decided to go visit was full of plan-changers out of our control – kids unexpectedly home for school, missionary coming along to help overslept and put pressure on our already tight schedule, etc. So our day full of visits changed and we decided to visit La Universidad Catolica de Honduras first, since it seemed the most promising – offers the major Jennifer is interested in and is in a reasonable price range. We show up, are told the admissions exam can be offered that afternoon, and that Jennifer could start classes tomorrow if she passes because the new semester just started the day before. Jennifer, the brave girl she is, says sure I’ll take it today, and passes it with flying colors. So a day that in the morning was just visits and errands quickly turned into registering her for classes, getting her student ID, figuring out transportation (free buses to many points in the city, awesome!), and getting all set for classes the very next day!

Over the past few days, we’ve been getting the school supplies she needs and paying for books, and she is loving classes. Praise God, Jennifer crossed paths with an old friend on her very first day before she even set foot on the bus, as her friend lives near me and they were waiting at the bus stop together. And just so you know, Jennifer is a brave girl. Where she lives, few go to high school, much less college. Her mom can barely read. She is well aware that she must work and go to school full time to care for her family. She is the only person in the whole university who lives in Los Pinos (atleast of all the people who take the free University buses). She took the entrance exam with no preparation, just a 3 hour heads up. She faces hunger on a daily basis and lives in an area so dangerous that even leaving your home is a risky decision. She is stepping out of her world of poverty into a whole different world in a country that is very separated – the poor and the rich live starkly different lives and don’t like to cross paths very much. She is breaking barriers and chasing her dreams. I can’t even explain how proud I am of this girl.

She is the epitome of what I believe God is going to do in many families in Los Pinos. He is going to lift up the least of these, empower them, show His hand so clearly working in their lives, and give them the gift of the ability to provide for their families and end, once and for all, the cycle of poverty.

So, due to the affordability of higher education here in Honduras, I’ve been able to cover the immediate costs to take advantage of the very clear God-given opportunity to have her study immediately. However, since my personal support isn’t exactly overflowing, I will need supporters to come alongside her and support her month to month.

The costs? In the beginning, I’m looking for $190 monthly to cover her tuition and $30 for transportation (The bus gets her close to home, but not into Los Pinos, so this covers the bus she takes in the morning and afternoon to get to and from the bus stop). A total of $220 monthly.

Four people who will commit to at least a year of donations, $55 monthly.

Once she’s stable in classes and begins working, the plan is for her to be responsible for her family’s household needs, her own transportation and school supplies. From there, depending on her salary situation, she will contribute what she can towards tuition. Donors will be notified as the donation amounts are decreased and she takes more and more responsibility for her own costs, keeping donations to a minimum.

She knows that she is to be transparent about grades, ask for help when needed, and she has given me permission to get on to her if her grades start slipping. I might have to do it a few times, but I know Jennifer, and she is very self-driven.

So I’m asking for four people who love Jennifer, or people who will blindly believe in a girl they’ve never met, to give her and her family a chance for a different life and a chance to chase her dreams. Four people at $55/monthly. Let me know if God is calling you!

All donations are tax deductible through World Outreach Ministries. Just visit www.worldoutreach.org/donations and select my name from the drop down box. If donating monthly, you can select the automatic withdrawal option to keep the donation consistent.