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| Moses is one of our newer staff leaders! |
Our team member Moses Ondeche likes to segment his students – the “storm troopers” who are ready for action, and the “diamonds in the rough” who need some help. Read his story of discovering one of the former:
The annual retreats always bring new ways to have fun and reach out to our growing family. New venues and fun activities ensure a spectacle for many of our students who have never been to the landmarks that attract visitors and locals in our city
The first retreat came in April, and the excitement and laughter that filled the air was clear to see as most of our grade school students couldn’t stop smiling and having fun.
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| Our students always love pool day at the retreat. Photo by Sean Lujan, Six33 Studios. |
Every staff dove deep into the heart of things, to know our students better and create an atmosphere that is open to sharing thoughts and ideas. Little was left to chance as we shared with them how much we care about them and want the best for them. During pool time I got the chance to talk to Chrisphine, who happens to be a new student in my team. I asked him if he likes being in boarding school as opposed to day school. “Yes,” he answered quickly, as he went on to explain why.
Like some of our students, Chrisphine is an orphan. Living with his grandparents is hectic as he can’t get access to supplies and support for school, and sometimes lacks food. He also cannot give full concentration to his class work with the distractions of having to fend for himself and do house chores.
Our students desire to board as an escape from the challenges back home: broken homes, drunk guardians, emotional and physical abuses, and more. Thus we identify such cases and act on them accordingly.
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| Chrisphine, sponsored by Brent R., joined Ndoto last year. He’s 16, in 9th grade, and wants to be a journalist. |
Our students also prefer boarding school because they have the luxury of having three square meals and a warm bed to sleep on. They are well taken care of and can concentrate on their class work. We have seen this produce results for most of our students as their grades improve.
Later at the pool we shared about our personal lives and life in school. Chrisphine went on to share about his current struggles with getting enough support from his grandmother. He explained how she has to daily look for work to get anything to eat which affects him when he doesn’t have his personal effects every term. I knew from that moment that I had found a new storm trooper. Unlike in Star Wars, my storm troopers go through the daily struggle to be at their best in class despite having almost no one to support them or visit them. They have to be content with not having what everyone else enjoys, from financial to emotional support.
My storm troopers are not many, but they reflect the challenges that most families have. With no family support we become the living testimony of Jesus to them, being His hands and feet, to love them like Jesus and walk with them every step of the way. I am so happy we had our retreats this year, for now I know that I have storm troopers that fight through the forces of life and will be victorious!
