WWCS partner schools minister to 34,000 children all over the world through quality, Christ-centered education. (WWCS photo)
Latin America (MNN) ― Worldwide Christian Schools urgently needs more HANDS (Helping Another Nation Develop Schools) teams to travel to Latin America between November and the end of December.
Christian schools in Honduras and Guatemala need help finishing construction projects so that the school year will not be interrupted.
Juan Calvino Christian School needs "to have a second floor put on their building because they're bursting at the seams with children," said Steven Geurink, Service Project Coordinator for WWCS.
Another school in Guatemala needs to finish a new building in order to begin the school year on time in January.
Geurink said WWCS sends out about 40-50 short-term missions teams annually, and the goal is "to help nationals with their dream and vision to build Christian schools to reach the people and reach their children with the Gospel."
Because the quality of the public education in many Latin American countries is very poor, Christian school is the best or even the only option for many children.
"Many schools in Latin America suffer from poorly equipped facilities," Geurink explained. "They have anywhere from 40 to 80 children per classroom, and essentially the education that they have available to them -- if it is available to them -- is very poor."
Besides providing the children with a good education and a better student-teacher ratio, Christian school also gives children life-changing exposure to the Gospel.
"What we try to do is give them an education that not only has the basics, the ABC's, and mathematics, but is also based on the Gospel," Geurink said. "So these children are getting both things: an evangelistic approach to education, as well as a good, solid, quality education."
Many Christian school students go on to make a difference in their community, he said. For example, a number of students in the Dominican Republic returned to teach at their Christian school, impacting the lives of children in their community.
Taking 1-2 weeks to provide a school building plays a crucial role in this ministry, Geurink said.
"You are providing a space where children are going to be taught, year after year after year, and exposed to the Gospel. And we just believe it's an extremely effective means of evangelism, and it's probably one of the best work projects that a team or church could go on."
In fact, he said, HANDS teams make an impact beyond simply providing the school building. Each school and construction project is run by nationals, so team members have a chance to rub shoulders with and get to know local Christians.
"It's not a one-way street; it's not a donor and recipient relationship," Geurink said. "You're meeting brothers and sisters in Christ, and you're coming alongside them to help them, to work with them. You spend meals together, you eat and drink together, and you fellowship."
Click here to find out more about how you can help build Christian schools all over the world.
