Teachers spend many hours with their students and get caught up in their personal lives, as well as the academic. This happened to me many times and these intense situations needed a lot of extra attention. One instance happened when the principal of Christian Academy of Guatemala came to me with a concern for a young Korean girl who had been held back a grade because she didn’t understand much English. He brought her standard test scores, and they showed that she excelled in everything except English. I could empathize with her, knowing how I felt in a Spanish environment, with a limited ability to comprehend what I heard around me.

The Lord is faithful and after talking with the principal and Sue’s* parents, we decided that Sue would begin sixth grade with my class. The parents would continue to have tutors help her with each subject area. On the first day of class, this timid student sat quietly in her desk with eyes full of expectation, while all of the other students were bouncing off the walls with excitement. Sue took her education plan seriously. She knew she had to learn an array of subjects and lacked the ability to comprehend all that I taught to the class. My heart burst with admiration, and I saw her as a role model for me when I faced obstacles in my life.

Sue had attended CAG for two years so had some comprehension of English, but she understood Spanish better because her family ministered in the Spanish community. She knew many words in English, but didn’t know how to use them or understand them when someone spoke to her. I knew I had my work cut out for me. I talked to her teacher, from the year before, and she assured me of this child’s intelligence and deep desire to learn. “Could I make a difference in her education when I couldn’t speak Spanish or Korean?” Lord, I need some wisdom and insight as to what your plan is for this child.

I offered to work extra time with her during my prep, as part of the plan. In the beginning, I could hardly hear her respond when she answered a question or had a comment. Out of her shyness, she would look and whisper to the floor. I met with her privately, on a daily basis, and as the days of tutoring passed by, Sue became bolder and showed a confidence I hadn’t seen before. She demonstrated her intelligence, many times, in the fast rate it took her to grab a concept or learn how to use English words. Within a few weeks, she sat up straight and tall in her desk, with a grand smile on her lips, and made eye contact with whomever she was speaking to.

Later, in the school year, Sue became sick. It became stressful for all of us, to see someone we had grown to love start fading away. We prayed every day for her, and then the day came when we heard that she had gone back to Korea. My heart hurt deeply for her when I looked back over the positive changes that had taken place since the first day of my class. With a determination to succeed, she held some of the highest grades in the whole class. She joined in with laughter and jokes, adding to the personality of the class. I had trust and faith that God had a plan for her life and out of His faithfulness, He would guide and direct her.

We continued to fast and pray for Sue, believing that her body would be touched with the healing hand of the Lord. About three months into the next school year, Sue surprised us and came to school in full health. My heart leaped as I saw this beautiful girl with clear, bright eyes and a full smile. Our prayers had been answered, and Sue said she wanted to come back to “this” school. We all rejoiced because we saw the faithful Lord’s hand working in her life.

I think of how important it is to give all we have and then some when we face our personal obstacles. Many times our fears keep us from taking the bold stand that I saw Sue take. Yet, the Bible says that when we have done all we can to stand, we just need to stand firm and the Lord will move in with help. That’s what Sue did when she determined success in her life.

*Name has been changed.