Asael’s Love of Reading

Asael is eleven years old and is in the fifth grade at the 15 de septiembre school. He lives with his mom, who works six days a week as a maid for a wealthy family in Matagalpa. Since Asael is on his own quite a bit, he has become an avid reader. Asael learned to read at a young age and has been devouring books ever since. Two years ago, when we started the reading club at his school, he was the first to sign up.

This year, Asael has already read 43 books! When we visited him at home, he told us that his favorite book has been Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne. He has the best reading comprehension skills in his class and is determined to continue to read all the books he can get in his hands.

“Everyone should read, I usually fall asleep reading the Bible,” he told us. “There is so much adventure, so much excitement, so much to learn. I have read almost all of the books we have at school, so I hope we get more soon.”

Asael dreams of studying Civil Engineering when he is older. His mother would be so proud to see him study to have a successful career. We will continue to support him and to provide new books for his school! When you support our education program, you are helping to provide new books for avid readers, like Asael.

A Family Business Built With Love

When we began to provide loans for family businesses in the communities we serve, the Rostrán family were the first to visit our office with their business plan. The family has a small business selling prepared foods in the local market. One of the most impressive things is that it truly is a family business. Maribel, her husband Freddy and their two sons all work together to make their business a great success. They are active members of a small church in their community and their faith has been a key element in developing their business plan.

Maribel and Freddy participated in the Small Business Administration training course and learned many new ways to improve their business. They are now taking measures to improve production, accounting and sales. Last year, we also provided them with a loan, to help them expand their business and so far, the results have been very positive. We are confident that their business will keep growing and we will continue to provide mentoring and resources in the process.

“My family has been so blessed to have this support for our business,” Maribel told us. “We are working hard to build our business and with help from God and Rayo de Sol, I know we will be successful.”

A New Beginning for Joseling

We have continued to strengthen our partnership with Young Life. In January 2021, we sent 54 students to their first Young Life camp, giving them a great opportunity to grow in their faith and strengthen their spiritual lives. This year, Young Life started a new initiative for young mothers. It’s difficult, but we work with a lot of teen mothers who have few opportunities for personal growth, once they have a child.

Among the 54 students that we sent to Young Life camp was Joseling, who is sixteen and has a six-month-old daughter. Joseling’s life has never been easy, but she has faced even greater challenges since becoming a mother. She had never participated in Young Life, but this camp has given her a new perspective on life.

“I never thought I would be able to come to a Young Life camp,” she told us, “but it has been the best experience of my life. I have learned so much about myself and I have felt God’s love every minute. I know I will now be able to make great changes in my life, for me and for my daughter.”

We are so happy that Joseling has had this transformational opportunity. You can provide the opportunity for a student to go to the four-day Young Life camp for only $54. Please let us know if you would like to help.