I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Over this last year all I’ve seen is names added and removed from a list, an impersonal application form that just adds to the total numbers, and emails that seem to be detached and distant in time and space from our everyday here at Vida220. My mind could not reckon the person behind every distant email or impersonal application form, I knew that each one of those names represented an image bearer, a beautifully created human being, with dreams, expectations, struggles, emotions, fights, a family, friends, and a church, just to name a few.
The moment that everything changed was when the students were introducing themselves during the staff presentations, all the sudden every name had a face, unexpectedly I could see the human being behind every impersonal question, and all those emails back and forth were not far in time and distance, but they were here, now. I was loaded with the beautiful burden of being a “temporal shepherd” to all these image bearers, a burden that I will gladly carry, a burden that makes any other struggle or sacrifice of any kind be completely worth it. This is a great responsibility, and an even greater honor.
Every day that has passed by, what was just a glance of the humanity behind every student becomes more and more real, more personal, every conversation, every laugh, every moment that is shared. I am aware that we are just starting, and I know that the future holds many unexpected problems and fights, but in the end, as I said before, all of it will be worth it, and our reward will be the privilege to witness the transformation and growth every student will go through within the following months.
By Steven Bolaños
Vida220 Program Coordinator
Praying that God will grant you and leaders and students wisdom and strength as they learn how to be part of God’s kingdom work. God bless, Andy Diener…… (Micah Hoover’s grandfather and Jennifer Hoover’s father)
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