Children At Risk

It's taken me a while to decide what my next step after DTS should be. When I first arrived here in San Jose for my DTS, I was just following what God had spoken to me. It was hard for me to just follow, but God has really been teaching me to just trust and follow him, to not look to the right or left. Within the first couple weeks my attention was caught by a secondary school that YWAM offers called Children At Risk. This is also a 12 week school. So what is this school?

"For the first time in Central America, University of the Nation's "Children at Risk School."

Across the globe and across our mission, God is emphasizing to us the importance of caring for the 'fatherless' - a passion very near and dear to His heart. His heart breaks over the needless suffering of His little ones and He is calling His people now to commit to make children our priority.

The needs of children are overwhelming - over a billion children live in poverty and millions face abuse, disease and death every day.

Listen as God calls to us:
"seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless"

Again and again our Heavenly Father is showing us His heart:

"true religion is to look after orphans." (James 1:27)

"Let the little children come to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14)

"A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation." (Psalm 68:5-6)

The Children at Risk School is taught through University of the Nations, the training arm of Youth With A Mission. The course is an overview or introductory course for people who are interested in working with children at risk. The school will be running for the first time in Costa Rica in January 2009. Students from many nations will come to the San Jose YWAM base and spend three months in the classroom learning from various teachers who are experts in their field. Through lectures, discussions, small group interactions, community life, assignments and research the students will learn in creative ways. After the three month lecture phase, students will begin a six month internship in Latin America learning from and serving people and programs that work with children." -facebook

http://is-is.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41940454622&v=info

My plan is to return for the three months of class in January and see where God leads from there. I've really come to realize how much children make up a part of who I am. In Margarita the children would flock to us every possible moment of the day. During our time there I can to realize just how much joy they bring into my life and how alive I feel when they're around. Not all come from healthy families, but my heart desires to help those children and to love those who feel alone, or might be abused, or might just need a friend.