by Aaron White, WEGO Storyteller
“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Colossians 1:27
Christmas is here again, a time of celebration for all of us. But it is especially a time of celebration for the senior class of New Hope School in Nicaragua, because they just graduated! We are so excited for these young men and women whose hard work just paid off. It’s thrilling to watch them take their faith and diligence into the world with Hope for a new life.
That hope is a sweet reminder of the Hope we have in Christ, that one day we will be with him as promised. Jesus came into a hopeless world, bleak and trapped in sin. There hadn’t been a prophet for 400 years. Then God sent Jesus to live a perfect life, die in our place and be raised back to life. Now there is a way to be reconciled to God. All you have to do is believe that Christ died to forgive your sins and raised you up with him and you’re looking forward to a graduation to a new life, instead of a death.
So we have a guide here for our graduates. Pray for their goals, their steps, their hopes. Only God knows where he will guide them. Pray for them with love, because they celebrate a huge step in their lives, after what must have seemed like 400 years of waiting. But also pray for them and yourself, whether you’re having just another Christmas or an extraordinary one with a graduation to boot, that these little hopes will pull our eyes up to the Hope of glory we have in Jesus Christ. That Hope could never disappoint.
JONATHAN ERNESTO SELVA
About Jonathan:
I am Jonathan Ernesto Selva, and I am 17 years old. My mom Cecilia works at a banana farm and my dad is a pastor. I live with my parents and my two brothers. We go to church every Sunday. I love playing football and I love eating nacatamales. I learned a lot of good things at this school, especially about God. I will miss each one of my teachers and friends. I thank my mom because she wanted me to study at New Hope School. I believe it was God’s plan. I thank the Lord for my dad’s ministry which we support a lot. I will study English or automotive repair.
How You Can Pray:
1) For my dad’s ministry
2) For my next step in life
3) For my friends
LUIS PEREZ
About Luis:
I am 17 and my name is Luis Perez. I live with my parents. We attend church on Sundays. I love football (soccer) and rice and chicken. I will miss everyone at New Hope School. I will study medicine hoping to help my community and my parents. I love helping my dad when he fixes things at home. We live in our own house. I have 2 brothers and 1 sister. I learned a lot of good things in my school. My teachers were so nice and helped me spiritually. I will apply all I learned about Jesus.
How You Can Pray:
1) For my mom’s health
2) For my future to be good
3) For my community
LUIS GABRIEL MOJICA
About Luis:
I am 18 years old. My mom’s name is Miriam, she is a stay at home mom. My dad is Luis. We don’t have our own house, so we rent. I have a younger sister named Camila who is in the 7th grade at New Hope School. I am Catholic. I love singing and playing the guitar, and my favorite food is chicken in mushroom sauce. My experience at New Hope School was awesome. I learned a lot of good things, like about salvation. Now I know where I can find it. I will miss all my teachers and friends. I know God has a special plan for me.
How You Can Pray:
1) For me and my family
2) For my future steps
3) For my sister to be able to finish her high school
ELIA SILVA
About Elia:
My name is Elia Silva, I am 17 years old. My mom’s name is Jahaira, she is 40 years old and she is a stay at home mom. My dad, Nogui, is 43 years old. He works as a big truck driver. I live with my grandmother, my mom, brother and sister in our own house. In my free time I love studying English. I just love that language. I am taking an English course to be able to speak well. I am attending the Catholic church but I don’t really attend often, only my grandmother and sister do. The good thing about studying in New Hope School is that in each one of the classes our teacher reminds us about God and who He is. I learned a lot of good things about the gospel. I feel closer to God now. I will miss the good moments with my friends and teachers. I thank all of the good administrators and our teachers. Now I know that our only Savior is Jesus Christ.
How You Can Pray:
1) That I will have success in my next steps
2) For good health
3) For strength
EDWIN ROCHA
About Edwin:
Hello, my name is Edwin Rocha and I am 20 years old. My mom’s name is Jahaira, she is 42 years old, my Dad’s name is Nogui, he is 45 years old. Mom is a stay at home mom and my dad is a truck driver. I live in our grandmother’s house with my two sisters. I don’t attend any church right now, but will soon. I love sports. The experience I had at New Hope School was great because I learned about Jesus and all he did in the cross for us. It’s so awesome, I just don’t have words to explain how I feel about what he suffered for our sins. He is alive. So wonderful. I will miss our teachers and friends.
How You Can Pray:
1) For protection for my dad
2) For strength for mom
3) That I will have a good future
ANDREA SINAI ROJAS
About Andrea:
I am 17 years old. I live with my aunt, her son, my sister, and my grandmother. Her name is Delfina Laguna. She is 78 and retired. I love reading and listening to music. My favorite food is chicken nuggets and french fries. My experience at New Hope School was great. I learned who Jesus is and the sacrifice he made for us. I will miss my teachers and friends. I will study medicine because since I was little I’ve loved everything about health. I give thanks to God for giving me strength to keep going.
How You Can Pray:
1) For my future
2) For good health for my grandmother
3) For my spiritual health
ASDRUSMARY MIRANDA
About Asdrusmary:
I am 17 years old. My mom’s name is Tomasa and my dad’s is Asdrusbal. He is an agricultural engineer in the field of veterinary medicine. My mom was a pharmacist but now she is a stay at home mom. We live in our own house with my sister and brothers. My mom goes to church, my sister and I join her sometimes. My experience at New Hope School was so great, but though I will miss everyone I am happy to start my career. I want to study medicine. I fell in love with medicine after spending a few days at the hospital. Praise the Lord.
How You Can Pray:
1) That God will protect my parents
2) For my life to be better
3) For my sister to be able to finish school like I did
JONY ARTEAGA
About Jony:
My name is Jony Arteaga and I am 16 years old. I live with my aunt and her husband. She is 30 years old and her name is Claudia Arteaga. She is a stay at home mom. My parents left me when I was 10 years old. Her husband’s name is Elias and he works in a textile factory. We don’t own a house so we rent. We also go to Quadrangular Church. I love to listen to music and play volleyball. My experience at New Hope School was awesome. I will miss everyone. Being a part of this school was the best thing that has ever happened to me. One thing I learned was that I am not alone and that the Lord will never leave me. Even if someone else leaves me, He will be there for me. I will study accounting because I love numbers. I thank God and my teachers that were very patient with me.
How You Can Pray:
1) For success in my career and life
2) Protection for my family
3) That we could have our own house one day
DANIELA CAMPOS
About Daniela:
My name is Daniela Campos and I am 17 years old. My mom’s name is Maria and my dad’s is Segundo. My mom is a stay at home mom and my dad drives a taxi. I live with my mom, dad, older sister, and my niece. I go to Yo Soy Jehovah Church. I love spending time with my family. My favorite food is chilaquiles. One thing I love the most about my school is that all the time we were learning about Jesus. I thank the Lord for all the good moments and bad moments. I want to study business administration.
How You Can Pray:
1) That I will have success in life
2) For my family to always be united
3) For good health for my family
VERONICA LANZAS
About Veronica:
My name is Veronica and I am 17 years old. My mom’s name is Veronica also, she is a stay at home mom. My dad’s name is Jose and he is a taxi driver. We live in our own house and attend Gethsemane Church. I will never forget my experience at New Hope. I will miss everyone. I will always remember the way our teachers shared Jesus with us through their lives, the best example. I’m going to study English because I love that language. Thank you everyone for being there for me, pushing me to be better and to be a great student. I will always thank the Lord for what he does, has done, and will keep doing.
How You Can Pray:
1) For more wisdom
2) For my family to have victory in difficult times
3) For my little brother to have peace
LIZA LOVO
About Lida:
My name is Liza Lovo and I am 15 years old. My mom’s name is Yahaira Cortez, she’s 38. My dad’s name is Yader Lovo, he is 37. My mom is a stay at home mom and my dad is an army officer specializing in logistics. We live in our own house. I have a younger brother named Jasser. My favorite sport is volleyball. My favorite food is jalapeño sauce chicken. My mom goes to church, I plan on going with her one day. I will miss my teachers and my friends. I will never forget all the funny moments. I am going to study English because I love that language.
How You Can Pray:
1) For wisdom as I try to build a career
2) For my family
3) For all my friends as they take their next steps
ANGELICA GOMEZ
About Angelica:
Hello, my name is Angelica Gomez and I am 20 years old. My mom’s name is Elena and my dad’s is Alvaro. My brothers name is Ricardo and my sisters is Andrea. I love to draw and practice martial arts. I live with my mom, grandmother, 2 cousins, my sister, and 2 uncles. I go to church with my family. The experience I had at New Hope School was great because I learned a lot about Jesus. I will never forget my teachers and friends. One thing I loved the most is that every morning we had a devotional with all the students. The Word of God was always the first thing we heard in the morning at school. I don’t know what I’m going to study yet at the university.
How You Can Pray:
1) For success in my future
2) For my mom’s spiritual life and health
3) For strength to keep going