Thriving at 13
Catarina was referred by her school in the fall of 2005 because she was struggling academically. When she arrived, she was withdrawn, almost non-responsive. She struggled with low self-esteem. One of many children in her family, she often got "lost in the shuffle." She had no spiritual background — in fact, she had never set foot inside a church. But it didn’t take long for Catarina to begin to blossom. She proved to have great talent as an artist, and her school grades climbed. Today, she gets all As and Bs. She has opened her heart to the Lord, and she excels in Scripture memory. She tries to make wise choices based on Scripture, and she encourages other students to do the same. Today, at 13, Catarina is thriving. Catarina brought three of her brothers and sisters to the Center as well. All have indicated decisions to receive Christ, and they have been helped by the tutoring and mentoring they receive at the Center. Catarina’s mom was laid off work for a time, making it especially hard to provide for her children. During the coldest days of winter (wind chill 25° below), the kids came to S.A.Y. Yes! with no gloves and leaky boots. The pipes in the family’s home froze and burst, flooding the basement — where several of the children sleep. The partnership between the church and the family — forged at S.A.Y. Yes! — has helped the children make it through this difficult time. Resources provided by Here’s Life (gloves, shoes, blankets, food) have helped equip them to keep moving forward with hope. |
Previous Stories of Hope:
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Catarina was 11 years old when she first came to a