Dearest Rachel –
It was one of those dreams that are too coherent not to mean something, not unlike Paul’s vision of the Macedonian man asking for help. At the same time, it’s also a need I feel woefully inadequate to fill – and let’s face it, there are other things I’d rather be doing with my life than this. Still, it probably needs to be told all the same, and let those who interpret these things run wild.
I’m not sure if it was on one of the multiple flights we take from here to Comayagua, or if this was just over at the Des Plaines campus, where a call has gone out asking for volunteers to come pack the medical supplies to ship down there this coming Sunday. But in any event, it involved the Just One team, and some inquiry about how things were going. As with so many of the ministries associated with our church, it’s been expanding rapidly; almost too much, too fast to handle. As is said up here, it’s a nice problem to have, but it’s still a problem.
Someone made the observation to me that the educational division, in particular, had been intended to be a supplement for the classes students get down there; however, it would seem that certain kids were hanging out at the facility during regular school hours, hoping to get their entire education at Just One. Either what they were learning there was so good (or what they were learning at whatever ‘formal’ schooling was so inadequate) that they preferred to spend their learning time at the Just One campus.
I went to find Maddie to see if she could confirm this situation, and in a rare expression of despondency, she admitted it was so (normally, of course, she’s so upbeat that even a straight-edge like me could begin to wonder if she was on something). “Yes, well… the quality of education is so rudimentary that there’s only so much that can be done; and we don’t have sufficient capacity to be teaching all these kids full time.”
And here’s where I rather stepped in it, by making a suggestion. “You know, if we could train teachers, maybe we could give them a thorough grounding to properly educate the kids in turn.”
Instantly, her face lit up, and she looked more like the Maddie we all know. “That’s a great idea! We need to work up a curriculum for the teachers to pass on to the kids, so they can instill as much knowledge on to them directly while we’re not able to be there running things!”
Then she turned to me. “Can you take care of putting this together for us?”
Even in my dreams – or perhaps especially in them – I just don’t know when to keep my mouth shut.
The thing is, whether or not this is an actual problem for the organization in real life, this is a good idea, and one they’re sort of working on already. While the first phase of the expansion project they’re working on is a medical clinic (and at this point, it seems fairly obvious as to whose name is going to be hung on it once it’s finished; the only question is whether she’ll be able to see the day personally), the next step is going to involve adding a building specifically for education. Right now, the main building only has one classroom, with the library in the lower level serving for overflow classes, as well as many other things. As a result, there is only so much room for kids who want to study at the campus; this will increase the capacity by a factor of four or five, once it’s completed.
At which point, the question of teachers enters the conversation. Multiple classrooms means multiple subjects can be taught at any given time. This would be fantastic for those of us bringing a curriculum – the stuff I’m picking up from the Dave Ramsey seminars, while needing some pruning for the cultural differences, would still require multiple sessions to go over, as opposed to a single hour-long class – but what about the many weeks of the year when the Bridge contingent isn’t down there? Who’s doing the teaching in the meantime?
Part of me is sure that there must be something going on; I just don’t know about the specifics, since they get out of the way when our groups come down there, and let us do our thing. Part of me wonders if the staff they have will be enough to fill the buildings they have planned going forward.
I’m almost curious enough to check in with Maddie about this situation, in fact, but I’m a little worried that I’ll be recruited to take on the task that I’m pointing out. The dream version of me was so overwhelmed by the responsibility that he woke me up to get out of it. If I get handed that in real life, where am I going to go?
