In a time when most of us in America are worried about the NCAA brackets of madness there is a message of HOPE here in the YUCATAN! Recently I visited our local high school to announce the first annual chess tournament. As I was waiting, I noticed the bulletin board; it listed the names of the top students in each of the grades and groups. In the 3 groups of the first year students 5 out of the 9 students were part of our Nathanael Scholars mentoring program. God whispered into my heart, "This is not a coincidence!" And, as I looked at the other grade point averages of our remaining scholars they were right behind the leaders. These scholars have been given REAL HOPE through their scholarships but much more than that, we have been walking with them one by one and as a group. Twice a month we meet to share about the HOPE of a GOD who is rooting for them. The scholars serve as tutors in our elementary Academy. We have regular meals and activities together. NOW, we are beginning to see a cultural change in the attitudes of the scholars to be able to imagine a REAL HOPE for their future!

A short testimony of Mayra Baas Cauich. Mayra is a senior at the local high school. She has been struggling through school failing at least 2 classes per semester her first two years. Her father has been against girls studying and it has been a battle for her mom to keep her in school and pay for it without her father's consent. When she became part of the first group of Nathanael Scholars slowly her outlook changed. I had the honor of picking up her report card. The administrators and the teachers were most surprised by Mayra's turn around. She passed every class with a B average. Glory to our God who does things beyond what we can ask for or imagine.

We want to thank the women's group at Korean Washington Church for their amazing heart to raise the money for the scholars program this semester. However we do need to raise for the fall. We need $7500 annually to provide scholarships to 30 students annually to the High School (10 per grade) We ask if Giving HOPE matters to you that you will help us in prayer and in finance!