Its Name is Peña de Horeb – the place where children belong to God
Others, EducationContributed by: EduDeo Ministries
Mount Horeb. The place where God gives the Israelites ten commandments for a life dedicated to Him. It’s also the place where God’s children become covenanted to Him.
Mount Horeb is also a small school sitting in the Mojarra community, just outside Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Actually, it’s called by its Spanish name: Peña de Horeb.
In our November 2017 newsletter, we shared Peña de Horeb’s story – how the school was meeting the needs of its community with a lunch program, a medical clinic, and quality, Christ-centred education. But we also shared the school’s number one problem: space. The number of classrooms they had wasn’t enough for the constantly increasing enrollment. Because after all, families were seeing what the school was doing for the community, and they wanted to be a part of it. That’s why in this, our November 2020 newsletter, we’re sharing how the school has grown and flourished in the past three years – and how it is continually living into its name and bringing God’s children to Him.
Three years ago, the school needed more classroom space, and two years ago, they started working towards that dream. An eight-classroom expansion project was started and is now halfway to completion. Both local labourers and construction teams from EduDeo have worked on the project, and both community members and EduDeo supporters have stepped up to contribute.
But what does more space really mean for Peña de Horeb? What does more classroom space mean for the place where children belong to God?
Because when a school – in the Dominican Republic or anywhere around the world – builds new classrooms, it’s not just a matter of more space or more enrollment numbers. Building new classrooms isn’t just an activity – it’s an impact.
More classrooms mean more students learning and experiencing and living out the Gospel. More students just like Anyeiri. Because she is the first who would say the school changed her life forever. “Some time ago, I thought I would never do anything important. But then we came to live in the Mojarra community. Thanks to Peña de Horeb, I was able to show my mother, friends, and other people that I can achieve my dreams. I want to finish my studies so I can help both the school and the community of Mojarra. I will never stop thanking the members of the school for believing in me.”
More classrooms also means more teachers like Madelyn can join a school where they develop and grow their passion for education. “God brought me to Peña de Horeb where, more than coworkers, I found a family with the best working environment that I could have ever dreamed. God blessed me with many children to teach and I’m growing as a professional. Thanks to God and my principal, Alejandrina, I have developed great skills, especially learning how to integrate my faith in my teaching practices.”
More classrooms means more impact. And more impact means more children learning and leading lives of service and dedication to God.