Bringing the Gospel to the Classroom
In 2024 we’ve embraced the motto “Draw Near to God.” At Agua Viva, our desire is for every individual, from our dedicated staff to each student, to experience the Lord’s love in their lives. According to the apostle Paul, following Christ is not a sprint, but rather a wonderful marathon of endurance. With this conviction in our hearts, we’ve implemented various programs designed to allow everyone to strengthen their relationship with God on a daily basis.
One of these new programs is the daily devotionals we share with all our students. Each morning our teachers pray, memorize Scripture, and connect each Bible story they read to God’s plan of redemption.
Seño Jeniffer, our fifth-grade teacher, shared a touching experience that is the fruit of this initiative. She joyfully shared that her students are eager to hear the devotionals each day and love to apply each story to the overall message of the Bible. What has impacted them most is seeing how each biblical character, despite their abilities and blessings, also faced challenges and made mistakes, yet experienced God’s goodness and mercy. The students’ prayers are now informed by what they learned that day.
For Seño Jeniffer, who joined the Agua Viva family this year, these devotionals have been a blessing. Studying Scripture with her students has provided her with a new perspective, as children see things differently. This quality has allowed her to be transparent with them, sharing that, despite being an adult, she too needs the Lord daily to strengthen her in her weaknesses. In her words, “The message of Jesus makes the difference, and I could see this from the first day that we began our devotionals.” In other contexts where Seño Jeniffer has worked, education was the only priority, but now she realizes the importance of Jesus and his gospel transforming students’ lives as well.
