Determination: Take 2

Two young women, sisters, have been coming to our English Club recently.  As they were leaving last week, we met their mother on the street.  She is a delightful woman and extremely proud of her daughters, who both speak English so well.  She asked us seriously, what it would take for her daughters to study in the US.  So we began to explain some of the process, how expensive it was, how much time it took.  We told her it was the sort of decision you should make with the whole family because it will be very difficult and costly.  We’ve known very few islanders who have been able to study in the United States. We knew it was probably discouraging for them to hear, but we didn’t want them to get their hopes up.

Many students want to study abroad

Almost exactly one year ago, we wrote a blog about El-Azima and his attempts to study in the US.  We wrote about the difficulties and time spent in filling out countless different applications and financial aid forms.  But we never followed up with what happened.  Well, El-Azima got all his applications in last year, but then he never found a way to take the English proficiency exam required by most colleges.  So he was not accepted anywhere.  All that work… wasted, because he couldn’t find a way to take an English proficiency exam.

Well, a few weeks ago El-Azima showed up at the office and asked if we could help him with applications again. We had our answer ready—“Take the English Proficiency exam first, and then we can talk about applications.”  We were not willing to waste more hours filling in forms with the same results.  But it turns out since the past year, there are now internationally recognized English Proficiency exams online.  All he needed was $50 to pay for the exam and he would be on his way…but El-Azima doesn’t even have $50.

Our son with new flower

Last year we helped El-Azima a lot and at the end of that time it was clear that here is a young man who is undaunted, but to what end?  We saw all his transcripts—he was a pretty good student in school, but not the best. His English is good but not great. And hardest of all, his family has no money—really no resources.  His parents are subsistence farmers without any education.  In our opinion, maybe El-Azima could aim a bit lower.  Perhaps studying in an anglophone country in Africa (where these tests might not even be required) would be more within his reach and more realistic for his family.  So we didn’t offer to pay for the test.

Somehow, El-Azima found the money to take the test, and so we helped him with a computer and internet connection.   He did not do very well.  He scored well below the minimum of what most colleges demand.  So when he came to me asking help to apply to colleges again, I had a hard thing to say, “We are really sorry, but you need to get a higher score on the language test if you want more help.”  He left and that seemed to be the end of it.  

But El-Azima is determined.  He went ahead and applied on his own, resubmitting his documents from the previous year, and the next we hear from him is that he’s been accepted with a $20,0000 scholarship to a small college in Pennsylvania! “Wow, congratulations. God bless you,”  we told him.  Apparently all that determination paid off.

Tom watching rugby at African airport

The next day he sent us a message asking what to do—he had just received an email asking him to pay a $500 enrollment fee. We explained to him for another time that the scholarship would not cover everything.  There would be many other fees besides this one—plane ticket, rent, books, food, etc.  How is he going to pay?  Undaunted he asked what he should do.  Frustrated, we suggested he call the university and ask them to help him.  So he asked us another question, how does he call the USA?

He is determined. Is determination enough?

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Tom was feeling much better this week and able to travel in good health.  He’s on his way to a conference in Kenya.  Some flour has come and bread is being made in the bakeries again, for which we are thankful! Our daughter had her first choir concert ever and they sounded great (we were sent clips)! We are thankful for these new experiences she is able to have there.  Tom finished successfully co-teaching a teacher training course with an island teacher this past week.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Tom is on his way to a conference in Kenya but the airline is on strike, making travel very difficult for him and many other participants. Meanwhile, Megan is home with our boys and our youngest son and Megan are sick.  Pray for traveling mercies for Tom and others, and health and strength for everyone while Tom is away.  This past week we were unexpectedly called to attend the funeral of an island sister’s family member.  Elewa’s biological sister died suddenly and unexpectedly.  This is another blow to all of us as it was only a few months ago that our brother Dimi lost his wife suddenly and unexpectedly.  Pray that the community can continue to gather around those who mourn and that they would find comfort.