Since that day, there has been a marked change in the students in Areli’s class. First of all, the students developed a trust with Areli, as if they believed more in what Areli said all along about their potential and her love for them. Areli gets many more messages now asking about the assignments. The questions are also different. Before, the students wanted a step-by-step guide on exactly what they had to answer. Areli works hard to get the students to change their thinking in preparation for Secondary School. She knows critical thinking is important and she can’t “hold their hand” in everything. After the interview assignments, she’s seen a burst of students taking initiative for themselves. The nature of the questions have changed as the student begin to explore what they are truly capable of.

     But more importantly, Areli noticed the parents with a renewed energy to support their students. Maybe the interview process helped parents reconnect with what’s more important. Maybe the vulnerability softened their hearts to have more patience and comprehension for education during a pandemic. Either way, the families in Areli’s class are more united and the students, for the most part, are back on track.

     Distance learning has obvious limitations. But Morning Glory works for a God who doesn’t. With a faithful servant like Areli and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we’ve seen that restoration has no restraints. We hope that we will have more students in classrooms next year so our ministry can be more effective. Meanwhile, we rejoice that God is still at work in our staff and families. We keep watching and listening for the next opportunity to impact students and make more Morning Glory Stories a reality.

     Dean Pinney was Lori's brother and the CEO of NIMA, Morning Glory's support organization in the US. Dean passed away in late September due to COVID. We lift up the family in prayer and we miss our dear friend. Dean had been associated with Morning Glory since the very beginning. He was a critical part in establishing a strong NIMA board and after Lori's passing was a constant source of support for the local Morning Glory leaders as well. Dean loved to love people and he invested all his best efforts into his own family. We know Dean has earned his eternal reward. Louie Murillo has accepted the position of CEO of NIMA until the full Board of trustees can meet and decide on next steps. Your prayers for the family are appreciated.

     September is normally full of all kinds of events. We have class events, school events, and community events that last for about two weeks. Suffice it to say we keep very busy in September for Independence Day festivities. Last year almost nothing happened as we were still figuring out how to educate through a pandemic. This year we wanted to do something more, knowing that the same routine of study guides and working at home was wearing on the students. So Morning Glory decided to take the lead and plan almost all the same events under different circumstances. We did several live videos (that you can see on social media here.) We divided up the students and made videos of their dances, poems, and songs. Those are on our Youtube Channel here. We even paraded through the streets in our cars to see our students. But the marching band made up of our teachers was possibly the biggest hit. Our teachers out in the extra hours of rehearsing in the sun and it paid off in the response we got from our families who loved seeing their teacher play music. Another community event even requested we repeat the presentation to use in their event as well. Literally going all over our community, Morning Glory was able to fulfill our mission to encourage the community in September thanks to some creativity, your support, a dedicated team of teachers, and  God who accomplishes much more than we can imagine.