Meet Ezequiel. He is 12 years old and in the 6th grade at our Montessori school in Juarez, Mexico. He signed up for our small track team because he was interested in running. He also wanted to be trained in shot put.
We work in a poor area, and our school is very humble and simple. One of our Montessori teachers serves as the coach, and he takes Ezequiel to our nearby soccer field at the Lord’s Food Bank to train. Not having proper equipment, they found some heavy rocks for Ezequiel to practice shot put with. Necessity truly is the mother of invention, as the saying goes, and we often need to come up with creative solutions when we lack resources.
When we took the team to a district competition, our students competed against kids from wealthier areas who had better shoes and clothing and looked stronger and more resilient. We were a little concerned about our kids.
But they performed well, especially Ezequiel. He is a devout young man who loves the Lord, and before each event, he knelt to pray. He ended up finishing 3rd in the sprints and 2nd in the shot-put competition. Those who finished in first or second place advanced to the citywide meet, and the winners from that will move on to participate in the state of Chihuahua event.
With his coach’s guidance, Ezequiel is working hard to prepare for the upcoming competitions. He still trains with heavy rocks, and we’re rooting for him all the way. It’s always such a joy when the kids from the underprivileged neighborhood where we serve experience success early in their lives.