GRADUATION!!!!

Our 9th grader, graduated Tuesday from Primir Ciclo (7,8,9th) grade. She is the young woman who after being with us for 8+ years (she is now 17) after she was picked up in a bus depot after running away, refound the family which had been raising her, but had no legal claim to her, just in September. She has been reintergrating into this family, who really want her to rejoin them, with some weekend visits. I was here as a missionary when she came in 1998 and have been here all along. Read on for the current chapter in this exciting story.

Tuesday moring was her graduation. Yasuri graduated from 6th grade, but during the last years the government has made graduation from 9th grade obligatory. And, that graduation deploma, is necessary to go on in most kinds of training - academic, tecnologicaland others. The time for the graduation was set for 9, so the 12 girls, ages 8 to 14, who attened, as well as the director, the Godmother she has had while at the home and myself, arrived outside the school just before 9 where we mingles with all of the others about to graduate and their families. That was about 400 students - both from the morning classes and the afternoon classes. (School buildings here are used very well. The morning group starts at 7 and go to school until 12 and then the affternoon group starts at 12:30 and goes to 5:30. All our girls go in the afternoon. The school our young woman graduated from also has night high school and has University Classes. This is multi use to the max!) So, there were 400 9th graders and their families. There were people selling flowers, stuffed animals and also pictures of the graduated receiving the diploma. Her Godmother bought, arranged. for one. Abou 9:30 or so we were invited to enter and find seats in the bleachers for the gym. At 10 AM sharp various groups entered to music - the three young women with top grades, the profesores, and then the 400 students - all in lines and well practiced. The usual things took place: greetings, school song, valdictory speech, prizes to those with top grades, a scholarship for them to go to high school and then the presentation of diplomas. Every graduates name was called out, each received a diploma from their home room teacher - pictures were taken - and then it was over.

Her Godmother from the last 8 years met her newly refound Godmother and some of her family. Pictures were taken, gifts given, we returned to the home and the new graduate, the director and recent Godmother all went out for a Pizza lunch.

THEN, the government ministry that oversees us (MIDES - Ministerio de Deserollo Social - Ministry of Social developemnt) called to say that they were ready to sign the final papers allowing our young lady to move in with the woman who raised her legally!). That happened the next day and it all is a gift from God.

Tomorrow we have our own Christmas Lunch and party and there will be 50 people here!
Stay tuned for a play by play report on that.

Tia Sue