Exciting updates for Oaks of Righteousness!!! Please consider supporting.

rjoyh2
Aug 30, 2024
4 min read

Written by: Nathan

Oaks of Righteousness - Arboles de Justicia

Dear Church family, friends, and supporters,

Hello/Hola from all the staff at Oaks of Righteousness. Another school year has arrived. The staff at Oaks of Righteousness have been busy meeting, preparing and getting the school ready for another year of education and ministry!

We are excited to see what God will do during the 2024-25 school year at Oaks of Righteousness. This year there are over 30 students attending school. Unfortunately, there are many still on the waiting list, who would love to attend, but due to lack of space and resources, we can not take more students at this time. We trust that if it is God’s will for this ministry to continue to grow that He, and His people, will continue to provide and support this ministry, so that many more Tarahumara children can attend school, and hear the good news of the gospel.

Tarahumara Teachers

I am thrilled to share about three of our staff at Oaks of Righteousness; Sandra, Cande, & Carolina. These three young ladies are from the Tarahumara people group and have chosen to serve at Oaks of Righteousness as teachers. Two of the three, Cande & Sandra, attended Oaks of Righteousness as students, graduated, and are now teaching at Oaks of Righteousness. Carolina is also from the area and grew up in the “House of Blessing” orphanage. All three of these teachers want to give back to the community and share the good news of the gospel with their people. The monthly support that each need to raise is approximately $350.00 USD/month ($460.00 CDN). They have each prepared testimonies and support letters, however, as of today, they have not heard back from anyone willing to support them. If you feel led to support any one of these teachers, please let me know. I’ve attached their testimonies and support letters.

Purchase of new Property

An exciting opportunity has come about that would allow Oaks of Righteousness to continue to grow from a one room 24’ x 30’ school, to a 1.25-acre property with a large shop, and two outbuildings. Some of the staff recently looked at the property. Although, at this point, we don’t know all the details about the buildings and property, what we do know is that the property is approximately 1.25 acres with a large shop that is in very good condition. This shop would be converted into the school and would have space to build at least 6 – 8 classrooms with the option for one or two larger rooms for group activities. A few things that are really exciting about this property that the current school does not have are: running water, a bathroom, kitchen space, and even some living quarters. This property has so much potential and could serve as the primary location for Oaks of Righteousness for years to come.

Not only could this property be used for school but it could also be used as a meeting place for other ministries, including youth, women’s ministry, and hopefully one day a men’s ministry. In addition to the main shop/house building that would be used for the school, there are also two other outbuildings. One of the buildings could be either used for storage, as a shop, or for a life skills classroom. The use of the other building remains to be seen, as structurally it is not very sound. The cost for the new property is $70,000 USD (Approx. $94,406 CDN).

Those who have seen the current school building that Oaks of Righteousness operates from, will know and understand how small the space is. Over 30 students from K-8 in one small concrete room that is approximately 24’ x 30’, plus staff, tables, desks, chairs, and the school’s equipment and resources, makes for what I like to call, “sardines in a can”. That is the school. There is no washroom, aside from the lone outhouse outside. There is no gym, aside from the yard outside. There is no staff room. There is no kitchen. The school is one room. Learning conditions are certainly less than ideal in this setting as distractions run high, but the staff and students continue to do their best with what they have.