Nov 20th 🌿 Ministry Update – Thanksgiving Ceremony Speech – 9th Grade Graduation, San Juan

Here in Honduras, one of the most meaningful moments in any graduation is the Thanksgiving Ceremony. It is a time set apart to express gratitude, to honor every person who helped our students reach this milestone, and to recognize the sacrifices made along the way.

We begin, always, by giving thanks to God first and foremost. He is the source of our strength, our protection, and every opportunity placed before us. Without His grace, none of this would be possible.

We also give a heartfelt thank you to our teachers for their guidance, dedication, and patience. Your work is often invisible, but the impact you leave on these students lasts for a lifetime.

Thank you to our administrative staff for collaborating day after day, keeping our programs running and ensuring that our students receive the support they need.

And a very special thank you to the parents. Your sacrifices, your encouragement, and your belief in your children have carried them to this moment. You have walked every step of this journey with them.

Today is the Thanksgiving Ceremony for our graduating 9th graders. In Honduras, completing 9th grade closes the chapter of primary education. Next year, these young people step into high school, where they will choose a path toward college or a technical career. It is a moment of transition, courage, and hope.

But we must also recognize the reality of life here in San Juan.

Life is not easy. Single mothers with minimal support make up the majority of households. Many men work overseas and support their families through remesas, and while that financial help fills a gap, it does not ease the emotional burdens that adolescents carry.

Job opportunities are scarce. The women who lead their households rely on traditional skills and crafts to survive. Tourism helps when it arrives, but long seasons of rain or political instability make life unpredictable. Every day requires resilience.

For our students to attend school, they first have to simply arrive. Transportation is not provided, so families must figure it out. They must come in uniform that is not supplied, with materials that are not included, and sit in classrooms where temperatures can exceed 110 degrees, often with no air conditioning and maybe a fan or two.

And still, they come.

Even when heavy rains make the roads nearly impossible. Even when crossing the lagoon means traveling in a hollowed-out canoe and then walking another two miles to school. Every day presents its own challenge, and every day these students rise above it.

So although today is a day to express gratitude to everyone involved, I want to give my deepest thanks to my 9th graders.

You did it.

Your struggle was real, but you did not give up. You have fought for your education in ways no child should ever have to. As adults, we should work harder to make that path easier, but despite every obstacle, you came out on top.

You are the future doctors, teachers, technicians, leaders, mothers, and changemakers of this community. You are the ones who will make San Juan shine.

Given this moment to give thanks, I thank you.

Thank you for your sacrifice.

Thank you for your courage.

Thank you for choosing to keep going, even when the world around you made it difficult.

Every second you invest in yourself and your education is a second that makes this world, this community, and your future brighter.

Congratulations, 9th graders. We are proud of you.