There are stories that are born in silence, in forgotten corners of the map, where hope walks barefoot and dreams seem unattainable.
This is the story of a boy who, amidst dirt roads and cold dawns, learned that faith and heart are more powerful than any obstacle. It is the story of how a backpack full of dreams, loaded with more hope than resources, can take you to places many never imagined reaching.
Since I was a child, I grew up in a humble home, full of love, effort, and faith, with hardworking parents who taught me never to give up, even when life gets difficult. At the age of five, I suffered an accident that almost took my life, but I managed to recover. At the age of seven, I was diagnosed with essential tremor, a condition that has been with me ever since. However, none of that stopped me, because I always believed, and still believe, that God has a purpose and opportunities even in the worst adversities.
Meet Osman
A remarkable young man who was brave enough to share his story. This is why our mission is so important. Just a small helping hand has made a difference. We are so very proud of Osman!
From inception, our mission has focused on education & doing all we can to help the children. Back in November of 2021, we celebrated our first High School graduates that the mission supported & featured Osman.
My name is Osman Ariel Méndez Pascual. I'm from Mirador Santa Fe, Colón, Honduras, a rural community where every step forward requires effort and faith. Since I was little, I dreamed of studying and improving myself, and I asked God for an opportunity. For that reason, in everything I did, I always tried to give my best. I finished school at 11 years old and from then on, I began a path full of sacrifices. For a year, I traveled three hours on foot to get to Santa Fe, leaving at 3:30 a.m. and returning at 4 or 5 p.m. Then, for two more years, I studied at the elementary school in the Suyapa neighborhood, traveling an hour and a half from El Mirador, often without eating and worried, but with the firm hope that one day everything would make sense.
After leaving the colony, I made the decision to move to Santa Fe, four hours away from my family, all to continue my studies. There I had to do everything on my own: cook, do my laundry, and walk 25 minutes to school. I lived like that for a year, until the mission offered me the opportunity to study in San Pedro Sula at a boarding school. Without thinking twice, I accepted, knowing I'd be even further from home, but my desire to improve myself was stronger than my fear. I missed my family and my friends, but I continued until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
In the first few months, we had to return home, supposedly only for a few days, but those days turned into weeks, and then months. In my community, there was no internet and no way to find out anything about school. I felt like my dream was slipping away, slowly, because of something beyond my control. But even so, I never lost faith that God would change things. Until one day, I managed to get online and received the news that we could continue taking classes with a teacher in the community. We couldn't return to the boarding school yet. But that small glimmer of hope gave me back hope, and we kept waiting until finally, they told us we could return.
I didn't think twice and made the brave decision again. Despite the pain of losing friends and family in the pandemic, I trusted in God and returned. I remember that at the beginning there were 12 of us students, but when I returned, only five remained, and among them was me, with my backpack full of dreams, the same one that many abandoned out of fear or because they felt everything was against them. When I arrived, I learned that my classmates had continued with their classes, and to catch up, I had to take five classes with them and six more I had missed. It was days and nights of hard work. I cried many times and was about to give up, but my mother told me that all that pain would one day turn into joy, so I continued, often with tears, but also with determination.
I passed the year, and the next one was calmer. I had many beautiful experiences. I graduated from high school, and that day, looking back, I was amazed at everything I had experienced. I remembered every sacrifice and every step I took with faith. That was the first part of my dream fulfilled, the one I always held tight, even when life hit me hard. I returned home and saw the happiness in my parents' eyes. The mission had helped me make a dream that seemed almost impossible a reality, and it was all possible thanks to God. With all my will, I continued in college. Although at first it seemed unattainable, I continued semester after semester, fighting and trusting, and today I am almost ready to finish my degree. I am about to begin my professional internship and then my thesis, so I can graduate with God's help.
In this final stage, resources have become a huge challenge, but I continue to strive because every step brings me closer to the dream I had as a child, the dream of being an engineer, a dream that I embraced with enthusiasm and that today, although it hasn't fully realized yet, is closer than ever, because that child who once had no way out, who walked with his backpack full of dreams without knowing how to get there, is now on the verge of achieving it.
Today that child is happy, because the "me" of today, along with many people who believed in him, helped him fulfill his dream of studying at university and becoming an engineer, and that's why all I have to say is: thank you so much for all your support, for every word, every gesture, and every opportunity.