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Family, Goble Properties, PathLight, Sabbatical, Uncategorized,

Last Day

Tomorrow I begin my October sabbatical. Or as my friend Ian calls it, my October Jubilee. I’m really looking forward to the partial “digital fast” of no email or voicemail (though I will still write on this blog). I’m also looking forward to unstructured days that allow time for thought, reflection, and prayer.

One of the goals of this break is to recalibrate. I’m not looking for a new job or new spiritual experience. It’s not a “halftime” event. But I do feel the need to stop, rest, create a bit of margin in my life, and spend time without …

Belize, PathLight,

Belize Program Director

PathLight is searching for a program director to run all the field operations in Belize. Below is a brief job description, along with a link to the more detailed description. Do you know anybody who might be interested? Are you interested? Let me know!

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Program Director, Belize

Join us in our mission to bring hope to children in Belize. PathLight helps at-risk children break out of the cycle of poverty by enabling them to receive a secondary education that integrates faith and learning. Our program is unique in that we provide not only financial aid, but also tutoring, mentoring …

Belize, PathLight,

Teacher Training Conference

One of the most powerful PathLight programs is the annual Teacher Training Conference. Belizean teachers are hungry for tools to advance their skills, and it’s great to see that 90 of them showed up for the conference this year. Adrienne Parcher directs this program and has written this months update letter with information and insights about the TTC. I highly recommend checking it out here: Teacher Training Conference

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Belize, Book Reviews, PathLight,

“The Making of Belize”

If you read this blog you know that I’m co-founder and President of PathLight International. Right now the effort of PathLight is focused on the small Central American country of Belize. I’ve written about “Why Belize?” in a previous blog if you are interested.

The Making of Belize, by Anne Sutherland, is a book I read nearly 10-years ago. But I felt it was good enough to read again, and I’m glad I did. The basic idea of the book is that Belize may be the truly first post-modern nation and the first country that has a population …

Belize, PathLight,

What I Learned On A Belize Vision Trip

Twice a year I lead people on a whirlwind trip to Belize. They are meant to teach others about the mission of PathLight, but they teach me as well. I knew I would learn a lot on my trip last week because I was going to be surrounded by so many people who could teach me! I would be there during PathLight’s Teacher Training Conference, so there would be a dozen or more North American teachers and dozens more Belizean teachers (turns out there were 89). Plus I had four great traveling companions.

And I did learn. Of the …

Belize, PathLight,

PathLight Adds 19 New Students

Most of the visitors to this blog are aware of my work with PathLight International. One of the PathLight programs is a sponsorship program to get kids through high school. These kids would be identified as “at risk” for a variety of reasons, but they are all good students who just need some help. The government does not subsidize high school, and these kids are miles from the nearest campus, so without our help they would not be in school.

The sponsorship program gets the kids on the right path. It offers financial support for their academic pursuits, mentoring, tutoring, …

Belize, PathLight,

Does it pay to study?

It’s a question asked in an article published by The Economist a few months ago. The report looked at whether it made financial sense to invest in an education. Given the high cost of an education, it’s a reasonable question. But the answer was a clear “yes” in virtually every way. A study quoted in The Economist showed that the net present value of a student receiving a degree in the United States is over $150,000. Plus there is a benefit to the government, measured in future taxable income, of over $100,000.

As I read …

Belize, PathLight,

PathLight Letter

Sent this out today, but thought I’d post it on my blog as well. Would love for you to sign up for the regular newsletter! Just click the PathLight button to the right.
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In just 15 months the first PathLight sponsorship students will graduate from high school. This will be a milestone in their lives. It will be a time of great celebration for all involved, including parents, teachers, sponsors, and of course the students. The PathLight staff will certainly be excited!

It is easy to overlook just how amazing it is for these kids to complete high school. …