What is the Value of a Strong Family?

While researching scholarly journals, studies, and other organizations, I came across something interesting.  It'd be more accurate to say that I noticed a lack of something interesting.  I struggled to find a single article or report on the significance of a strong, healthy family in a strong, healthy community.  There is a great deal written on the importance of all sorts of factors, but I couldn't find much reported link between a family bond and a thriving community.

This surprises me, when we're talking about a basic structure of society that creates an environment for kids to grow up in.  Kids, also known as "our tomorrow."  Even if there aren't studies proving it, at LINC NT we believe that a strong family is the foundation of a strong community as well as the foundation of a strong church, so that's why we focus on building bridges between parents and kids through our public school programs.

We had our last Parent Night of the school year on Thursday.  It's always great to see families leaving in smiles, especially the ones that seemed to come in with bad attitudes and with walls up.  There's something powerful about playing games together, and we're glad to provide that environment.  No matter what you teach people outside the home, if it isn't being reinforced at home, it's not going to take root and grow.  When the home is safe and secure, the family will be strong, and when the family is strong, the community will thrive.

Fulfilling Potential

During our time so far teaching our new ESL classes, we've gotten to see some real change.  Not that our students are now able to speak the English language overnight, but our students' progress is noticeable.  It's awesome to see them so excited to learn.   There's this one student, Maria - a woman in her 50's with two kids.  Maria is a great student and loves learning; she's always the first one to raise her hand to answer a question in class.  We got to talking during the break one night and I asked her what was her drive behind her studious manner and positive attitude.  "I don't want to clean rooms my whole life,"  she told me.

I got to thinking about this.  It's so easy to get around if you speak the language; it's just something we take for granted.  But for others, everyday is a real struggle.  But with this struggle, there is also real drive and real hope - and that's where the best parts of people come out: the plain willpower people have to improve themselves and aim for a something higher than they are.

Maria is an exceptional student; I am sure that if she continues on this path, she will be speaking English fluently very soon.  But there's a lesson in this for us, too:  all the things we take for granted and the power inside of ourselves that we are very rarely asked to extract . . . if we were ever forced to reach higher and fulfill our the potential that God has given us, what incredible and beautiful things would we find?  What would we be capable of?  For Maria, it starts with learning English.  Where does yours begin?

Our 3rd Annual LINC NT Gala!

Prepping hard along with all our other diligent staff members for our 3rd annual 2012 LINC Gala, May 4th at 6:15 at the Irving Arts Center; with an evening planned to the 'T' and everyone dressed to the '9s,' there is so much more to offer.  So without further ado, we respectfully request the presence of your company to come and enjoy delicious gourmet foods, a silent auction of  elegant artwork and useful (and indulgent) services, mystical illusionist Rudy Reynoso, Jr., and motivational guest speaker and hip hop artist, Fred Lynch.  See you there!

Brandon