A Student’s Prayer

Oct 8, 2011


“How can I be praying for you this week?’ I asked the girls at my first week of girls Middle School Bible study. Their responses included being more respectful to family members, caring more for others, being a better student and graduating high school. After I finished my prayer for each of the girls and said my closing, “Amen,” Diana chimed in, “How about you Ms. D? Can we pray for you?” Before I could even respond, she said, “I will” and went right into her prayer. Her prayer was a beautiful list of thank yous and gratitude, free of any requests. I flashed back to this little 4th grade girl who entered Kids Club mostly confident but certainly timid when it came to praying aloud in the group often stating, “I don’t know how.” I was blessed and moved by her words of Thanksgiving in that sweet moment. She went on for a full minute listing off myself, Emily, Ms. Rachel, mentors, tutors and a myriad of volunteers from Casa Chirilagua. “Thank you that they take time to help us. Thank you that they care about our education. Thank you that they get us mentors. Thank you that they teach us about you,” she prayed. In that moment, she gave back to me and nourished my soul, proving once again that we are learning together to love our neighbors as ourselves.

We are a community of people “learning together to love our neighbors as ourselves” in a Latino neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia.

As a faith-based Christian non-profit with a small staff and over 100 volunteers, we serve alongside more than 100 families and their children (1st-12th grades) each week through our community programs.

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Our relational network of volunteers and donors reflects a diverse group of individuals from all over the Washington, D.C. metro area. As a non-profit, we rely on the community for assisting program directors on-site, being mentors, supplying the needs of our food pantry, and everything in between. Each member of our Casa community holds a unique gift, whether time, talent or treasure.