Growing up, Lyka watched each one of her older siblings cut their education short to go to work and help support their family in the Philippines.
But Lyka in grade 11 is determined to be the first in her family to finish high school and go on to college.
With support from her wonderful sponsor Maureen in Colorado and her family, Lyka is studying hard to pursue her dreams. She says:
“If I finish the next school year, I will be the first to graduate high school! When I graduate college, I want to work in an office, although I don’t know what industry yet.”
Lyka’s grateful for the support of her family, especially her mother who’s a homemaker and Food for the Hungry volunteer, and her father who is a coconut farmer.
And she’s thankful for how the love and spiritual encouragement she’s received from her sponsor Maureen and her church family have changed her life…
She says the old Lyka would not be this optimistic because of the hard times her family has been through:
“I wasn’t prayerful before and I used to curse a lot. I got angry easily and screamed at people because I felt they were judging me because we were poor. It’s sometimes hard to be kind.
“But my pastor taught us children how to pray, understand Bible verses, and even play with others [during Food for the Hungry’s values formation session],” Lyka says.
“I like going to church now. Going to church and attending values formation sessions gave me hope.”
“Now I know my dreams will come true if I combine action with prayer!”