Denia Bridges Foundation Summer Newsletter
By JuneAn Lanigan, DBF Director - California

Greetings from California! On behalf of the DBF Board, we pray that you are all doing well and that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe. As is often said, these are certainly unprecedented times!

I came across a statement by Juan Vincent Gambuto (writer / director) which I found very insightful and inspiring. I hope you do as well. Juan writes of COVID-19 -

… It is the greatest gift ever unwrapped. Not the deaths, not the virus, but The Great Pause. It is, in a word, profound . . . What the crisis has given us is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see ourselves and our country in the plainest of views. At no other time, ever in our lives, have we gotten the opportunity to see what would happen if the world simply stopped. Here it is. We’re in it.

What I see is human compassion and kindness. I see respect. I see support. I see acceptance of ourselves and others in the face of our unhidden strengths and weaknesses. I see an opportunity to not go back to the way things were but to craft a better life, a better community, a better world. I will gladly give up my excess for simplicity. I will be both frugal and generous with my possessions. I will invest more time and energy in friends and family. I will leverage what I have learned of my co-workers and friends during this time to continue to build authentic relationships. I will enjoy the great outdoors with new appreciation and smell every flower.

Colegio Alfa & Omega has shifted beautifully to meet the needs of the students, parents, staff, and community during this time. Primary and secondary online instruction is just one of the many ways they were able to react quickly, which entailed launching a new technology platform and teaching curriculum. Students and staff have also blessed the front-line workers with appreciation through hand drawn pictures, written letters, and choreographed videos. These small, continuous, heartwarming acts of service provide a living example of Christ in the community.

Several California Bay Area DBF Board members, along with The Kings Academy students and chaperones, were anxiously awaiting our trip to Denia at the end of March. However, as the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, travel prohibited, and countries put under government restrictions, our plans quickly dissolved. With heavy hearts, we gathered together to pray for each other, and seek wisdom and guidance on next steps. This brought new hope! We agreed to consider this disruption as temporary and began making plans, God willing, for our visit in 2021!

We are also building partnership with Menlo Church, in Menlo Park, CA, and hope to engage members of the Young Adult community to partner in Colegio Alfa & Omega’s volunteer program next year. With many college age students considering a “gap year”, and young adults considering their next career steps, this is a perfect opportunity for them to participate in the program, experience comradery with peers from other countries, and grow spiritually while providing valuable support to the school.

I leave you with anticipation and excitement for the future, and blessings for today,

JuneAn