The Chronicles

Rexburg – Idaho

“It started out as a feeling, which then grew into a hope, which then turned into a quiet thought, which then turned into a quiet word… and then that word grew louder and louder ’til it was a battle cry”

How?

My computer broke so I couldn’t write before. Today I am really happy because I can write again.

In a few years I’ll be done with school, probably I’ll be married and hopefully with some kids of my own. I’ll grow old, I’ll grow wise. Some day my kids will be sitting around me and I’ll ask them “Do you want to know how I got into college?”

Well  kids, the story includes a series of miracles, but begins way before I was born…

Genesis

My dad (your grandpa) didn’t finish high school and my mom (your grandma) didn’t even finish the elementary school. I don’t like to talk about this because some times describing the poor conditions in which my siblings and I had to live could overshadow the efforts and sacrifices that my parents had to do to gives us the best they could. However, in order to understand how far we have come already, I feel it’s important to know certain details about my family.

Exodus

My parents migrated from extreme poverty in Paraguay to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Because of their lack of education they struggled to find good jobs and opportunities to do well.

Understanding how important education was they sent us to the best schools in Buenos Aires. In order to get to a good school we would have to wake up every day at 4:30 a.m. travel for two and half hours by train, bus, and walking several blocks. We were in class from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; we wouldn’t get back home until 6:30 pm.

Chronicles

We didn’t have a gas nor a water system installed in our house, so we had to hit water and put it in a container to take a shower. Electricity failed more than often, so some times we had to do homework under some candle lights.

My parents were often criticized or praised for all the sacrifice they went through or that they made us go through.

When I was 11 years old, my parents transferred my younger brother and me to a private school 45 minutes away from my house. Though we were attending a much better school, I remember how my mother struggled some times to provide food for us.

Education was always important goal in my family, even if to achieve it was necessary to give up certain things.

New Testament

What my parents wanted the most for us was a better future. They knew that learning good values was as important as any other kind of education. My mother especially, encouraged us to pray to overcome troubles. I was always very sick when I was a child; most of my memories include a big deal of childhood being in the hospital. I remember when my mom would hold me really tight and pray so hard while giving me comfort.

Blessings

I am convinced that because of her… because of both of my parents, God is blessing  my sibiling and me so much. They all found their porpoise on life; they all have a beautiful family with beautiful and healthy babies. They are awesome.

Some times I felt that I wanted that too, but I couldn’t deny though that I was being spoiled with blessings too.

Lucky

I was “lucky” enough to get a sponsor who gave me an opportunity to study English at Brigham Young University. Then, again, I had some other sponsors who felt that it was important that I went to College also. Some times I thought I would never get my associates’ at the LDS Business College, but I did. And I thought it was over, I thought that I was time to go home. I really missed my family.

“Stay!”

The problem was that I didn’t even have money to go home. And here is where the so called miracle happened.

Both of my parents felt really strongly that it was important that I finish school here, in the US, the land of opportunity. And it truly was, at least for me…

The good news were that I was accepted to Brigham Young University-Idaho YAY! And the
bad news was that The U. S. Government required me to pay tuition for one year before receiving the scholarships. That’s $4,000 dollars! AND it has to be paid by Friday, September 12, I remember well because that was 2 weeks from the day I found out that I got accepted. How in the world would I come up with $4,000 dollars in less than 2 weeks?

“200 times 20″
One night I fell asleep praying, asking what should I do to get the money on time. The next morning I woke up with the phrase “200 times 20″ in my head.

I had the opportunity to go to BYU- Idaho to get my bachelor’s degree in Communications with an emphasis in advertising. The only obstacle standing between me and my goal was the $4000.

So I did what I thought was very embarrassing, you see kids, here was when the “200 times 20″ inspiration came in. If 200 friends will each donate $20 I would be able to meet the U. S. government financial requirement.

I didn’t have anything to loose, so I sent an e-mail to every single friend I had. I didn’t have 200 friends though, so I also sent the e-mail to co workers, people who I met here and there, to friend of friends, to everyone.

And the money kept rolling In (and in)
My parents were the first one to sent their part, they sent $800, which in Argentina is a lot of money (especially for them), and I had saved $500.

Many people laugh at the idea, and told me that it would be impossible to reach the goal of $4000 in such a short time. But the money kept coming.

It kept coming from people I haven’t seen in a long time, from close friends, from lost friends, from people I never met before, or maybe I met once.

From…

One time a friend got the mail and started reading from the envelopes the places from which they were coming, she read Ohio, Florida, Alabama, Michigan, California, Utah, New York, Colorado, Washington, Maryland, Arizona… and then asked me “Do you know people from all this places?” “I guess so” I said.

Piggybank

Part of my savings were part of a piggybank, some of the coins were foreigner money so I put everything in the carpet and started separating the dollars from the pesos and the pounds. When Jo Ellen and Ema Lita saw that, they both brought their own piggy bank: hundreds of coins. We guessed how much money we had, we all guessed between 50 to 60 dollars, but it was 111 dollars!!!!

Causalities

A friend of Jo Ellen heard the story and told Jo Ellen “May I give these 20 dollars I found yesterday to him?”

I was so close to the goal so soon that it was so overwhelming to me. I didn’t want to think about it because it made me want to cry, and also feel over-blessed. With $400 needed to reach the $4000 a really good friend of mine said to me crying, “My husband and I were helping a kid to pay for his mission and yesterday we received a letter from him telling us that he got enough money for his mission so he returned us this money, and we want it to be our contribution to you: $400!

Even BYU Idaho got the e-mail! (Not from me though) They waved $500 that I had to pay when I started working there, in Rexburg, Idaho.

And that’s how I got into College… as I said kids, nothing but a series of miracles, one after another. Why? Why me? Why Idaho? I still don’t know.