Joanna’s Interview
Interviewer: What is your name? How old were you when you started at FAD? And where do you live?
Joanna: My name is Joanna. I am 25 years old, and I started attending FAD when I was 9 or 10 years old. So it’s been about 16 years.
I live near FAD today, but I didn’t used to live here before. When I was 9 or 10, my family moved from one state to another, and that’s when we moved here. I met FAD through some friends who were already attending.
Interviewer: What did you know about your sponsor?
Joanna: Before I met them, I knew there was a group of people who lived in the United States, and that they would usually come to visit us, but I hadn’t met them yet myself, right when I started attending the project. I heard stories that they were so nice and kind, that they would bring us gifts, and send money to help us. I heard funny stories about them, that they would come and take us to the pool, and I used to see photos of them with the other kids, my friends, and I was so excited to meet them and see them. But that happened a few years later.
It was really nice. I remember the first time I saw them, I think it was Nancy, Mary, Kathy, Stephanie, and Amber, I believe David’s daughter. I have a picture with her. They were so nice, very kind, very loving people. Since we didn’t know English, they would just come and hug us. I remember Mary asking me if I wanted her to be my sponsor. I was 10 years old, and I was crying because I didn’t have one yet, and my friends did. She asked, “Do you want me to be your sponsor?” And I said yes. I have a picture of that exact moment, she took it herself. I still have it, I asked my mom to print it bigger so I could frame it and put it on my wall. That was a very important part of my life.
Interviewer: What has FAD done for you?
Joanna: Everything. As I told you before, FAD has changed my life in every way you can think of. It’s taught me about values, about responsibility, and especially about Jesus.
I remember the first time I said a prayer. I was a kid, and we were about to have lunch, and someone asked me to pray. I said, “I don’t know how.” She said, “You can do it.” So I thanked Jesus for lunch. That was the first time I ever prayed.
FAD is my second family. They’ve taken so much care of me, they’re always watching over me, even now that I’m 25. I used to be a kid with a very strong personality, not bad, but I would argue with everybody. I didn’t want to be grounded or corrected. But they never gave up on me. They taught me how to be calm and how to control my feelings and myself. Through FAD, I met Jesus, which is the most important thing, because He completely changed everything about who I am. I had a new horizon, a good perspective for my life, because before that, I didn’t have a good outlook for my future. I come from a very traumatic, problematic family, and I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t been part of this project.
We’ve had cases of other teenagers who attended FAD but got involved with drugs, whose families did bad things, and some of our friends were actually killed. Unfortunately, even though they were attending and listening to Bible stories, hearing Christina and Angus talk about Jesus every day, they still got involved in crime, and their lives didn’t end up well. But I’m so glad Jesus rescued me, changed me, changed my perspective, and gave me a future and a profession. They paid for my English course. Now I’m at university, in my last term, writing my final thesis. It completely changed me in every way you can think of.
Interviewer: What do you think the community thinks of FAD, and how it’s valued and needed here?
Joanna: All the communities around here love this place. It’s so influential. People love that their kids come here, learn how to play guitar, learn Bible stories, and take English classes. People really love it, and we have a big waiting list of kids who want to attend, but unfortunately we don’t have the capacity to take them all yet. Everyone loves this place. When we walk in, people say hi, and when other kids see the uniform, the ones not coming yet, they say they want to come too. It’s a very good project. People love it.
Interviewer: What do you want the United States to know about FAD and the work it’s doing here?
Joanna: More than anything, I want them to know this place isn’t just about giving classes to kids. It’s beyond that. It’s a place where we teach kids how to become better human beings, where they can have a relationship with Jesus, where Jesus can transform their lives, make them better people, and give them a better future.
We want people to know that if they decide to help us, invest, or give support, every dollar will be used in the best way. We’re going to do our best to keep this project going, and every single dollar will be worth it. Because, what would have happened to me if I didn’t have FAD? I can think of a lot of bad possibilities, because my reality wasn’t good. I want people to know this is worth it. They’ll be helping to change lives, transform lives, give children a new perspective and a better life, and especially a life with Jesus, which is the most important thing.
Interviewer: Are you still volunteering at FAD?
Joanna: Yes, I’ve volunteered since I was 14 or 15. I came as a kid from 9 to 13, and then from 13 until now, I’ve been volunteering. I’ve done lots of different work, not just teaching. I was part of the cleaning team, I helped clean the building. I was part of the kitchen team, helping cook and prepare meals for the kids. And now I teach. I used to teach during the week, helping with Bible stories and activities. Now I teach English on Saturdays, since I can’t come during the week anymore because of my studies. But I come on Saturdays and spend the whole day with the teenagers, teaching English.
Interviewer: What is your dream for FAD?
Joanna: I want FAD to become bigger than it already is. Maybe we could have FAD in other states or cities, different places from where we live. I think it would be amazing to have more children receiving this kind of attention, this kind of care. We want to become bigger, have more classrooms, a bigger kitchen, a bigger snack area, so we can take in more children, help them, and support them in whatever they need. Because, like I said, we have a big waiting list. They’re just waiting for one spot to open up.
Interviewer: Is there anything you’re in need of right now, personally or professionally?
Joanna: Yes. The first thing I’m working toward is graduating. I want to get a job so I can help my family even more than I already do. I want to keep serving Jesus, keep volunteering here. I don’t think about leaving this place, I don’t see myself anywhere else. This is my life, and I want to keep volunteering. I want to be successful, have a good job, and help my family. I don’t have big ambitions beyond that, but I want to be successful.
Interviewer: What message do you want to give to the United States?
Joanna: First of all, if you’re showing this video to sponsors, I want to say thank you so much for everything you do for us. We know, and we pray for you every single day, and we are so grateful and thankful. And if you’re not a sponsor yet, I want to encourage you, if you can give us this support, if you can help us with something, may Jesus bless your heart and your mind. If you can do it, do it, because it’s going to be totally worth it. You don’t know how you can change someone’s perspective. Even if you’re far away and have no idea what’s happening here, you have no idea how important this help will be for us.
Interviewer: Anything else you’d like to share before we close?
Joanna: It’s really nice to know that people are taking care of you, even if they don’t know you, even if they’ve never seen you. It’s really nice to think that there are people watching over me, even from far away. We feel loved, and we feel like we have a family. That’s it. It’s a really nice feeling.
