The Impact of One

Alejandro Matos

April 29, 1992-June 17, 2011

August 2011:

Every teacher dreams of impacting the lives of her students in such a way that they’ll remember her forever, and I am no different. However, when I began teaching, I didn’t realize that some of my students would impact my life in such a way that I couldn’t nor would I want to forget them. Alejandro Matos made such an impact.

Alejandro became a full-time student the same year I arrived to Peru to teach for the first time in my life. He showed great respect for me and his other teachers, and he got along well with his classmates. While his timid spirit diminished a little more each year, his respect for others and their respect for him deepened. In the classroom, I could always count on Alejandro to pop out a challenging question so much so that I became nervous when he raised his hand. J Not the most organized of students, Alejandro seemed to always be looking for a pen or pencil; but what he lacked in organization, he made up for in intelligence and wit, like the day he forgot about poetry recitations. Within twenty minutes while waiting for his classmates to give their presentations, Alejandro went last and didn’t just survive the presentation, he stunned us all with his fast memorization skills and his great acting abilities.

His senior year, we worked on vocation papers in which the students were to research and write about a career they would like to pursue upon graduation. Of course, Alejandro chose music. I remember very distinctly one school day when I was helping the students one-on-one with their papers. Alejandro kneeled down by my desk and proceeded to tell me that he wanted God to use his love for music for His own glory. He displayed a passion for God and music like I had never seen or have yet to see in a teenager. I walked away from that classroom that day thanking God that he had given me the opportunity to teach Alejandro Matos, for I had been challenged through his words.

Upon graduation, the majority of students rarely look back to their high school instead focusing fully on what lies ahead. Alejandro, along with several of his classmates, chose to remain involved in LMCS through attending school events and through meeting up with old teachers. I always looked forward to those times when I did have the opportunity to catch up with Alejandro and see how God was working in his life. He still made me laugh, and I still see his smile.

June 2012:

One year ago this month, I received a message from a friend in Peru informing me that my student Alejandro had been killed in an accident. I glance at his picture every now and then, and I re-read some notes he and his classmates wrote me for Teacher Appreciation Day. I still see him sitting in the small desks with his long legs spread out in the aisle. I still hear him cracking jokes and making us laugh when we were all together, and I still picture him playing his guitar. I’m still impressed at how quickly he memorized that Shakespearean poem, and I’m still thankful for the respect he showed to those around him. I continue to pray for his parents, his sister, his brother-in-law, and their new baby: I pray God will grant them the grace necessary to wait for that day when they will be reunited with their Ale.laugh when we were all together, and I still picture him playing his guitar. I’m still impressed at how quickly he memorized that Shakespearean poem, and I’m still thankful for the respect he showed to those around him. I continue to pray for his parents, his sister, his brother-in-law, and their new baby: I pray God will grant them the grace necessary to wait for that day when they will be reunited with their Ale.

July 2012:

Daniel Alejandro—that is the name of the new life God has given to Alejandro’s family. Such a precious little boy that Alejandro’s mom and dad can call “grandson” and that his sister and her husband can call “son.” He will soon discover where his middle name came from, and I’m sure he will grow up hearing all the stories of his “Tío Ale,” stories of a crazy boy who would do anything to make others smile. Daniel will probably look at the treasured pictures of his uncle and wonder what it would have been like to know him, to go on adventures just the two of them. Danielito will learn of Alejandro’s musical talents and abilities, and he’ll see traces of his uncle throughout Palabra de Vida camp. In the midst of their sorrow and longing, this family has witnessed God’s miracle of life with the arrival of Daniel Alejandro.