By Karen Mahoney, Special to your Catholic Herald

There is nothing unusual about her avocation, Jane Robinson believes. It’s all the work of the Lord.

“It really is my loving Father who drives me to do what I do,” she said. “It is he who puts those fantastic ideas into my head to go wherever he wants me. When I arrive, he has all these dear people with such deep needs waiting there for me.”

But not every person has the tenacity, compassion and temperament to do what Robinson accomplishes. The Burlington Catholic Central High School Spanish teacher willingly trades her vacation time to travel to gang-filled neighborhoods in Guatemala and Nicaragua.

At times, traveling with some of her students, Robinson has left the United States five times to share stories of the Bible, arts and crafts, teach the English language, visit the sick, the orphaned, and work with women in Bible studies.

Robinson, 59, meets with children and teens in classroom and on the streets, often leading students from gangs by sharing the Gospel, teaching them to pray, cooking, and, at times, visiting with their families in their homes.

Her dedication to youth began while listening to a call-in program about teen issues on a Christian radio station.

“During the course of the program, the host talked about a mission trip to Costa Rica for youth. Just as a crazy idea, I called and asked if they would care if an ‘old lady’ tagged along,” she said. “They were delighted to have the extra adult and I was delighted by the long-term friendships developed through that opportunity.”

Former gang members provide reassurance

Like the first trip, Robinson’s second trip was impulsive, but any apprehensions she might have felt were dispelled when she sat next to two former gang members who were preparing to become missionaries.

“I was captivated by the need of these young people for guidance to a better way of life,” she said. “When I asked the youth director who works directly with the gangs what would I do if I were to come, he replied, ‘Just show up and the work will find you.’ It most certainly does; each day has a way of unfolding in the most adventurous ways, in spite of the best laid plans. I go back because there is a great need for learning and I am a teacher.”

Robinson was surprised to learn that most people in Nicaragua and Guatemala are fortunate to have a sixth grade education. Most of the fifth and sixth graders that she worked with are 16 or 17 years old. The ones who were not in school worked in construction or lived among gang members on the streets.

Because she didn’t want to expose her students to the often violent and poor community of Huehuetenango, Robinson continued the trips on her own. However, two of her students insisted they accompany her on one of the mission trips.

”I didn’t want to endanger the lives of our youth, however, the two students who came with me came back with a sense of caring for youth wherever they may be,” she said. “The tremendous giving and compassion they showed to the orphans was overwhelming. Their lives were forever changed by the two weeks that they spent in the poverty of Huehuetenango. They were alongside of me throughout the activities we did.”

‘Abuelita’ welcomed back

The mission trips vary in length from a week to two weeks, but each time Robinson returns, she is greeted by children and old friends who have grown accustomed to calling her “abuelita,” which means the “little grandma.”

“I didn’t want to endanger the lives of our youth, however, the two students who came with me came back with a sense of caring for youth wherever they may be,” she said. “The tremendous giving and compassion they showed to the orphans was overwhelming.

“Often the kids will greet me on the streets with big smiles and often hugs,” she said. “They invited me to visit their homes and to stay with them, which I have done. When I am in their homes, they invited their friends and families to come and meet me. Then they give me a gift when I leave. It has happened so many times that I need to learn much more about their system of etiquette.”

Teaching Bible stories in Guatemalan public schools to students of various gang members might be daunting for many teachers, but Robinson treats each experience as a gift from God.

“Just the very fact that the public schools of Guatemala want teachers to come in to teach from the Bible is motivation of the highest order for me to return every chance that I can,” she said. “The Bible is such a living and vital book with so much on how to live. How can anyone hold all that good news inside?”

Traveling to the Spanish-speaking communities has strengthened Robinson’s teaching abilities, said Catholic Central principal Ralph Lynch.

“Jane is a deeply religious person. She lost her husband some time ago to illness. After his death, she dedicated herself to teaching and missionary work,” he said. “Her students like her and enjoy the fact that Jane attends as many extracurricular activities as possible to cheer them on. She is dedicated to the entire child and tutors three to four students most days right after school.”

Dedication to children shows

Lynch is impressed with her dedication to children all over the world, and while she is not Roman Catholic, she lives her faith every day.

“She volunteers to take notes at meetings, reports for the school staff at our monthly board meetings, and serves as a mentor to other staff,” Lynch said, adding, “Jane and a few others hold prayer sessions in our little chapel.”

For Robinson, the decision to remain at Catholic Central when she has enjoyed the higher salary in the public school system is an easy one.

“I would work any day at a Catholic school over a public school,” she said. “First of all, the class sizes are typically smaller. Second, we can pray before each class and have Bible verses on the board to practice reciting Spanish. The kids really need to know that someone is praying for them and their families. It is such a meaningful way to connect with them. They are learning to express their concerns in Spanish and even some volunteer to do the class prayer. It is so exciting because they have learned the vocabulary in order to pray only from having heard it rather than having learned it through class work. Can you imagine someone learning to pray from a teacher in a public school?”

God’s plan not always hers

Often amused at God’s planning and nudging, Robinson remembered throwing a brochure on a Guatemalan mission trip into the trash because she had traveled there three times that year.

“That did not stop God from fulfilling the plan that he had for me that summer,” she mused. “Because three weeks later, I had the plane ticket and was ready to go. The assignment for the women was to talk to the women about women issues based on the stories from the Bible. The younger people in the group were to work with the children.”

However, once settled in Guatemala, an interpreter was surrounded by several youth ranging in age from 10 to 20. The oldest of the group was covered in fresh knife wounds to his face and arms.

“It turned out that the other young man had just left his position as a gang chief to learn more about the salvation promised by our Lord Jesus Christ,” she said. “Sitting there with these two boys, I knew that the heartache of the youth of Guatemala had stolen a part of my heart and I would be returning trying to regain my heart.”

Over the past five years, Robinson has remained in contact with the two boys. One had learned English and invited her back to Huehuetenango so he could practice the language with her.

“I told him that Huehue had stolen a piece of my heart and I want it back. He laughed and said, ‘You have also stolen the heart of Guatemala,’” she said. “Isn’t it ironic that I would use the analogy of stealing to describe feeling about serving these very kids who are experts at robbing, among other things.”

Her daily life is reflected in her favorite quote from Psalms 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

“Wherever he sends me, it turns out to be an adventure of one sort of another,” Robinson said. “Surprisingly, each mission trip has shown me that serving is a two-way street. Often the one who ‘serves’ is served more by the ones she came to serve.”

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