Students helped a teacher come to faith; now he returns the compliment

By Juan Placeres, UBS Program Consultant

Professor Calixto Correas became a Christian while teaching at an evangelical school and now uses Scripture materials in his Philosophy and Citizenship classes, which he says has had a profound effect on his students. Graduating students at his school also receive special student-edition Bibles as part of an Opportunity 21 project. Photo: South America Regional Service Center/Juan M Placeres (BOL02DJ-2)

COCHABAMBA, Bolivia — Calixto Correas, married with four children, lives in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. For most of his life he has been a teacher of philosophy and citizenship in various schools.

He has not always been a Christian. Earlier in his life, he got a job as a teacher at an evangelical Christian school. The effect the Christians there had on him - particularly when he saw the great store they set by the Bible - was so profound that he became a believer himself.

Deep change

He had been a Christian for barely a year when he enrolled in the Berea Bible Institute in order to study God’s Word more closely. His immediate family was affected by the deep change in him, and as time went on, they, too, chose to receive the message of the Bible.

Having come to faith in a school, it is therefore appropriate that a school is where he has exercised a gentle ministry of his own.

But an unexpected and tragic event marked his life deeply. His son-in-law was a well-known evangelist and was in a small aeroplane flying back from a crusade in Yucumu, 500 kilometres (about 300 miles) from Santa Cruz. When the aircraft was only thirty minutes from home, all contact with it was lost. It was September 28, 1998. No-one has ever discovered what happened to the plane or to the seven people on board.

Death

Following his son-in-law’s presumed death, Professor Correas took over as pastor of the ‘Cristo Vive’ church in Santa Cruz, and he remains there until this day. He still retains his passion for teaching, however, and at the beginning of 1999, he went back to teaching philosophy and citizenship at the Unión y Progreso’ school; but now he had a quite different spiritual experience to pass on to his students.

For example, he requested permission from the Principal to hand out a Portion of Scripture to his students as study material, because he wanted to bring a different’ perspective to bear in the study of citizenship.

The Principal agreed because he was concerned about some serious behaviour problems - which had even led to the formation of gangs - among the students.

Ceremony

When Professor Correas heard about the Bolivian Bible Society’s O-21-funded project of distributing special student-edition Bibles to final-year school students, he proposed that the school hold such a ceremony for its own fourth-year students. So last March, some 250 students duly received their Bibles from Professor Correas and Bible Society representatives.

Later Professor Correas told the Bible Society about the effect it had on them. “When we began the school year,” he said, “there was only one student who would say that God had done anything in his life - and that provoked disbelief, arguments and ridicule from the others. But they began reading the Bibles we gave them and so allowed the Holy Spirit to begin working on their lives.

Respect

“Now we have a lovely group who have all talked of experiencing changes - and the others, too, have a lot of respect for the Word. Now, by popular request, we have a Bible reading every day before beginning our activities.”

But that is not all the O-21 project has done. One day Professor Correas went to see the Principal at home - but he was not in.

“His wife received me,” he said, “and she told me that her husband had told her about the effect the Bibles were having on students at the school. To my surprise she added, ‘I’m a Christian, but for many years my husband has not allowed me or the children to attend church. Do you think you can do something about that?’”

A few days later, Professor Correas took the opportunity to speak to him.

“Here at school,” he said, “you are my boss and I have always tried to be respectful and to fulfil all my obligations. But today I want to speak to you not as an employee, but as a pastor. In the authority that God has given me, I must tell you that your not allowing your wife and children to attend church is not right.”

Tense moments

A few very tense moments followed and the two spoke for a long time. The result was that the following Sunday the Principal’s wife - and his children - were in church.

Nor does the story end there. Since last August the Principal himself has been going to church with them.

“This project of yours is a blessing from heaven,” Professor Correas told the Bible Society. “It’s not just distributing Bibles to students, it’s the power of God to save lives, it’s power from heaven to change attitudes, it’s power to find solutions for families.