Afonso Finishes College

My last blog post focused on my son Afonso was in 2021 as he was heading off to college.  I am overjoyed to report that by God’s grace, he has now finished his university education!  And God has indeed answered the prayers that I requested on his behalf.

Afonso faced his share of challenges during the last five years.  The difficult adjustment to college life on an island several hours away from our hometown took its toll on his academic concentration, forcing him to repeat his freshman year.  His intensive degree program in Community Development and International Relations demanded long hours of grueling study.  After his laptop crashed irreparably in 2022, he had to borrow friends’ computers to type his work.  Distant from his church and longtime friends, he sought fellowship with new acquaintances and integrated into a congregation there, prioritizing personal Bible reading and prayer as his primary means for continued spiritual growth.

During his school breaks several times each year, Afonso returned to our town, and we enjoyed heart-to-heart conversations.  Between these visits, we maintained contact through phone calls and messaging.  I admired my son’s maturity as he smoothly transitioned into adult independence.  I never stopped praying for him daily.

In our country, the rite of passage marking the completion of college is an oral presentation of a major research project which the senior has undertaken and documented under a tutor’s supervision.  The graduation ceremony at a later date is merely an afterthought which many students skip.  I was relieved to learn, a week in advance, that Afonso’s oral presentation was scheduled for the day before a trip I’d committed to taking, rather than during it, when I would have been unable to attend.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 7, I drove Jeremias, Rosário, and Faizal to the island where Afonso’s college is located.  As I dropped them off at his house, I hugged my son and wished him the best for the next day.  I spent a rich evening of fellowship with my friend Nelzia, a university professor, and her husband Carlos, before retiring for the evening in their spare bedroom.  The next morning, after a worshipful hour alone on the pier watching the sun rise over the ocean, I ate the breakfast that Nélzia prepared for me, then walked with her to the university.  

Dressed sharply in a suit, Afonso connected the computer with his PowerPoint slides to the classroom’s projector and awaited his signal to begin.  About twenty friends filled the room, but he appropriately focused his attention on the jury panel.  During his allotted fifteen minutes, he confidently explained the details and conclusions of his research.  Next, he responded to questions from the jury.  Then we all left the room while those professors deliberated regarding his grade.

The 45 minutes that we waited were, according to the collegians among us, much longer than normal.  When the jury finally summoned us back to hear the decision, we were delighted to learn that Afonso had achieved an outstanding score:  17 out of 20 possible points.  In the university’s eight-year history, only two other students have earned such a high grade on their research projects!

After hearty congratulations and a photo session, I slipped a present and card into Afonso’s hands and gave him a goodbye embrace.  I drove home that afternoon to prepare for the next day’s trip – alone, since my passengers had elected to stay for another friend’s presentation and catch a different return ride.  As I thank God for my son’s diligence in completing his university education, I pray earnestly that He will orient his next steps towards employment, family, and ministry.  Please join me in those prayers.