When Ben Guano, 19, came out of the worship service at the Church of Joy on Sunday (Dec.19), he saw something for the first time that usually triggers mixed reactions in people...snow.

"I like cool weather," Ben said, " I just don't like it too cold and I don't like to freeze."

Ben is from a place where snow is rare, the small Caribbean island nation of Haiti.

When Ben graduated from high school in June of 2004, the Church of Joy in Leitchfield, which has been involved for nearly 10 years with a mission in Haiti, (the mission in which Ben grew up) offered to bring him to the United States, where Ben could pursue his dreams and go to college.

However, the transition would prove to be difficult.

For Ben to be able to come to America he needed a passport and a birth certificate. Growing up in destitution and the poverty of the Haitian missions, Ben had neither of these documents.

To further complicate matters, in March of 2004 Haiti underwent political upheaval when the country's president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was removed from the presidency.

He was forced from office after a bloody revolt by armed rebels spread from the north of the country and threatened a siege of Port-au-Prince, the nation's capitol. The heavily-armed rebels eventually made their way into Port-au-Prince and entered the headquarters of the national police, which was the stronghold of Aristide's supporters.

The crisis eventually came to an end, however only after U.S. and United Nations (U.N.) intervention.

This left Haiti without a stable government for a short time, and without a functional government in place, it is nearly impossible to get official documents.

At this point, Ben and those who sponsored and supported him didn't know how long the wait would be. Needless to say, there was a great deal of anxiety on all sides...

Ben was soon accepted by the International Bible Center, a Bible college located in San Antonio, Texas, and after the initial roadblocks involving his birth certificate, passport, and student visa were cleared from his path, (with a little help from U.S. Congressman Ron Lewis), Ben eventually made his way to the U.S.

Ben wanted to come to America and go to college for a very simple reason. Actually, there are a few simple reasons.

He has a deep faith and a strong love for God, a thirst for knowledge, a passion for learning, and an enduring love for his native people in Haiti.

In his best, and oftentimes broken English, Ben explains that "I want to learn everything I can, get a good education, and become something."

With a spirit of confidence and enthusiam he adds, "I know God will help me."

At college, Ben takes courses in music, ministry, piano lessons, and sings in the school choir. And when you throw in a campus job that helps pay for part of his tuition, Ben's week is "crazy and hectic," from start to finish.

When you listen to him talk about the pressures of school and work Ben sounds like a typical American college student.

"There is a lot of studying and a lot of really late nights, sometimes I don't get to bed until nearly 2 a.m. because I have to work on papers or some other homework assignment.

"Plus, I work after class every day, and that makes things a bit more stressful at times," Ben explains.

Despite the pressures of doing homework, feeling the crunch of paper deadlines, and working. Ben has handled all things remarkably well.

Ben says that he has managed to make all A's. As he describes the grading scale at his school, Ben remarks, with an air of pride and accomplishment, "I only take A's."

This is truly an impressive achievement for a young man who spoke virtually no English only a few months ago.

Ben, who is fluent in Creole (his first language) and French ( along with Creole, the other official language of Haiti ) found the language barrier one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome in his brief time here.

Ben recalls that the first month of school was especially difficult for him.

" It was a hard month for me. I didn't know anyone here in San Antonio. I was the only person from Haiti at the school. In addition to those things, I really struggled with my English.

"The teachers talked very fast and it was difficult to understand their different pronunciations and accents.

"And I had very few friends."

Ben has worked hard on his English and listening to him speak today you can tell that he has made tremendous progress.

He has also made a lot of new friends. In fact, Ben says that his best friend, Josh, who is from Indiana, has really helped him do well in school in a number of ways.

"He helps me study and he helps me get all the notes from class," Ben adds.

Like any other American collegian Ben also makes time for recreation and leisure.

His favorite hobbies include going to the River Walk in San Antonio, throwing frisbee, shooting pool, playing basketball and volleyball, and of course, watching television (he is especially fond of the show "Fear Factor".

Typical in so many ways of an average 19-year-old student Ben still isn't exactly sure as to what he wants to do with his life.

"I don't know exactly what I will become, it's up to God."

Whatever his future holds, Ben would like to return to his native Haiti one day and become a leader in his church, although he isn't certain what form that leadership role may take.

"I would like to preach the gospel," Ben says.

Either with his music or by his words, there is little doubt that Ben will certainly achieve his dreams one day.

Until then, he plans on walking the road of life with a heart filled with faith and a deep and enduring love for God and his people.