A person can belong to many families and Wendoly Montenegro-West, a Carthage R-9 translator with a contagious smile and steadfast heart for the Lord, said becoming an American citizen brought her count to four.
“God gave me a church family, my little family and my home, my family at Steadley and now an American family,” she said. “He has been in every step of my life and I feel like I don’t deserve it, but God is faithful. I have seen the respect that people have for this country, the love and how much they fight for the country. Being a part of this country is such a blessing. It’s an honor. “Think of all the people who want to be here – not just the poor countries but all over the world. It was founded under God. His name is mentioned everywhere – even on money – wherever God is, there are blessings. People know there’s a lot here and it’s because of God.”
Montenegro-West is a native of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and came to the U.S. in 2009 to obtain her associates degree in Christian ministry at Ozark Christian College in Joplin.
She stayed with Randee and Brenda Kaiser, of Carthage, until she graduated in 2012 and married Isaac “Burley” West that same year – who she originally met in Honduras during a mission trip with Fairview Christian Church. Today, they have a son, Malachi, 3.
Even after battling an extreme case of Lupus for years (a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body) Montenegro-West said her blessings have always been countless.
“I was very afraid,” she said, describing the unbearable pain of the disease. “It’s just by the grace of God I’m here.”
Montenegro-West first stepped into the translating role after graduating OCC on a volunteer basis at Carthage Junior High School. She said she immediately connected with students.
“It made me feel so special that the girls felt so comfortable with me and trusted me,” she said.
A position at Steadley Elementary School opened and she stepped into the role as a translator and instructional assistant in 2013.
A deep love for Montenegro-West has grown at Steadley over the past five years, and when the school learned she recently finished her six-year process to become an American citizen, they celebrated in classic Steadley-fashion – an assembly of cheering students, rounds of applause, “God Bless America” and the “Star Spangled Banner.”
“Senora Montenegro is priceless to this school,” said Dr. Tom Barlow, Steadley principal. “Not only does she make a positive difference everywhere she goes in this building with her kindness and capabilities, it’s a tremendous thing to model to children how to be perseverant and have a huge goal of such importance and see it through to the end and do it the right way no matter what it takes or how long it takes. We teach patriotism at this school, and what better way to model the deep love of this wonderful country than to work so hard for so long to become a fellow American.”
Montenegro-West said blessings will only continue as long as you have faith.
“God works in ways I do not understand,” she said with a laugh. “It’s a crazy story but I love every bit of it. My hope for the future is the best for Malachi. I hope he is a blessing to many people.”
