TheHomewoodStar.com
January 2013
The Homewood Star Volume 2 | Issue 10 | January 2013
neighborly news & entertainment for Homewood
On a mission to show boys living on the streets of Peru they are
Culture in the
classroom
NOT FORGOTTEN Students enrolled in the Islamic Academy of Alabama spend their days learning more than academics. By studying Islamic heritage, they learn how to positively impact their communities as both Americans and Muslims. Photo courtesy IAA.
Community page 14
All-ages exercise
Each New Year’s, a Not Forgotten team, which includes founder Tyler Fuqua (left) and Kristin McKee and Allison Fuqua (above), delivers Christmas presents to the boys they minister to in Peru. Photos courtesy of Not Forgotten.
Pre-Sort Standard U.S. Postage PAID Birmingham, AL Permit #656
By MADOLINE MARKHAM Allison Fuqua still loves to hear her husband, Tyler, tell the story of his first trip to Peru. Ten years ago, Tyler found himself in a jungle with strangers. At age 18, it was his first time in a Spanishspeaking country. He was sharing a twin mattress with another man. It was hot, and there were bugs. He had lost his luggage and was borrowing clothes and sleeping gear. Boys who lived on the streets were teaching him how to wash his socks in the river. Tyler had signed up for the hardest-rated mission trip he could
find, but this was not the adventure he expected. “God took away every possible comfort on that trip,” Tyler said. “It was a humbling experience. At the same time, I was exposed to street boys and learned their stories, and God did a lot of work through that.” The boys he met, generally ages 4-12, are the lowest in their society even lower than prostitutes, he said. People see them as an eyesore, and they see themselves as an eyesore. Before the trip ended, Tyler knew he wanted to come back and be a
See PERU | page 22
Instructor Natalie Dabney, above right, changed her life when she decided to change her weight. She lost 120 pounds, and now she’s teaching others how to do the same. At her Mommy and Me Time Fitness classes, Homewood mothers are learning exercise can be fun, easy and inclusion of the whole family.
Features page 8
INSIDE Sponsors ................. 4 City ........................... 5 Opinion .................... 9 Faith ........................ 10 Food ......................... 11
Business ................ 12 Community ........... 14 School House ....... 17 Sports .................... 20 Calendar ................ 23
facebook.com/thehomewoodstar