Monday Update

So many stories to tell from the day. So first, a brief overview of our MANY activities:

First we drove to Villa Canales. There were some road detours which forced us onto some very bumpy dirt roads, but we made it up the mountain and into the small neighborhood where Alicia lives. (see picture below) Five people lived in a one room house, about 12 ft. square. We are working to build a second room, similar in size, with a concrete floor, wood siding and a tin roof. Today we mixed cement for about an hour and helped Oscar lay the foundation for the house. We also got to meet the women and children who live there, all who are very special and very friendly. Everyone worked very hard for the few hours we were there.

After finishing the concrete floor, we walked down the street to see the progress on Oscar's house. In 2007 Kellye and Jesse came with a team of students and worked on the house for a week. When we left, we had just laid the walls of the first floor. Now it is a three-story, amazing home that is custom built by Oscar. It is really something special. It was also special for Kellye and Jesse to return, remember the work we had done, and see the progress. In the picture below we are finding our "handprints" that we put in the concrete in the wall during the week we worked on the house.
We left Villa Canales and returned to La Primavera, the same squatter settlement we visited last night. We got there in time to join the children in the feeding program for lunch. (see the picture below) About 75 kids receive three meals a week, along with lessons from the Bible and other activities. It is a safe place in a dangerous neighborhood, and the work being done there is very important. Lunch was an absolutely delicious vegetable soup that all of the kids and our entire team enjoyed. Probably the best vegetable soup I have ever had (apologies to my mother-in-law :)

After lunch we played games with the kids for about an hour. It was stressful, dirty, tiring and loud. The kids have SO MUCH ENERGY! And they like to jump on us, run after us, grab on our clothes, and basically be kids. But they also love to give hugs, share smiles, make jokes and just have fun. It's an important ministry to simply spend time with the children. They need positive touch, laughter, joy and love. More often than not they are neglected and forgotten. So we love to spend as much time as possible with them.

After playing some games we went back down to the second floor to do the VBS program. We sang songs with the children in Spanish. And Sam sang a beautiful solo of "You are My King, Amazing Love." The children listened very carefully. We told the story of the feeding of the 5,000 and explained the craft. The kids got very serious and quiet when they worked on the craft. It was a little bit of challenge, but the end result was worth the effort. As the children left, we passed out the gift bags that we had assembled the night before.

A note about the gift bags: These bags are made up solely of donated items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, stickers, balloons, cars, hair bows, and candy. We collected somewhere around 300 pounds of donated materials in order to make about 600 gift bags. Each child received a gift bag as they left and its a joy to see them light up as they look at what's inside.

After passing out the gift bags, catching our breath and chugging down some water, we started walking up the mountain into the neighborhood of La Primavera. There were several families and houses that had been identified as needing a special visit. The first was a family who had lost their roof in the recent volcano eruption. The neighborhood is very close to the volcano, and about four inches of ash rested on the roof, which then collapsed in the night. We talked to the mother and to her children.

At this point, I (Jesse) felt directed to give a small donation to this family. One of my coworkers had given me $5 for the trip to give to someone who needed it. I thought this was a worthy need, and so I told the family about my coworker, about her gift, and about how she wanted to give something to the families in Guatemala. In was a special moment.

We visited two or three other houses. Roger made us sing songs to the families. We prayed for those who were sick or in need, and we played some more games with the kids. Perhaps the most memorable family is that of young Brian who has spina bifida. He is six years old, and has only in the past year been able to start walking with the help of a walker, therapy, and special shoes. He is a bright young boy, full of life and very impressive. It was a blessing to spend so much time with him and his family. (pictures of Brian and family below).


Now we are back in the ministry house, packing up more craft bags, relaxing, waiting for dinner, and preparing for another full day tomorrow. So far, everyone is feeling great and having a wonderful time. I look forward to hearing from the team tonight about what impacted them the most.

Thanks to everyone for your support, prayers, and donations. They are really felt and valued throughout the week. The full slideshow of pictures from the day are below.