Isaiah 58:10-12
"If you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
"And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
"And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in."
This passage in Isaiah is posted on the mirror in our bedroom at VOH. I had not read it until this morning, and as I read them, memories came to mind of visiting the Antigua homeless the night before, giving them soup, tortillas, and praying to the Living God for them. These verses remind us how much the Father loves the hungry and the afflicted, and how He desires His children to show mercy to those in need. At breakfast our team read these verses this morning, to prepare our hearts to visit the homes of "afflicted" moms and children in nearby San Lucas. "Lord, please give us the grace to pour ourselves out for the hungry and afflicted."
[Thank you, Rafe, for sharing the verses and thoughts above!]
This morning we went out for the weekly food deliveries. Each family receives a bag of food, prayer and faithful friendship. The Blocks will sometimes help with other needs but mostly it's about relationships -- with the families and with Jesus. This is a special time as some of us have seen these families 2 or 3 times now. When Todd and Amy first visited the community they were met with resistance because missionaries before them had made promises that were not kept. It took many visits for the families to trust the Blocks. Our first stop was a new family, a 19-year old mom with 2 children. She lived with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. It's hard to see their living conditions, and to smell the rotting garbage as we entered the house. Much of it had little covering and must be wet in the rains.
Next we drove to another area and visited a woman and her mom, both with stomach problems. The mother also suffers from depression. All kids love Rafe so it was no surprise that he again found a friend, Luis.
Our third visit was a mom with twin babies and 2 sons. Dad had just come to faith. They asked us to pray for the health of their family. As with most of the families we visited, this family was living with others; however, the Blocks were able to help them purchase building supplies and they are now building a home. It's not a home like we would think home and it may even have dirt floors, but this simple cinder block home will give them a space for their family.
[Twins]
[Praying for Dad]
The fifth family we visited included a girl who is confined to a wheelchair and is believed to have cerebral palsy- Yessica or as Amy calls her, Princioso Yessica. And she is a princess with her beautiful smile and joy-filled eyes. I can't even type this without tears. I remember praying for this girl before I even met her and seeing her each time is a joy for me. She understands a lot of what is said and she has a mom who loves her and takes care of her as best she can. Needless to say it is difficult to have a disability in these living conditions. We did not get to see her mom this trip because she had work today. A few weeks ago one of the Block's sons took Yessica out for a meal. She had never been out to eat in her 20 years. And where did she go? Pollo Campero of course!
[Yessica]
Next we visited a mom with 9 children. They praise God they were all heathy since there was a cold going around the village.
We had hoped to see Corinna, the girl who had the clubbed feet, but she was most likely at school. She has special shoes and though she still uses crutches, she can now walk.
Next we visited Rolando, his mom, and his 4 children. His wife recently left and he is doing his best to care for his girls. He asked for prayer for this situation. He loves the Lord and clearly loves his children.
[Dad and one of his daughters]
Our next visit was to a woman with 12 children and several grandchildren who on our first trip in April of 2013 would not let us on her property. She still has a hard time trusting but through the faithful visits of the Blocks she now welcomes us onto her property with a smile.
[Mom who now welcomes us]
Lastly we visited Jessica, a 15-year old girl who lost her father 3 years ago when he ran out into the street to retrieve a soccer ball and was struck by a car. One of the last gifts her father gave her mother was a sewing machine. With her sewing skills, her mom has been able to find factory work; Jessica received a scholarship and has been able to stay in school. She graduates in just a few weeks and hopes to go on to be a Spanish/ English secretary. The Blocks are truly family to her and she poured out her heart to Amy and Addisyn, Amy's daughter, about her sadness over the fact that her dad will not see her graduate and her fears about being able to continue her education. This special young girl asks every team to write down their names so she can pray for us. She is a treasure!
[Jessica]
In the afternoon we went into San Lucas for lunch and purchased a few things in the market. Back at VOH there were soccer jerseys to be hung, Casa 4 to clean, some dirt that needed to be moved, and one last handprint needed for a special quilt project that is being completed by another team.
We never did the landscaping after all, but we did see the completion of our projects in Casa 4 and were able to help welcome the new house parents into their new home.
And then one of the highlights of each day -- our time with the kids here at VOH. Today Rafe shared the story of Joseph and once again brought it around to the Gospel. Rafe is a great storyteller and had the attention of young and old! He encouraged everyone to trust that Jesus can and does bring good from even our most difficult circumstances.
Crafts have been fun all week but Jen outdid herself today. There were stations with t-shirts. They could be decorated with pens and beads with the help of Kailey and Korissa; sock and hand puppets with Connie, Jen and Aidan; bandana bags with Alle and Kelsey; hand knitting with Jazmin (which was a huge hit among the ladies), and lastly, Rafe and I were roamers. Once again the kids, house parents, and teachers all joined in. At the end of our time we went outside with the rocket balloons (they love rocket balloons!), beach balls and hacky sacks. It was a great time especially since we have gotten to know the kids better each day. Each of these kids have touched our hearts in a unique way and we can't imagine having to leave them in just a couple days.
[T-shirt decorating]
[Hand-knitting]
[Puppet makers]
[Rocket balloons]
Shortly after 9 pm we saw the newest member of VOH, a precious 7-day old baby! Praise Jesus this little one has a home!
Tomorrow we will spend the day in Antigua and plan to zip line over the beautiful countryside. After that we will have lunch in the city and spend some time in the market.
Tomorrow night will be our last visit with the kids. The house parents will be going out for the night and we will help watch the children. We depart bright (or maybe dark) and early Saturday morning. Hope to send out an update tomorrow night before we leave!
Please keep us in your prayers! Love, Christine and team
To learn more about how to partner with Village of Hope-Guatemala please go to: http:/www.lifesongfororphans.org/countries/guatemala/
BTW - thank you to our editor back home who is posting all these updates. We appreciate it!
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