In the Swing of things

One of the purposes of joining into a Community to Community relationship with Sierra Prieta via Food for the Hungry, is to give hope and encouragement to the people here so that they can gain a better perspective on their value and dignity.  Reflecting on the attitudes expressed at the welcome ceremony it is evident that the relationship between these folks and Cornerstone with FH’s regular contact is having this effect.  It is really amazing when so many people express their gratitude and reveal the encouragement they gain from our visits.  This phenomena really blows our minds.  People we rarely see express their connection with the church and the team with great emotion.  We hope that those who have sent us and pray for us understand the value of this work.

The community center that we brand new last year is now used daily as a center for early childhood development with older preschoolers in the morning and younger ones in the afternoon.  40 kids are currently in the program with a teacher funded by the local school.  In addition the water tank is in place on the rear part of the building, eliminating the need for the community(and us) to have water carried in for washing and cleaning.  We actually now have flushing toilets, showers and water running in the sinks.  Those who have been coming for many years feel very spoiled. This place is a great source of pride for the community.

We spent the morning today digging trenches to the farthest ends of the communities.  Once part of the project is complete the entire community will no longer have to travel up to a mile carrying 5 gallon buckets on their heads for the totality of their water needs.  The heat and humidity kept us drinking lots of water and recoating in sunscreen as it sweated off. 

After lunch and some rain, Bob and Dan visited some of their sponsored children, while Andrew, Greg, Holden and Taber led VBS.  The VBS was a little smaller than in the past as there were a fe2w competing sports events going on in town.  But Holden told the story of the loaves and fishes with help for Genesis in translation. 

Just before dinner we walked together to make 3 more sponsored child visits, one for Dan and 2 for the Wilson Family. 

Tomorrow we will be working on the water system some more in the moring.  Then will have VBS and home visits in the afternoon.  At 6 in the evening we will be having a meeting with the teenagers.  This will be focused primarily on speaking to them about the dangers of sex before marriage and multiple partners as well as giving the kids chances to ask questions in a safe environment.

We greatly appreciate your prayers and look forward to sharing more with you all once we arrive home.  

I think we finally have the internet challenge overcome a bit.  I will submit a separate post with lots of pictures.