Blog, Page 22

Ali, Kristie, Katie, and Marissa boarded their plane this morning for their trek home. They had an awesome two weeks with and without the Voices of Youth. Yesterday we spent the day at the house with the family. Kristie showed Freddy how to use a water system that she brought down. The girls ended their trip with queso frito and yucca. Last night we took Freddy and the boys to the plaza for ice cream and time to just spend with the girls. The boys then came back to La Islita to help us with the luggage in the morning. We talked about our favorite parts of the week.

Today was the last day with Voices of Youth. They sung in church this morning and then the church shared some of their “hits” with the missionaries. It was a wonderful service of music. The team headed to the airport for their 230 flight getting there just in time before all the other missionaries showed up and flooded American Airlines. I returned back to the house to meet up with Ali, Kristie, Marissa, and Katie. We got some siesta time in and then headed to the Monument. We picked up Freddy and brought him to the house to look at a small water system that Kristie brought.

Everyone woke and made it to the terrace for the morning devotions led by Sarah. She talked about Cuesta Arena and the state it was in several years ago. The children were so preoccupied with worries about life, they weren’t really able to enjoy it. We learned about their circumstances and the changes that had occurred since she and Cyri, the pastor of the church there, had begun working with them. Sarah used a verse from Romans 12:3-13 that talked about hope and encouraged everyone as we went to work for the first day to look for places that they saw hope.

This morning we were greeted by Chad with a friendly reminder to wake up at 7:00 a.m. Everyone quickly got their things together for the day and headed out for devotions. Afterward, Brian announced Zack as the FFP recipient for the day! Not only had he been helping move the dirt from the pit to the house the day before, he had become best friends with one of the children from Cuesta Arena and everyone had noticed their close bond.

Voices of Youth safely arrived on Monday evening. They began working hard Tuesday morning finishing excavating the 10,000 gallon cistern in Cuesta Arena. They have worked all week digging and moving the dirt into the mission house. They have played with the children and even spent time singing and sharing bible stories. You can follow them and their blogs at http://www.voyva.blogspot.com/. Tomorrow is their last day in Cuesta Arena. Saturday they will invite people to the concert they will be performing on Saturday night.

This evening we have a choral group of 26 flying in to share their talents. Ali, one of the missionaries that spent two weeks with me in June, returned Wednesday night with three friends to join the group. Do to size, we are all sleeping and eating at La Islita. The group will be working on concreting the cistern in Cuesta Arena and preparing for a concert on Saturday night at the church. I am excited to meet the group and begin working daily out in Cuesta Arena. At church on Sunday, Oriliedy and Jordaly joined Herman and Guillermo for church.

“Everyone in the world has family.” Today I met with Lily, Sairy’s old neighbor that is a social worker in the country. She introduced me to another woman who took me the Conani headquarters. I visited an orphanage a few years ago just blocks from the church by the same organization. I didn’t know it until today but Conani is much like our DCF. It is an government agency that works with children and their families to aid them in assistance. At the Conani regional headquarters I met with yet another social worker who is the only social worker for the entire region.

I have the privilege of working not only with the pastor here but also have the benefit that her husband works in the government. Last night I sat down to figure out exactly what the government provides and does not provide. After spending a year studying the history of the United States aid to the poor as well as England, it interests me to find out what the DR does for their poor. Especially since so many are poor in this country.