DAY 10.... Hogar de Paz x 2
Hello... It's Sheila,
This was a GREAT day!! Sam will be talking about the start of the day down below - and it was amazing, so be sure to keep reading to the end. :)
In January I put out a plea for my friends and family on Facebook to contribute to buying sewing machines for my Colombian friend Rafa. He has a vision to help women learn to sew and leave their lives of prostitution. Last year I was able to purchase one machine but this year there was enough to buy FIVE!!!
Because of the brevity of time left in our time here, Rafa decided to sneak me away from the group and go down to the far south end of Bogota to see a guy, who knew a guy, who knew a guy that sold Singer machines and would give us a good deal.
In the 13 times I have been to Colombia I have never driven faster than about 60 km/hr. Today that changed as Rafa took me on the ride of my life (NASCAR style) through the busy streets of the city - all the while telling me stories, texting, and making phone calls. Quite the adventure.... But the best part was the stories that he told me about his vision for the people of Colombia. God has put passion in his heart for the indigenous people living about 9 hours drive from Bogota. He recently oversaw the building of a well to provide clean water for the people and the next step is to set up a plantation for yucca and other vegetables to sell to provide income for the people. Also, these five sewing machines are going to these people. Rafa wanted me to go with him on Wednesday to present them to the women but I will have to settle for just getting pictures.
I am inspired by the faith of these friends like Rafa. They live their faith like they breathe. I have been challenged to go beyond my comfortable little life and share the heart beat of Jesus in mine. I wonder every year if I will ever be unaffected by these 11 days in Colombia. I'm so thankful that instead of that, it just puts more passion in my heart.
Thank you for following us these days. I am fully confident that this small team is only able because of the larger team of prayer warriors standing with us in the frey.
Dios te bendiga!
It is I, Sam,
Today we woke up and went to the first Hogar de Paz (House of Peace.) It was a beautiful facility, but there were not many kids there, so that was kind of sad. But it was still incredible to see the work that was done there and continues to be done. It still blows my mind that to many of those kids, that is literally the only place that they feel safe or loved. I am so used to feeling loved in my home that I cannot even imagine the place that I feel safe not being my home, with my family. But that is a reality for so many of them.
We played a game of Pato, Pato, Ganzo (Duck, Duck, Goose) and Four Corners. It was so much fun to see them laugh and have fun, but also super depressing to think about the fact that this may be the only time in the day that they feel that happiness. After we left that house, we went for a delicious lunch, and then launched off into the streets of Bogota again. After about half an hour of driving, we arrived at the second Hogar de Paz of the day.
This one was in a more obviously rough neighborhood, surrounded by houses that had literal pieces of tin roofing as walls. We went inside the home in which it is and I was blown away by the fact that we were supposed to fit thirty screaming, wriggling kids in it, it was so tiny. We sort of sat awkwardly for about half an hour as we waited for the kids to get home from school, but as soon as they started to arrive, we were all busy. There were about twenty-five to thirty kids all smushed into the room, along with the fourteen of us that had come. But we all had our own one or two kids to help with homework or coloring, which was really fun for us but maybe not them, since they were doing homework. We sang some songs with them in English and Spanish and did our skit and dance.
The hardest part about working with them was hearing some of the stories of the kids there. There was one boy who really touched all of our hearts. When we got to the House, one of the leaders there said that there was a boy who had not been for about three weeks, so Miss Lockhart and the leader (Claudia) went to go look for him. They arrived at his house only to find him there, taking care of his one-year-old niece. A twelve year old boy given the responsibility of raising a one one-year-old girl. It took them a while to convince him that he should come, and when he did, he didn't run around playing with the others, and when he was given the snack, he didn't eat it, but instead saved it for his niece. Just knowing that a boy that young had that much responsibility riding on his shoulders, and that he thought that he had to do it all on his own broke all of our hearts. He didn't have the hope of Jesus, but just the reality that he had to take care of this girl, only thinking about the day at hand, and not what the next day would hold. Just living in the moment, thinking of what there would be to eat next. Sadly, that is not his reality of just today when we were there, but every day.
Overall, it was really a good day. I think that it was really awesome for us all to see how those kids live, but also the hope that is sprouting in those neighborhoods with the Houses of Peace. And an excellent reminder, for me at least, of how much we need to lean on Christ and how truly hopeless it is when we take Him out of the picture. Anyways, thanks for reading, and thank you for all of your prayers!!
This was a GREAT day!! Sam will be talking about the start of the day down below - and it was amazing, so be sure to keep reading to the end. :)
Because of the brevity of time left in our time here, Rafa decided to sneak me away from the group and go down to the far south end of Bogota to see a guy, who knew a guy, who knew a guy that sold Singer machines and would give us a good deal.
I am inspired by the faith of these friends like Rafa. They live their faith like they breathe. I have been challenged to go beyond my comfortable little life and share the heart beat of Jesus in mine. I wonder every year if I will ever be unaffected by these 11 days in Colombia. I'm so thankful that instead of that, it just puts more passion in my heart.
Thank you for following us these days. I am fully confident that this small team is only able because of the larger team of prayer warriors standing with us in the frey.
Dios te bendiga!
It is I, Sam,
Today we woke up and went to the first Hogar de Paz (House of Peace.) It was a beautiful facility, but there were not many kids there, so that was kind of sad. But it was still incredible to see the work that was done there and continues to be done. It still blows my mind that to many of those kids, that is literally the only place that they feel safe or loved. I am so used to feeling loved in my home that I cannot even imagine the place that I feel safe not being my home, with my family. But that is a reality for so many of them.We played a game of Pato, Pato, Ganzo (Duck, Duck, Goose) and Four Corners. It was so much fun to see them laugh and have fun, but also super depressing to think about the fact that this may be the only time in the day that they feel that happiness. After we left that house, we went for a delicious lunch, and then launched off into the streets of Bogota again. After about half an hour of driving, we arrived at the second Hogar de Paz of the day.
This one was in a more obviously rough neighborhood, surrounded by houses that had literal pieces of tin roofing as walls. We went inside the home in which it is and I was blown away by the fact that we were supposed to fit thirty screaming, wriggling kids in it, it was so tiny. We sort of sat awkwardly for about half an hour as we waited for the kids to get home from school, but as soon as they started to arrive, we were all busy. There were about twenty-five to thirty kids all smushed into the room, along with the fourteen of us that had come. But we all had our own one or two kids to help with homework or coloring, which was really fun for us but maybe not them, since they were doing homework. We sang some songs with them in English and Spanish and did our skit and dance.
The hardest part about working with them was hearing some of the stories of the kids there. There was one boy who really touched all of our hearts. When we got to the House, one of the leaders there said that there was a boy who had not been for about three weeks, so Miss Lockhart and the leader (Claudia) went to go look for him. They arrived at his house only to find him there, taking care of his one-year-old niece. A twelve year old boy given the responsibility of raising a one one-year-old girl. It took them a while to convince him that he should come, and when he did, he didn't run around playing with the others, and when he was given the snack, he didn't eat it, but instead saved it for his niece. Just knowing that a boy that young had that much responsibility riding on his shoulders, and that he thought that he had to do it all on his own broke all of our hearts. He didn't have the hope of Jesus, but just the reality that he had to take care of this girl, only thinking about the day at hand, and not what the next day would hold. Just living in the moment, thinking of what there would be to eat next. Sadly, that is not his reality of just today when we were there, but every day.Overall, it was really a good day. I think that it was really awesome for us all to see how those kids live, but also the hope that is sprouting in those neighborhoods with the Houses of Peace. And an excellent reminder, for me at least, of how much we need to lean on Christ and how truly hopeless it is when we take Him out of the picture. Anyways, thanks for reading, and thank you for all of your prayers!!
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