Day 3: Only A Child y La Libertad

Daniel carving a cross

Home visit with Lydia and Aida

Dear family and friends,
Today was a gut check day. We spent the morning with another ministry, Only A Child, which ministers to street/homeless/hopeful boys.  George Leger, a pastry chef from Boston, gave up his life in the U.S. to reach out to these kids in profound ways.  Over time, he has established a shelter, carpentry workshop, and opportunities for an education for these deserving kids. Responsible young men are a rarity in many communities in Guatemala.  George told us his fascinating story as well as introducing us to the boys and men who make Only A Child their life's mission.  I will include photos of our morning at the end of the blog.  We also drove by the Guatemala City Garbage Dump to see where many of the people Groundwork serves and many of the young adults who work with the ministry live.

Our afternoon started with more work on our faith lessons with the Guatemalan missionaries.  Later we broke into two groups and returned to the Dump area to a network of shanties called La Libertad. La Libertad was built on top of a dump by squatters who had no where else to live after leaving the countryside as a result of Guatemala's 30+ year civil war. Many spoke Mayan dialects rather than Spanish and as a result of that and racism, were left with scavenging in the garbage dump to survive.  A couple generations later, it is the unspeakably desperate home for the poorest of the poor.  Today's guest blogger is Julie Gatti. Even the returnees were staggered by today's experiences. It will be powerful to read her impressions. More photos to come at the end.
Blessings,
Sally

Hello All,
I fear that there is no way I could ever find the words to adequately describe the poverty we experienced today. The first place our group visited at La Libertad was the home of Lydia, a 19 year old mother of a sick 11 month old child, Aida (sp?).  Tiny Aida, who looked no older than 4 months, clung to her tiny mother who stood in the main living space in her slides with flies landing on her toes and legs and face almost constantly during our visit.  Lydia had just lost her mother, Maria, to an illness, most likely related at least in part to her use of alcohol.  Clothes lines hung throughout the space which was barely large enough for the seven of us (Kevin from Groundwork, Carlos, a Guatemalan missionary, Jen, Alaina, Megan, Leyna and me) to stand.  Thousands of flies flew around, landing on the drying clothes, swarming on the floor, and creating a buzzing cyclone around the opening to the home from the alleyway.  There was no door.  Cats and kittens dashed in and out.  Aida's stroller was piled with clothing covered in flies.  Two sewing machines sat, unused for now, as Lydia could not put down the ailing Aida without her immediately wailing.  Aida little ears were pierced with pretty little earrings and her big brown eyes, while wet with tears, could not be more beautiful.  Lydia showed us a framed picture of Maria.  Her eyes were full of sorrow.  Both she and her sister, Graciela, were sponsored children of Groundwork Guatemala, but only Graciela followed the stringent rules of sponsorship through high school graduation and became a mission success story.  Lydia became pregnant, dropped out, and lives in the tiny shanty with 13 others, including her drunken father and elderly grandmother.  She spoke of her father's addiction with open disdain, even in his presence upon his arrival to the home.

As hopeless and heart-wrenching as the scene would seem, quite remarkably, Lydia was very open to praying with us and sharing Bible readings.  When Kevin asked if she wanted to read the Bible, she immediately said, "Josue uno nueve." She read from Kevin's Bible in Spanish with perfect diction, Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  Jen's words when we arrived back at the mission house described the thoughts of all of us.  No one should have to live like that.

While we certainly appreciate your prayers, please include the people of Zone 3/La Libertad - that they would not be discouraged.

On a personal note, Scott and Julian, Leyna and I miss and love you.

Only A Child and Trinity

Home visit with Maria

Note from Sally: I know the photos did not load in the right order, but honestly, I am just happy to get them posted at all.  It is extremely hard to manipulate.  Buenas Noches.