Today was a very difficult day for me. I saw so much poverty, so much hardship, so much pain. And yet, some of these people were stronger in their faith than I could ever hope to be.

This morning, we left the ministry house at 7:15 to do a devotion with the teachers at the school. Then, we got a tour of all the classrooms. The children were so precious and happy to see us.

First was the kindergarteners who were just so cute. Then, we went to a room with kindergarteners and 1st grade where we saw Lillian, Manuel’s daughter. She ran up to Heather so I sat in her seat which made all the kids laugh (it was a very tiny desk). I had kids reaching out to touch and hug me. What they did not know was how their physical touch embraced my heart more than my body. It touched my heart.

We visited all the classrooms and the children were so precious. We got to ask their names, favorite games/sports/foods and what they wanted to be when they grew up. Some children wanted to be soccer players, teachers, doctors, lawyers, chemists, secretaries, etc. One boy said he wanted to have good grades so he could move on to the next level.

They were very curious about us as well. They wanted to know our names, ages, favorite sports/foods, if we were married or had kids and what we did for a living. They were most excited to hear Heather was 16 and single…that Chris worked in law enforcement and that I worked in TV. I think something was lost in translation because the kids started calling me a movie star.

A couple of the little ones had SpongeBob SquarePants shirts on so I kept laughing with them about SpongeBob!

Another funny experience was meeting Ilberto, a student at the school. We first met him in one room and then it turned out he was actually in a different classroom and we met him there, too. What a silly boy. I bet he is a trouble-maker. We also got to meet Coca’s sister and brother.

After we finished the tour of the school, we were split into two groups for more house visits. The other group had two stops…but we only made one.

We went to Beatrice’s “home.” She is 29 and a mother of three. She is such a strong woman. Beatrice is in her second marriage and things aren’t going well for her. She has an alcoholic father who is no longer around or living with them. Her husband works for a pharmacy and abusing drugs there. It broke my heart to hear her story. When she was pregnant, her husband thought she was having a boy so when she had little Melissa (now 6 mo.), her husband said he didn’t want anything to do with Melissa or the rest of the family anymore. He is basically completely absent except for sleeping at night.

Despite all her problems, she was so thankful for what little she did have — including the health of her three children. Beatrice said it was more difficult now that Manuel (8) was back living with her because it was hard to provide for another person. Manuel had been living with his paternal grandparents because they had more money and were able to provide him with a better life.

What was most touching for me was when Heather became very faint and almost blacked out. Chris and Dawn took her aside to sit down and then Beatrice ran to one of her plants and ripped a branch off. She brought it to heather and told her to smell it. It was amazing how quickly it worked. Then, Beatrice was more concerned with Heather’s well-being than for her own. She wanted us to pray for Heather instead of herself. What an amazing and strong woman in her faith!

We went back to the ministry for a delicious lunch made by the women there. It was rice, potatoes and some type of sauce. When we were done, my team went back to the squatters area for La Provision (soup kitchen) and the other team went to the cemetery to see the garbage dump. La Provision was a very moving experience! Some of us washed the people’s hands while others served soup and juice. I think I saw some of the same men come through the line nearly a dozen times. It broke my heart to see these starving men. I’d guess they hadn’t eaten in days and didn’t know where their next meal was coming from…and that’s why they ate so much and so fast.

I will never forget the love and appreciation on their faces as we served them. It was very difficult to see their situation and to know that they may never leave this place.

I helped a little boy carry the soup back to his home. His family just kept thanking me for the little bit of food I did provide him with.

Some of the people we helped were, like this family, just so appreciative for the soup. SOUP!!! I may never look at soup the same way again.

After we ran out of water for washing, juice and soup, we packed up to go back to the ministry where our team led a hygiene class for the 5-7th graders. Joanne did all the talking and taught the kids about germs, bathing, washing hands, brushing teeth and using deodorant.

After the hygiene class, we sat around awhile before the afternoon Bible class with the ministry workers. Collin from the other team took charge.

Today we also had the opportunity to do a VBS with the children from the squatters school. It was the Iowan team’s turn and it was really neat to see what they had prepared. The kids loved it and their bracelet craft was a hit!

When we returned to the mission house, I had a really great talk with Chris, Tom, Maria and Melissa. Then, it was time for taquitos! They were tortillas wrapped around bologna and cheese and then deep-fried. We also had some spicy red sauce and veggies. Dinner was absolutely delicious! I think I got a little sick from the cheese. Darn lactose intolerance!

After dinner, I had a long talk with Ginny Holmes and David. Ginny is a long-term mission worker from the U.S. and David is a team leader and member of the Servant’s Heart Board of Directors. I volunteered to take over the website. We had a wonderful talk and I am really getting the feeling that my work is not done here. God has a plan for me. One week is not enough.