Sponsorship
In the social work/sponsorship site led by Steven Henkedley, we focus on children whose families are receiving help to put them through school by donations from families in the United States. In the past few days, I have made a house visit, led a few youth group type meetings, visited a kindergarten class, played soccer, and even helped create part of a curriculum for a new club for 5th and 6th grade boys.
The thing that impacted me most so far has definitely been the home visit we made on Monday. We listened to a 20 year old girl name Marlin share her story about her faith and how she has been able to make it to the position she is in today. Her dad abandoned her and her family when she was little. She grew up fatherless with 4 other siblings until her mother met another man and got remarried. They had 4 more children together. She was able to be sponsored and put through school and was the first woman from her town to graduate from school. But sadly, her second father passed away just before graduation. Her phone got stolen, and a trumpet she borrowed from her school was taken as well. She is trying to raise money to buy a new trumpet for the church, which is why she can't afford to go to school right now. Currently, her mom has 9 kids and is without a job, and they are all sleeping in one room. But after every trial, Marlin told us she finishes with 6 words, "But I still have my faith." Her faith is something that no one can take away from her, and she knows that better than anyone. She believes that God will provide for her and her family. I was fortunate to show her Romans 1:16-17, and her face lit up when she read the words, "The righteous shall live by faith." I started to tear up as she asked our site leader, "Does that mean I'm righteous?" Her trust in the Lord despite her circumstances is incredibly inspiring and something God knew I needed to hear.
- Ricky Belyeu
Microfinance Site
My time in the Microfinance Site with Geber Lopez has been nothing short of amazing. Our work has consisted of touring 5 different communities and visiting members at their homes and businesses. We have also learned how the micro-loans are given out and how the businesses are run. We hosted a graduation banquet for the ladies that no longer need loans, learned how to make tortillas, and taught a community how to make chocolate chip cookies. We have also helped the members of this group by repairing holes in a roof, building a chicken coop, painting a kitchen, and pouring concrete to stop water from leaking into a family's home (where the mom is in Microfinance and the kids attend the Special Education school). 
Through this site, something I didn't expect coming into the trip has been having so many opportunities to love on the children of the ladies in the site and in the communities where we've been working. I've had so much fun running, carrying, flipping, and dancing with them. It has been such a blessing to work alongside Geber and pastors as they strive to not only provide support and accountability to the businesses of as many people as possible in these communities, but also serve and show Christ's love to these people each day in so many practical ways!
- Kyndell Crowell
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