Rarely in life do you get to participate in being Jesus in such a beautiful way that we were able for a few short hours.
Matteo is 4, John Lucas is 6 and Carolina is 13. Several years ago their mom decided to take off. This past Tuesday their dad (who was raising them) fell off the roof and died. Sooo, three children left on their own. Not entirely on their own . . . thanks to Nuevos Amigos and some amazing Jesus-followers who are committed to caring for them.
Our task was simply to clean their 3 room home, paint the walls and do what we could to make the hovel habitable.
We trudged up the mountain with our supplies in tow. In third world poverty, the higher you climb, the worse the poverty. When we arrived at the children’s home, the living conditions were nothing short of deplorable. We spent the next 3 hours cleaning, painting, praying, crying . . . trying not to think about our own children living in such a state.
At one point we decided to take the pile of filthy clothes that were piled in the corner and fold them neatly–try to bring some semblance of order to the bedroom where all three children shared a single wood bed. As I was folding clothes I stuck my hand into a shirt. I felt something squishy. I pulled my hand out and made the mistake of smelling what was on my fingers. It was poop! That’s when we decided to bring the clothes back to our hostel to wash them.
We finished with the cleaning and painting and were pulling the scraps of furniture back into the rooms. We couldn’t bring ourselves to carry in the mattress and bedding–it was rancid. We hopped in our bus and headed for the closest market to purchase new mattresses and bedding. Quite the adventure carrying mattresses through the street.
At 5 o-clock the makeover was complete. Matteo, John Lucas and Carolina came up the hill from school to see what the gringos had done to their home. I’ve never seen such looks of delight and gratitude! May I never forget.
These are some of the before and after images . . .
What a blessing!! You all are doing amazing things. Praying for you!
Two thoughts……. 1. You guys rock! I thought I was seeing something on HGTV!!!! 2. HAND SANITIZER!!!!! :-)
Awesome! We love you guys. God bless you indeed! Keep pouring that love out…
Wow! How wonderful for those kids. It’s great to see how God is using you all in this trip. Keep on blessing/and being blessed. Our prayers are with you.
Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus … blessings and continued prayers as you climb for kids and Jesus
WOW,the lord bliss you for your work and understanding needs and deeds!
prayers be with you!!
What a moving story – and so good that you guys have been able to be such a huge blessing to these children. Great photos too. Praying for you, love Alex & Hannah
Thank You Greg…my husband & I held those two boys in our arms the day before we left Quito in October…their story (how their mom left them and sister had to take care of them, because dad was , well, not engaged)weighted very heavy on our hearts. I have prayed foe them often…I smile now to see that my prayers have been answered! God is amazing…just amazing!!