mercadito y centro de internet

The church took over the location where I used to have the agriculture site and where the church building is located. Since I moved out, they moved into the casita and the garden.

Just this week they turned the casita into a small vegetable market and internet cafe. They are selling vegetables, such as eggplant and cabbage, and some fruit.

The internet cafe isn't funcitoning, yet, because they are waiting to get electricity (as is most of Los Higos after two and half weeks without power). Joselito, pictured above, is going to work there in the mornings and Laura will work in the afternoons. The have four computers and will be using a satellite internet connection that Joselito installed in his house last fall. The church will split the cost for internet with Joselito.

My understanding is that the church is hoping to make some money with this venture while at the same time offering some services that the community needs. Many students (like Elvis in the picture above) have to make special trips into town to use the internet to do research for their schoolwork. Having an internet cafe in Los Higos will be more convenient and probably will save them money because they won't have to pay transportation for extra trips into town. In addition, it is often difficult to find fresh vegetables and fruit in Los Higos. This seems impossible, since it so easily grows here, but the truth is that people don't grow as much fruit as you would expect.

letrero

A few weeks ago the art site created a sign to put on my site. Nate hung it about a week ago. It really is a piece of art and totally encompasses what the site is about. Note that the cross is actually a tree trunk, and the arms of the cross form a hill, like we see in the green mountains all around Los Higos. The ball of yarn has plants growing out of it.

The Bible on the sign quotes Deuteronomy 30:19, "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live..." I truly desire that this verse would become true at our site- that women would be presented with choices and that they would choose life.

estudio con las muchachas

On Tuesday, we began a girls' Bible study. Nine girls, ages 12 to 17, had signed up, but only five came. The study will last two months and we will talk about dating, love, marriage, and boys.

One of the biggest problems that I see in Los Higos is that girls get 'married' (they move in together, often with his parents) very young to the first boy who ever decides he likes her. Usually they quit school when they get married. Often these relationships break apart after a few years, and the girl is left to raise a child without the father's help and with no skills, because she quit school.

This problem is overwhelming to me and I know it will take generations to change. I pray, however, that God transforms these girls in the same way He has transformed me and many of the girls who have come on teams to work with me. I see how he has changed my own view of who I am in light of who He is and changed much of my own thinking on relational topics. So, I know that the transformation I'm looking for can happen. Please pray that Jesus will begin the process in these girls: Wanda, Sara, Yesica, Natali, and Yoba.

baking with Lola

Over a year ago, I tried to help my friend, Lola, begin a small baking business from her house. It started out with a bang, but fizzled.

Lola took quite a while off without baking-- she went through a time last year when it seemed she didn't have ambition to do much of anything. Her stove wasn't working properly, anyway, and she didn't pursue getting it fixed.

But about a month ago, she decided she needed to give baking a shot again. It seems like there was a small breakthrough in her- she realized that sitting around, not working, wasn't getting her anywhere. I don't know if it was desperation or inspiration that hit her. She decided that she needed to do something, however, and got her oven fixed.

So, we began baking again. She is making banana bars and just last week learned to make white cake, to which she adds coconut (very yummy stuff!). Tomorrow I think we'll attempt chocolate cake. Because she doesn't read, she can't follow a recipe very easily. Lola depends on someone else to teach her each new recipe, which she commits to memory as she goes through the steps of making it.

I always struggle with Lola to know how much to help her and how much to let her help herself. She often says things to me like, "When you are around, I just feel so much better. I feel so sad when I'm home, but you help me to feel like everything is going to be okay." The last thing I want to do is allow Lola to become dependant on me, when her dependance should be placed on God. At the same time, I want to be her friend and help point her to Jesus. I don't want to abandon her, like she has been by so many others in her past. I pray that Jesus would help her to transfer her confidence and joy to Him- the only One who truly never leaves us.

piedras de concreta

Today we had some girls over to the new site to help make stepping stones to use in higher traffic areas in the yard. We made molds out of buckets (by cutting the bottoms out) and filled them with concrete (with a little wire in the middle for added strength). After letting them settle for about 45 minutes, the girls decorated them with colored concrete, marbles, buttons, etc.

I told the girls when we started that this is going to be a place for women and they are going be like the foundation of what we do. So, I want their mark under out feet.

One girl etched the words, 'Dios es amor'- 'God is love' into her stone. Others made designs in theirs.

Melvin mixed the concrete.

Sara shows the wire she put into her stone

One of our American students made one with Melvin and Uika's help.

Patria smooths some red cement onto the top of her stone.

Sara's finished stone.

Patria's finished stone