El Mirador 2020 Day 4
Update on the boy with the wound on his knee! Stacy was happy to announce that his knee looked significantly better today, and that with continuous care it will definitely be okay. This is so great to hear, since Stacy shared with us this evening that after last night she was honestly really concerned. Thank you for your prayers!
Walking around the community feels more and more like home everyday. Personally I enjoy the home visits because this is how we really get to know the community and show them we are invested in building relationships with them. Today we visited Juan’s home. Juan is the man who comes to the community center where we sleep every night, and he sleeps out in the common area to make sure we are safe all night. He has done this for every single one of the trips and we are so grateful for him! It was nice to see his home, meet some of his family, and get to know him better. We found out that he has 11 children, 17 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren! Wow! He was very proud to share that, and it was amazing to see the joy in his face while talking about his family.
The construction for today was another home renovation, but a different house than the other day. This home was also falling apart with small children living in it. However, like I said before, they are just grateful for the support and the resources to fix it. It’s important to understand though, that they really do not need our help in these things. We didn’t come here to give them stuff or show them our “American ways” of doing things. We came to walk alongside them in what they are already doing within their community. Food For The Hungry’s goal is to not even need to exist! Their mission is to create self sustaining communities that feel empowered to thrive and grow all on their own, using the gifts and talents that Christ has given them.
Tonight after dinner one of our translators made a really good point about how it’s easy to come on these sorts of trips and think “oh so sad, they are so poor” when in reality they don’t see themselves that way. This got me thinking...
This mentality is a worldly view of poverty. God doesn’t see us for our outward appearance or for the stuff we have, He looks at the heart. These people are so happy with the little they have, which is something we will never understand. Their sense of community will always surpass even our general understanding of what we think community should look like. Therefore, I have decided that in many ways we are the ones who are actually poor.
Tomorrow is our last day in the community! What an incredible week! Feeling blessed. Thank you Lord.