Day 4

Today was a day that truly touched the lives of all of us on the team. We experienced so many things today that would never happen in our communities. It became even more apparent of the need that there is over here for us to become involved in the work that God is doing. These people are living lives that are completely broken. The children are being ripped of their innocence at such a young age. They are never given a chance to experience the amazing creation that God has made for them.

In the morning we spent the day touring the various Living Hope sites. We went through the hospital and saw the various ways which Living Hope is reaching out to the population stricken with HIV and other diseases. The facility has 22 beds that are there to provide a Christian environment to those struggling. It was amazing to hear the stories from Mike and John on how God has blessed their organization numerous times over the years since it has been in existence. Almost all of the facilities that Living Hope owns are debt free and have been acquired at prices that completely reflect God's involvement in the process.

After the health care facility we went to the work facility that Living Hope has. There are numerous buildings on the campus that are used to train those living in the various townships for various job skills. We heard the story of one man who has been a part of this program and is now making hand carved candles and wire stars for an organization in the US that will sell them on his behalf. The facility also has an area for pottery making, sewing and even a computer training lab. The great thing about Living Hope is that they truly are meeting the needs of the community from all aspects. Many organizations just focus on one part of the need such as food, shelter, clothing, education or healthcare. Living Hope is meeting all these areas for the community which makes it so much more effective than other organizations.

Probably one of the most impacting moments of the entire day was when John Thomas, the founder of Living Hope, provided his insight to the community as we toured with him. He told us exactly what life was like for these people living in these communities and the experiences that they have been to. Many of these children experience things at such a young age that children in America never have to think about. These families living in single room shacks that provide absolutely no privacy. Children are witnessing everything that goes on inside their home. Sex is a huge issue in these communities. The males often have multiple partners and the females often sell themselves as a way to earn extra income. These children are often in the room of the house observing all these things. John said that for many of these children, by age 8 they are already experimenting with sex, sometimes even as young as age 5. They have seen in their communities already that 11 year old girls are pregnant. It is completely gut wrenching to think these children are losing their innocence at such a young age. No child should be experiencing these things. Children need to enjoy their time as children and not be exposed to these sorts of things. God did not intend for children to be exposed to these things. He intended children to be nurtured in a loving environment where they are encouraged to grow and live life to the fullest. It is so hard to see these children and know in the back of our mind that many of these kids will never have the opportunity to go to school because they are required to have uniforms in order to attend. Uniforms cost money and when there is rarely enough money to buy food for the day, these children never have the chance to learn the things that our children learn in America.

After spending the morning in the communities, we finally got our first chance to be up close and personal with the kids. It was so incredible to be part of this opportunity and interact with the kids in a loving manner. To think that we may be the only time during the day when we can make these kids smile, laugh and give them hugs is so sad. Our time spent with the kids is truly amazing. They loved the songs that we taught them, the puppet show that we put on and the skit from Jeremiah. After this time we broke into two groups for snack and craft time. The kids took frisbees and put stickers on them. They all wanted to put as many stickers as they could on the frisbees and were having a blast. Lots of smiles and lots of laughs! One of the most impacting times was when we distributed the sandwiches for snack time. For some of these kids, this sandwich is the only meal that they get during the day. We were told this before hand and as we were distributing the sandwiches, it became apparent which children were the ones that only received one meal. Those were the children than practically inhaled their sandwiches. Some children didn't even finish theirs. Those were the ones who received daily meals from their homes. It was hard to leave all the kids after our time but they were all excited to come back and see us the next day. We told each of them to bring friends tomorrow. It will be exciting to see just how many kids we have for our next session!

We were fortunate enough to have dinner with John and Avril Thomas back at the Team House. It is so incredible to hear their stories and learn about the amazing work that they are doing. They are so deeply connected with the community and know exactly what the needs are. It reminded us all just how important it is to engage the community around you while coming in and doing God's work. The best results happen when the actual community is involved in the work themselves. Seeing the success that they have had makes it apparent that they have the right combination. They are constantly having to change their techniques to combat the ever changing communities. It was great to see that through everything they are still so passionate about what they are doing and the work that God is doing for them.

Tomorrow we will start the door to door ministry. Please keep us in your prayers both for safety and being able to impact those that we are ministering with. Tomorrow will be another emotional day for all of us as we are going to be up close in the living situations of Overcome Heights. It will be completely life changing for all of us and I think as we are back next week, we will all have a new perspective on what really matters in life. Thanks again for all your support. We really appreciate it while being half way around the world!