Wednesday, August 11, 2010
10 Pictures: 1
Tweet
I want to remember our week in Guatemala and to continue to tell some of the stories in more detail. Therefore, I'm going to try to post 10 pictures along with 10 descriptions and stories over the course of the next week.
The first picture is of our team standing in Alicia's finished house. (Alicia is the short woman in a pink shirt and pink dress). This picture was taken on Friday, the last full workday, about 1pm in the afternoon. We had worked all morning, had prayed that the rains would hold off, and had finally put the finishing touches on Alicia's house.
Alicia is a cook in one of the feeding centers in Guatemala. She rides the bus for over an hour to go to the squatter settlement, cook, clean and provide food for 150 children three days a week. For this work she earns about $100 American dollars a month (600 Guatemalan Quetzales).
Alicia lived with her sister in a one room "house" (what we would call a shack) made of branches from trees and lamina, or tin, sides and roof. The tin was rusted. There were holes in the ceiling. The floor was dirt. There was one light and one electrical outlet. Five people lived in this house which was about the size of an average bedroom in the States.
Our goal was to put in a 12ft x 12ft concrete floor, wood walls, and a new tin roof. We were able to do this (with a lot of help from Oscar, an experienced builder) in about 2 and half days. It was hard work, but the team really came together and the finished product was pretty awesome. What was even more awesome was hearing Alicia talk about her new house.
Once we finished the construction, we did a short "dedication" service, which included a few songs and a few Scripture verses. Then we moved some items into the new house: 2 new beds, a table, four chairs, some household items like plates, cups and blankets and sheets. The house was FULL to the brim after we squeezed all this in.
Then the rain started to fall. So we huddled in the house together. All 15 of us! It was really cozy. But little Alicia (about 4 1/2 feet tall) had something to share. She said that she had always asked God why she had so little, why she was struggling. She said that she could envision her house, but she never had enough money to build anything. Then God provided some money for a roof. Then God provided our team to come and help build the rest and to give the rest of the money (total cost: $1,400). She said that while she had hoped for a house, she had never hoped for this much.
She never hoped for this much. A 144 sq. feet, one room, concrete floor, no running water, wooden house. I was humbled and challenged by her words.
What do I hope for? What am I waiting for God to do in my life? How is God going to surprise me and do more?
I never hoped for this much....
I want to remember our week in Guatemala and to continue to tell some of the stories in more detail. Therefore, I'm going to try to post 10 pictures along with 10 descriptions and stories over the course of the next week.
The first picture is of our team standing in Alicia's finished house. (Alicia is the short woman in a pink shirt and pink dress). This picture was taken on Friday, the last full workday, about 1pm in the afternoon. We had worked all morning, had prayed that the rains would hold off, and had finally put the finishing touches on Alicia's house.
Alicia is a cook in one of the feeding centers in Guatemala. She rides the bus for over an hour to go to the squatter settlement, cook, clean and provide food for 150 children three days a week. For this work she earns about $100 American dollars a month (600 Guatemalan Quetzales).
Alicia lived with her sister in a one room "house" (what we would call a shack) made of branches from trees and lamina, or tin, sides and roof. The tin was rusted. There were holes in the ceiling. The floor was dirt. There was one light and one electrical outlet. Five people lived in this house which was about the size of an average bedroom in the States.
Our goal was to put in a 12ft x 12ft concrete floor, wood walls, and a new tin roof. We were able to do this (with a lot of help from Oscar, an experienced builder) in about 2 and half days. It was hard work, but the team really came together and the finished product was pretty awesome. What was even more awesome was hearing Alicia talk about her new house.
Once we finished the construction, we did a short "dedication" service, which included a few songs and a few Scripture verses. Then we moved some items into the new house: 2 new beds, a table, four chairs, some household items like plates, cups and blankets and sheets. The house was FULL to the brim after we squeezed all this in.
Then the rain started to fall. So we huddled in the house together. All 15 of us! It was really cozy. But little Alicia (about 4 1/2 feet tall) had something to share. She said that she had always asked God why she had so little, why she was struggling. She said that she could envision her house, but she never had enough money to build anything. Then God provided some money for a roof. Then God provided our team to come and help build the rest and to give the rest of the money (total cost: $1,400). She said that while she had hoped for a house, she had never hoped for this much.
She never hoped for this much. A 144 sq. feet, one room, concrete floor, no running water, wooden house. I was humbled and challenged by her words.
What do I hope for? What am I waiting for God to do in my life? How is God going to surprise me and do more?
I never hoped for this much....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment