Here in Los Montacitos there is a small Compassion International building where kids receive all kinds of support through the donations of people all over the world. Every Monday and Tuesday the kids attend classes to learn about the Bible and are given tools like learning how to use a computer. We have been teaching English since we arrived here, with the help of our awesome translator, Ronnie, who is an excellent English teacher and has been teaching for years. They also get two meals on those days and since we sometimes get their leftovers I can tell you that it is very yummy.
These kids are just full of life and joy and despite not having many possessions they make the most out of things they find. They can take a leaf and turn it into a propeller that spins when they run. I have had many fun times running around with the kids with our little propellers.
There is this one family that no one really wants to be near. It’s not because they smell but because their family life is not great. The family lives in the kitchen of an unfinished school building. No one wants to give this family land or a house to live in because they fight so much. One night as we slept in our tents we could hear the parents fight from 10pm to 6am. It was crazy because I went to bed hearing them fight and woke up to them fighting.
The family has two boys and a girl who are not in the Compassion classes. Jonky, who is 13, disrespects his mom by yelling at her and shoots rocks at his sister. Julissa, who is 10, takes care of the younger brother, Yonaji. One day the parents went to a presidential campaign rally and left the kids on their own for about 10 hours. We felt so bad and wished we could have feed them some food. The poor kids wear the same cloths every day and they don’t even fit the kids. The sister Julissa, and Yonaji, the younger brother, always come to hang out with us Americanos every day.
Yonaji and I have such a tight bond that he does not like it when the other boys his age want my attention or climb on me. He always seems to show up when we are doing a bible study and when we are doing our feedback. When I sit there during feedback, he comes and sits on my lap for a while before he gets bored and leaves. Sometimes it can be a distraction, but I can’t turn him down because I want to show him love and attention that he might not get from his father. We have been feeding Julissa our left overs and just watch her scarf it down like she has not eaten in days.
Sometimes we can get so busy and caught up in our life that we don’t make time for the ones who matter. It’s easy to get frustrated and turn children down but Jesus made sure to find time for children. Mark 10:13-16 just speaks to me and makes me want to change the way I view children. I challenge you to make sure to make time for children in your life because you might be the only Jesus they meet. Also if you can pray for this family that the community will continue to reach out to them and show them the love of Jesus.
Your brother in Christ,
Brett
