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First of all the reason this is part 1 is simply because I feel that this will be a theme throughout the year so even though I have no plans for a part 2 and so on, I think God does so I’m going to leave it open.

While talking to people before I left, it was easy to get the feeling that the next year is a lot about me. I should have counted the number of times someone mentioned that they were jealous and wished they could be doing what I am now. I tried my best to keep the right perspective in reminding myself and others about how much of a grace from God this opportunity is. I have prayed that God would not let pressures from here or home such as expectations or feelings of owing those that supported me get in the way of God working not because of me but despite me.

This feeling finally hit my heart yesterday. Me and a fellow leader got to visit Los Pinos, the colonie that we will be working in this month, and meet with the Madrinas of the community. At first there was a feeling of anger and hopelessness as they truely didn’t believe that anything could change. Gang violence, fatalism, drugs, hunger, lack of education and broken families mixed in with the fact that they are one of the only colonies without any “Presidente” or leader give them good reason to think this way. As we asked them what their needs are I couldn’t help but have the same feeling that we really couldn’t do a lot that would last after we after.

So here is where God showed it to me. My problem was simply the fact that I was looking at it with how the world looks at programs, that is “begin with the end in sight”. This sometimes works but the fact is the end of the work we do in Los Pinos won’t even be close to completion when we leave. Tony has spent years here and invested EVERYTHING into ONE family just to see amazing changes happen. Where does that leave me? It leaves me with nothing to give the people excpet the hope that the faith they see in us will be contagious to the whole community. The people want it, and we want to give it, I just can’t think about it with the end in sight but just live every moment while I’m here enjoying the fact that God is working through me with his plan for Los Pinos. I may see one step forward and two steps back, but God has great plans for that community and nothing I can give them will last except for what God has given me. It’s not about me, my team, Tony, but about God’s plan of doing what he does…the impossible!
This is a video I took of the school that the government abandoned where violence and gang activity has taken place right before the meeting with the Madrinas. Our hope is to turn it into a community center. It shows you what God has given us to work with, and to be honest I’d rather have this than $100,000 to build a new building!