So as many of you know I am not the most talkative person when going places, like my dad. My dad will talk to anybody and everybody on every outing we go on. Whether we go to the grocery store or to a sporting event he has a discussion about big and small things with the people around us. For the longest time it annoyed the crap out of me that he would do this. I worried about what others would think of us and sometimes I just wanted to go to store quickly with no conversations. As I got older, the more important I realized it was to acknowledge people and ask about their lives. This little talk could change their day and could alter their attitudes.
A few days after arriving in Guatemala City my team and I decided to go to Starbucks for our Unsung Heroes training with Shoop. Unsung Heroes is where a team has to find contacts for future race teams to go to for their ministry. We have to find our own lodging for the month and cook our own meals. When we were being trained I noticed an American girl walk into Starbucks and she kept looking over at us. Me, being the introvert that I am was nervous to approach her, but I felt God telling me that I needed to go talk to her. I told me team that I will be right back and went up to her. I found out that her name was Lauren and that she worked for a Christian Non-Profit organization called Hope Renewed. I told her that I was apart of the World Race and she told me that one of her friends recently returned from the Race and kind of thought we might be Racers. I got the chills listening to her talk about what her organization did and told her she needed to come over and meet my team. She came over and began to share to the team what she did as well. I felt God telling me that we needed to visit her organization and learn more about it. We ended up hanging out with her the rest of the day. Lauren told us she had a guest house that she was living at that housed 30 people and that we could stay with her. She picked us up from the hostel that we were staying at and we moved in with her.
The first day we were with her we went to the women’s prison. In the women’s prison, Hope Renewed started a screen printing business to teach the women a skill and provide them with a healthy, honest, and encouraging place for the women. In order to be considered to work at the screen printing workshop you had to be in good standing with the guards and the head of the your sector, continuing your education, and show leadership skills. We got to meet several women that work at the screen printing shop and hear their stories. A few of the women were put in prison for crimes they had never committed and some were there for crimes they did commit. Most of them are thankful to be there because they have changed who they are and have learned so much. And even some have found Christ in the midst of their suffering.
The next day we visited the Dump Area. This area is were most of the poor people work. They collect bottles and plastic to sell. They wake up early and work til the mid-afternoon. The smell was one of the worst smells I have ever experienced. After visiting the place where some of the people work we visited where they lived. Hope Renewed built a pre-school for children living in the Dump and they offer counseling for them and their parents. It was cool to see that they are amongst the people there and in a place where little people actually acquire land to serve the people. So humbling.
Another avenue that Hope Renewed has is a bakery in Limonada, translated to lemonade. In Limonada, they are in the process of building a bakery to provide healthier bread and baked goods to tiendas, corner shops, in their village for a cheaper price. They want to create jobs and provide healthier alternatives to the tiendas. Limonada is one of the poorest villages in the world and houses over 100,000 people. When you say you are from this village or the areas surrounding it you are turned down for jobs even if you are qualified and have the education required for the job. Basically guilty by association.
One other ministry that Hope Renewed has is a girls orphanage ages 5-18 in Mazate-nago.They house 30 girls and provide them with food and encouragement. We were able to visit with the girls and stay the night there. They really have impacted these girls and have seen dramatic changes. They have a psychologist for counseling and many other avenues to serve the girls.
What I have really loved about this organization is their willingness to go to the places that most people don’t normally go and seek to provide more opportunities to people that others consider less than human or don’t even acknowledge them. Lauren has opened up her home to us for the whole month and has been such a blessing to us. She has provided us transportation, introduced us to other ministries here in Guatemala, and has been so hospitable. I can’t imagine staying anywhere else and serving alongside anybody else. Without God none of this would have been possible and I am so thankful that I listened to His voice. I would love to see AIM partner with Hope Renewed and serve alongside them.
For more information visit their website at hope-renewed.org
