Thursday, July 14, 2011

Hey guys...it's Brooke here!

Chloe and baby Maria

the view of the ghetto we visited

only a small portion of the dump

going into the slums and handing out donations was the highlight of our day




the little girls playing right outside their home



the family we visited and brought lunch to
Hey everyone, this is Brooke!  I just thought I'd put up a little post up before we head home tomorrow already :( It has been such an incredible trip out here to Guatemala, I just wish it didn't have to come to an end so soon.  God has blessed me greatly with this eye-opening experience that has made me think twice about things in life and how very fortunate I am.  I believe that the Lord brought us here for many different reasons and one of the most important ones was to bring him glory in everything that we do and experience!  Many times I found myself just sitting there in amazement.  Before we left (a week ago tomorrow), I had been praying that God would pull on my heart strings this week and show me ways that I can better bring him glory.  Looking back on the week, God allowed me to take these experiences and now look at parts of my life in a whole new perspective as we were working with the kids in the orphanage here, in the Ghetto, at the State Orphanage and today at the Dump.  Realizing that it is now late on Thursday night, the week is coming to an end as we head to the airport bright and early tomorrow morning.  I would like to say just a bit about our experience at the Dump today.
           Well, I don't even know where to begin.... I guess I'll start by saying that coming to the dump was something that we did here that really made me ask God some questions.  At first, we went above the dump where the National Cemetary was located.  From there we could over-look the whole dump.  I'm not going to lie, the smell was horrendous.  The smell became much less of an issue when I sat back and realized that all the Guatemalan people down there were trying to make a living.  That was their job to sort through trash.  Desi and Joel told us that each week, the workers are assigned to a certain type of material.  For instance, some would only look for paper products, others for tin, and even some for plastics.  At the end of the day, they would bring there things home and sort them in their homes, hoping to sell as much as they could for a profit.  Just to get an idea of how much they would earn (on a good day with little or no rain), about a pound of paper would be worth 10 cents.  Then we got to hand out some donations in the slums....such a rewarding opportunity.  The kids were so greatful to receive something as small as a granola bar or a little bouncy ball.  Then we brought a chicken lunch to a family that Forever Change visits each week.  We actually got to sit down in the chairs of their "house"(the chairs were garbage bags filled with garbage).  We were able to hear their story and pray with them.  It was hard realizing that this life is all they know of, but I am very thankful they know the Lord.  In the end, that's all that matters.
      Tonight we had our goodbye pizza party(Kaley will post pics of that tomorrow).  It was seriously such a blast filled with pizza, dancing, glow sticks, and giggles.  The sad part was tucking them all in bed for the last time this week.  I wish I could bring each one of them home, but knowing that I can't...I will continue to pray for them each and every day.  The awesome thing about Forever Changed International is that you are able to sponsor any of their kids each month.  Here they are given not only a home and food, but also the hope of Christ.  Please take a look at their site and consider either spiritually or financially supporting them.(or both!)
                       http://www.foreverchangedinternational.org/sponsorship
Love you!!
   Brooke

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