Today we went to church at a local church that hosts a Compassion program. We were again greeted by great fanfare as the whole church waited outside for our buses to arrive. We were seated in the front of the church as special guests and they sang several songs in English and Spanish to make us feel welcome. The paster's wife led worship and then the pastor preached on the American Dream. He encouraged people that although America is a wealthy country with many opportunities, it is not worth leaving your family and sacrificing your children's wellbeing for the possibility of a better life for yourself. He pointed to passages in the Bible that support couples and families staying together as a unit and parents always thinking of their children first.
The church had not only a child sponsorship program for children, they also have a child survival program. This program is for pregnant mothers and children up to the age of three. They provide check-ups to mothers and babies, help the mothers know how to care for their children, and make sure that the kids are progressing normally.
After church we were asked to hand out food to the mothers (they get extra food from the program once a month). Then we hung out for a little while with the little kids while the moms were getting food. We then went on a tour of the project. They showed us where they measure and weigh the kids each month to make sure that they are growing as they should. Then we went upstairs to see where the kids get stimulation. The moms and babies were all on the floor doing different activities based on the kids ages to stimulate them mentally. After that we went to see the different programs that the moms can participate in to learn a skill that could help them earn a living. We went to a jewelry workshop, seamstress class, cosmetology workshop, and a shoe making shop that was mostly teenage boys who are enrolled in the project.
We then ate lunch with the members of the church. After lunch the pastor's family performed for us. He and his wife played violin, his oldest son played guitar, and his nephew played keyboard. Then we split into groups to visit the home of a few of the mothers from the CSP program.
The family that my group visited was the saddest situation that I have seen first hand here. The home was on a small lot with two others and 5 people lived in a cramped room with two beds. The mother was a 17 year old named Elsie whose son is almost 2. The baby's father (who Elsie will marry when she turns 18) is 38. Elsie told us that she used to take her little brother (who is now 4) to the CSP program when he was a baby. Her mother sent she and her little brother to live with her baby's father when she was 15. When she got pregnant, her mom made her quit school so that she wouldn't bring shame on the family and then beat her to try to get her to abort the baby. Elsie was very upset that her mother has never accepted her son and that she has told her that she wishes that she had never had Elsie (ironically enough Elsie's mom was 15 when she had her). However, Elsie considers her son a blessing and has resolved to be the mother to him that she never had. By the end of this visit our whole group and Elsie were in tears as we prayed for their family and then said goodbye.
After a quiet, reflective walk back to the church, we met up with the rest of the group and gave the gifts we had brought to the project director to distribute to the families. We then said our goodbyes and headed out.
For dinner we went to a restaurant located on a volcano with the most amazing views of the city below. The dinner was excellent and it was fun to talk and relax a little and then get back a little early to the hotel to wind down.
Sorry there are no pictures of today- I wasn't feeling well this morning and we weren't given permission to take any pictures at Elsie's house.
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