My little friend...

I would like to introduce you to one of our sponsor children, his name is Isaias. He is 11 years old and has 4 other siblings. He has 2 older brothers, a younger brother and sister. His younger brother attends school with him at the AMG's Arca de Noah school in Oratorio. He lives in an house made out of adobe bricks, with windows that are open to anything and everything to enter and leave as it pleases. The door has no lock, the house has 3 rooms, 1 is the Kitchen and the other two are bedrooms for the family. He has no father. A very typical situation is Dad leaves to provide for his family because of lack of work in the area, usually with good intentions, but after awhile the family is abandoned and left fatherless. His older brother is 22 and is working hard to provide for the family. He is also building a new home for the family because the house they are living in is on rented land. He was able to save up to put a deposit on a piece of land. It is a treacherous walk to the location of the new house. Down small narrow paths, down the bank of a stream and up the bank on the other side climbing over large roots and rocks. I am careful with my footing, but the kids run up and down quicker than I could on a set of stairs. Using their speed as a propellant to launch themselves to the next step they have already planned out their route in their mind! We walked to the new location to see a new house built of recycled metal roofing attached with whatever nails could be found with maybe a few new ones thrown in here and there. The posts for the 4 corners are trees that he has cut down and set into the ground, and a door post made the same way. The metal is just nailed into the logs, and there is no way to keep the bugs, insects , rats and mice out of the house. The pride of ownership with the new house was evident, and they are working hard to be able to move into this new house in January when they finish paying off the land. The house is deep in the woods on a hill, with a stream cutting it’s way around the earth around the house to make a sort of moat around the front and sides. It is all I can do not to cry about the living conditions. This is the way of life for them, they know no difference. Their new house will stand up to the earthquakes better, and for that they are very excited. Seeing as we have experienced 6 or more this past week alone! But will it stand up to the things that climb in and out their windows? They have no protection. I watch the mother as she looks at us with very little joy or hope. Poverty stricken people, with little ability or means of changing their situation.
When looking at Christs time on earth we see a model of service that focused on the only thing that will permanently help which is knowing Christ as your savior, but He never ignored the physical needs of the people as well. This is the ministry of AMG. Reaching people where they are at with the love of Christ both spiritually and physically. Isaias is taught the Bible and is learning the truths of God in school everyday. I may not be able to be with Isaias and his family all the time. I am however, assured in knowing that at his school he is learning very valuable truths about his life and about the life of Jesus. And in turn he can teach others about Jesus' love for him. What a powerful tool that is!
The first time I met Isaias he was 9, and very scared of me. He had driven in a car for more that 2 hours to meet his sponsors. He thought we were going to take him away with us. We gave him a bag with some things for the family, and some small gifts and showered him with hugs, but that just made him for afraid of us. We couldn’t communicate with him without a translator, and I think that may have added to his apprehension of us! The second time we saw him was a little easier for him, he smiled and actually hugged us back. We were able to communicate with him, what a joy and blessing that was for us. All of the kids were able to meet him and now they know who he is as well. They played a little “futbol” or soccer and that made his smile even bigger! And now when he sees us, his face lights up, he hugs us without us going to him first and we are able to really communicate with him and find out more about him and his family. Can you even begin to imagine the joy that is in my heart because we have him in our lives?
This family is only one of many that live like this. Unfortunately there are people who live close to Isaias that will never have this opportunity to attend school, be educated, be able to provide for their family's because they don’t have a sponsor to make a difference in their life. What would it take to sponsor a child and make a difference in their life? You can find out about that right here at AMG I know he says we have been a blessing in his life, but he has bless us far more.