Villa Esperanza

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

The girls move into the Villa TODAY!

This is where we stayed last week. They have completed construction on two Homes for the girls. (Unfortunately my camera card had a read error on it and I lost all my pics of the girls homes. Maybe one of my brilliant teammates has some...?) They are beautiful little homes though and we can't imagine what it will be like for our precious girls to go from the dump to this dreamland! 16 of them move in today. We got to meet them all and have a party with them on Thursday. (I think Jaime has those pics...wanna post some Jaime?)

Anyway, these buildings are the rooms we stayed in and it really is a beautiful place...hope it doesn't seem too much like we were on a high-style vacation (grin...we really did work hard!) There are plans for 4 to 6 more houses and a playground. They will eventually put in a swimming pool (it gets crazy hot there) and soccer field. The girls will live here in "families" of 8 with a house mom or couple. They'll still go to the school in the dump though and while the Villa will be their home, many of them still have families in the dump. That will be the tricky part, I imagine.
The dump school only goes to 6th grade though, and that is when education stops for most children in Nicaragua. Wilber ,the Villa's director, is looking and praying toward putting together some types of vocational training. This is the part that is really drawing Steve's and my heart. We're realizing we may have more than a little bit to offer these children in the way of technology training and are praying that God will direct us in ways we can help with that in the coming years. I had my first real understanding of how valuable my American education is. I guess I've taken it for granted and not understood what so many others don't have. I can't even imagine getting to the end of the 6th grade and realizing that now I make my life decisions about what I'll do and be, because I now have all the education I'll ever have. 6th Grade! That's impossible to imagine. So I want to give them more. Even just my limited abilities to type this page, post these pictures, write this blog could mean a world of opportunity to them if I taught them. That's inspiring!

So...if you're still praying, pray today for the girls. I wish I could see their faces when they see the bright, beautiful linens and towels, get their own bunk bed and pillow and realize that you actually take your clothes off and let the water run all over you in the shower! It'll be lots of big adjustments for them. Pray also for the parents they're leaving behind in the dump...that somehow this opportunity for their girls would be used by God to create blessing and opportunity and healing for them as well!
thanks.
More soon...