Tuesday, August 11th

From Slocomb:  I apologize that we are so delayed in posting on the blog; the combination of our altered daily and week-long itineraries and the need to handle a couple of emergencies has prevented me from having time for the blog until now. Even though I am posting last night's reflection and photos this evening, I expect to post today's reflection tonight at the regular time.

Buenos dias, Faith Partners! It's still early in the week, but so far we've had an amazing experience. Thank you for your support and prayers. There have been some interesting challenges this week and knowing that you are there makes a difference.

Today we visited the farm school and had a chance to chat with several of the young men living and studying there. It was truly inspiring to hear their stories, and their hopes and dreams of the future, none of which would be possible without El Hogar Projects and the support of faith partners like you. During the conversation, one of the students told us that he wants to go to the university to study to become an agricultural engineer so that he can go home and support his mother who still lives in abject poverty. Unfortunately, his story is not unique. All the children at El Hogar and the connected schools have similarly tragic stories.

We spent this evening offering activities for the girls. There are only about 30 girls of the 120 children here, but they are an endearing part of the community. At one point I stepped back and surveyed the scene. Patsy was teaching several girls how to embroider.  Leslie, Maya and Ellie were helping some girls make beaded bracelets on stretchy cord. Slocomb, Ben and Jack were playing games and being silly with several girls, and everyone else was occupied with puzzles, coloring, or working with yarn. It was magical. If you've been here, you know what I mean. If you haven't, you should come.

In a world where many children are disregarded like stray dogs, it's deeply impactful to be in a place like El Hogar where the staff treat the children like their very own because, as one teacher put it, many of them have no one else. Thank you for helping to make that possible.

-Judi Stoker