Day 6 - Thursday 10

Two days left – today is the easy day of the two. Tomorrow will be an all-out building day...today is a laid back shopping day. Are you cheering? It seems like every time someone here says “shopping day,” the girls all cheer. If I know anything, I know ladies love shopping. It is my job, as the male, to hold her stuff. I am getting pretty good at it, actually.
We started the day with two mission-related stops. Our first stop, after sleeping in until 7:45, was to a boys' home. These kids have been rescued from the streets. Some boys aren't too happy to have been rescued. I guess “rescued” is a relative term. We see living on the streets as a bad thing. Scavenging for food as a bad thing. Wearing what others have thrown away as a bad thing. But, if it is all you know, it is hard to pry it away from some of them. We were warned, over and over, that these boys will try and escape. They will say anything to get out.
One of the cool things about this boy's home was they are able to earn money. They all are given some yarn/string and are shown how to make bracelets. These bracelets are sold for fifty cents to a dollar. I know it doesn't sound like much, but this money gives them such a sense of accomplishments. They are making money – maybe a sensation they have never felt before. They can use this money to buy food or drinks. The money is like a debit card for them; they don't deal with cash. They are awarded the money when they need it.
The bracelet selling was crazy. Once it was time to start buying, the swarm of kids was out of control. Every child wanting you to buy their bracelet; it was easy to get lost in the hubbub. For only the cost of fifty cents, it was very hard to say “no.” The smile they got after earning money, any money, was worth it.
The next stop was a senior citizens' home. This was one of the hardest stops for me because almost all of them had dementia. There wasn't much I could do to connect with them. It was very touching to see them and feel that helplessness. The story behind the home is amazing. A dentist saw the need for the home. A dentist, a man who made good money at a respected profession, gave up all he had, bought a building, and began to minister to these elderly people. He saw a city full of homeless elderly people and his heart broke. They could not fend for themselves. They could not protect themselves. They were left alone. Most of the old folks were abandoned by their families because they could not care for them anymore. The only option they thought they had was to drive them downtown and kick them out of the car. Leave them to die. Let the streets take care of their “problem.”
The dentist saw this injustice and opened his home. He takes in elderly people, most of whom have serious problems, and takes care of them. He has given his life to help people in the last stages of life. His story and his mission is incredible. He does something most people would absolutely flee from. He also feeds the homeless of the community lunch every day. He was an inspiration to me. He is an awesome servant of God.
Now comes the shopping portion of the blog. What can I do to get you into this beautiful purse? First, we went to Mi Esperanza. This organization was created to help mothers learn an occupation. It is one thing to hand out food, it is another to teach them how to earn their own food. Mi Esperanza has business classes, computer classes, sewing classes...a little of everything. If a woman is interested, it is free for her to learn a trade that can feed, clothe, and send her children to school. Do you want a purse now?
We then went to a huge Catholic Cathedral for a little worship. This building was nothing short of awe-inspiring. The grandness. The shear volume. The intricate detailing seen all over the building. We all agree that the Catholics have a great grasp of the “holiness” of God. We miss that sometimes. They see him with reverence. They see him as the diety worthy of our fear. I'm not saying we don't do that, but they seem to have a great handle on it. The church itself is a monument, a testament, to how great and awesome he really is.
We spent some time singing and worshiping God. I have never been so moved as when we sang in this building. The acoustics were unbelievable. The sound resonated in such an awesome way. I really wish we could have sang all day – listening to God being praised in this astonishing place.
Our last stop was the Valley of Angels...another shopping place. We had some time to walk around the shops and support the local vendors. It is nice to see local people producing local products. We definitely found some cool stuff. We then ate our one meal on the town. We went to a place called Las Tejas; it was very good. I loved finally eating some local cuisine, and it was awesome. I loved every bite I took, and that was a lot of bites.
God, thank you for a day off from physical labor. Thank you for letting us experience heartbreaking images. Thank you for uncovering social injustices. Help us to see these things and get angry. Help us to see these things and not be OK with them. God, help us to be your hands and feet and fix things when they are broken.
God, I pray a special prayer over our team. We are experiencing heavy illness and the whole of Villa Gracia is being effected by it. It is now reaching into our team and dropping us like flies. God, keep us healthy. Keep us safe from illness. God, take this sickness away and help us to continue in your work here. God, we love you for who you are. Not because you give us gifts. Not because you grant us our wishes. We love you because you are God and you deserve it. You are worthy of all our thoughts and praise. You have unlimited power. You have unimaginable strength. When you say things, they become. God, because you are God, you deserve monument after monument, statue after statue. You deserve my time and my effort. You deserve my all. Help me to give with no hesitation.

Andrew Moore