ecudor-part dos

while we were in the big city of guayaquil we hooked up with my good friend spence from compassion international. i have always had mixed feelings about big organizations that are doing mission work. i have never seen what they do so i decided to take a look first hand. spence flew in one day to take us to a mission project that compassion international runs in the city of guayaquil. i was truly amazed at how effective this ministry is. for years we have given money to compassion to sponsor a child but it wasnt until now that i truly appreciate what they do. i was so impressed. compassion operates a school and tutor programs for kids and their parents as well as makes sure each child is fed and gets medical attention. i got to see all of this in action. i was at the school the day they had a graduation for the little kids. i did a few magic tricks for them and gave them a quick message of encouragement. the kids and mothers all wanted to take pictures of me afterwards. they have never seen a tall white boy like me. one little boy even touched my face in amazement. afterwards we ate lunch with the people and got a chance to hear some great stories of all about what God has been doing in that area. then we went over to some peoples homes to see what compassion does in the homes of people in need. compassion doesnt just go babysit and put bandaids on poor peoples problems. they are actually breaking the cycle and beginning new cycles. cycles that bring change longterm. the first place we visited looked like an old alley with no hope. i thought we had made a wrong turn. i literally thought we were going to turn around from the dead end and go somewhere else. until i saw heads poking out of the windows and cracks in the walls. we went to the door of a place that didnt seem safe to walk in but a woman opened the door and said come in. i was right, it wasnt safe. the roof had caved in and there was sunlight beyond the door . as we entered we saw another house that had been built behind the wall. it was a new place that had been built as a safe and livable home. there was a family of four living in a one room house. the walls were made of bamboo and the floor was wood boards. the bathroom was outside in the back and the kitchen was in the front. it was very small but these people kept it clean enough to eat off the floor. it wasnt much but these people were happy. the 2 little girls that lived there looked like they could be models or actors in commercials for shampoo. they were full of life. they had so much personality. we talked and watched as they sang songs and told stories. they truly loved jesus in a special way.
this day was a highlight of my vacation. i had my eyes opened. i also started getting ideas and a vision of how i help. more on this soon.