The dichotomy is palpable. One world is enclosed behind gates, laughter is evident, enthusiasm is contagious, delicious food awaits, housing is plentiful, and hope is evident. Its name is Casa Angelina.
Just one and a half hours away sits another place. The space is open, the people more quiet, and reserved. Food is hard to come by, housing is made out of mortar and bricks, and thanks to the BuildingGuat organization, and the volunteers that serve at the Land of Hope, hope is becoming more evident. Two worlds away, two different communities, two thought processes, and yet one vision..loving God, and serving people.
Today, at Casa Angelina, we worked in many of the positions that we have been called to this week. Very rewarding and yet some of the jobs have been challenging; physically, emotionally and spiritually. The security wall that started off so small is coming along beautifully. The painting of the Casa Angelina school is nearing completion. The floor of the church building is changing daily. The arts and crafts that will be used for rewards for the children, are completed. And almost all of the children have been seen for their dental care.
In the Land of Hope, several medical and dental teams went to meet and treat the demands of the community that lives out of a dump. The environment is humbling, to say the least. The weather is hotter, more humid. The last trip we took here, the infrastructure was simple, the people were few. This time walls were built, new homes have emerged for families living there, a medical/dental clinic has been built. And the lines to see the doctors were long. The recap of the Land of Hope is included here:
When we arrived at the land of hope there were over 100 people waiting for medical and dental care. We turned an empty building into a clinic with a pharmacy, dental and medical room as well.
We witnessed people lined up in the dump as trucks unloaded new waste and saw people, dogs, and even pigs digging through it all.
About 20-25 teeth were extracted very successful and patients were comfortable, relieved, and grateful.
For the conditions of the clinic being set up fast, the medical ran pretty successful. Treating a lot of infections, helped a lot of prenatal care, and treated non children who desperately needed vitamins. Saw a lot of respiratory issues that were from all the fires in the dump.
Thanks to the gracious donations of our community and church, we were able to hire a local man from the dump community to weld bars on the windows and pharmacy so that the clinic would be secure from looting.
This is the first time that there have ever been shelves or even a room to be called “La Farmacia”. Today, we filled those shelves with medical supplies. Just as quickly as we stocked, they were used to treat the people of the community. There is an endless need here.
We were blessed to meet people from the local Health Department and work side by side to provide cares and hope that the connections continue to develop and grow for the benefit of the people we serve.
The spontaneous combustion and fires of the dump were continuous, filling the air with frightening noises and clouds of dark smoke.
The experience was eye opening, humbling, yet so rewarding! The people were very grateful. We look forward to two more days of working with the people in the Land of Hope. And our last day spent at Casa Angelina. Thank you again for your continued prayers and support!
