Crisp air, green pastures, smiling faces, delicious food,
chirping birds, and playful farm animals are just some of the sights and sounds
we’ve been immersed in for the past 9 days. As we begin to wrap up our time
here in the village of Quyquyho, I am reminded of God’s faithfulness in
allowing us to be a part of His plan. I have been amazed by the way He has used
each one of our unique gifts and talents to impart blessings on the people
here. The blessings were evident by the joyful faces and silent gratitude of
both children and adults. During one of our community outreach activities, I’ve
had the privilege of painting faces and observing the smiles as the kids
modeled their new artwork to their friends and family. While teaching in the
schools, the joyful faces were harder to spot but emerged as we emphasized the
importance of physical and psychological health, which was echoed by the
teachers there. Behind the smiles we found layers of distress, insecurities and
addictions. What we didn’t fully realize, is that God ordained these moments
and specifically entrusted our team to pull apart the layers. The struggles
that the youth encountered on a regular basis put us in a perfect position to
challenge their current views in ways no one ever has. As we continue to finish
our work here, we take a final walk through all the schools and encourage them
to press into God’s enduring love, grace and mercy. In a land filled with
mediocrity and hopelessness, our Lord Jesus sheds His light and confirms His
love for the people by using 10 broken “North Americans”. This is a story that could have only been penned by God...
El Puente Home is a girls' orphanage in the beautiful village of Quyquyho, Paraguay. We are a team from Calvary Chapel Mountain View who went to the Home for the first time in 2012. We gave classes and presentations on a variety of subjects: English, Music, Arts and Crafts, Life Skills, Computer Lessons and Bible Studies. Since then, we have formed deep friendships with the girls at the Home and the people of Quyquyho, and we are committed to continue to visit and support it.
Yuliana, one finds oneself being where there is no one else but oneself to have ear, answer, etc. for the circumstance at hand. One has just become commissioned to respond to the need at hand. That's what was happening during this trip thru the 10 broken “North Americans”. /// I'm glad that you shared your heart. It is a sweet blessing to read of what transpired.//Janeen -- friend of Jory & Eileen
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