october 2006 team to Nuevo Renacer

raymundo & jose annibal

Well, just look at their faces. What can really be added to that?

We just thank God that He allows us to share in the laughter and joy of the life of Nuevo Renaçer.
They teach us how to respond to all life brings with great smiles on our faces.

gaby & kevin like to color now

Both Kevin & Gaby are shy.
Really, really shy.On our first visit to the village they were never apart and rarely joined our games and crafts.They just watched.And they never smiled —ever. On trip two, they played a little, but were still the most reserved kids in the bunch.

This visit was different.

Upon entering the village on day one, we called out their names from the cattle truck and waved hello. From that moment on, they were part of all that we did. Their smiles were huge, the giggles were infectious and joy had clearly begun to replace fear in their lives. That is the difference that love in the Lord’s name and a real hand out of poverty can make in two children’s lives.

jose's beautiful face

Veronica & her husband joined the village after our first visit. So we met their family for the first time on the March trip. Both of Veronica’s children, Jose & Vladimir, had extreme cleft palettes. This made eating extremely difficult and Jose was under-nourished and cried almost nonstop.

Upon our return in March, we prayed for this small family and we shared with Agros photos of the children & asked if there was anything that could be done for this family. Agros was able to work with a separate organization and get someone to provide surgery for not only Jose and Vlady, but for a few other families in Agros villages.

Every time we looked at either of these children in October, or the smile on their mother’s face, we realized how much God cares for each individual and how prayer and trust can impact an entire family.

francisco & randy like to shovel sand

Lots of sand. Truckload after truckload of sand. The work was hot, dirty and well, sandy. But it was also a great opportunity to stand side-by-side and get to know one another. And that is a big key of the Agros model. That we offer financial support, but more importantly, that we come along side the village, work with them and encourage them from the trench.

It was amazing to watch the men respond to how hard our team worked, how dirty we got and how much we desired to connect with them. Even folks with the smallest knowledge of Spanish were able to connect once they had a shovel in their hand!

panteleon gives us a song

And Randy and team returned the gesture with a song created for the village.
A rough translation of one verse is:

Nuevo Renaçer
The place that my God made with love.
We dreamed about schools
We dreamed about harvests
We dreamed about the children
Who play under the sun.
While the gringo dreams about getting a goal.

A goal, as in football.

It was beautiful to be able to accept Panteleon’s song for us on our last trip and being able to give this in response was another great way that God used the many gifts of the team to spread His love for the village.

rachel & evelin walking along

One of the greatest joys of our trip involved playing, singing, dancing, 3-legged racing and just loving these kids. Barb, Lu, Jessica and Rachel caringly worked on puppet skits, songs, crafts, games and every day gave all of their goofiness to the kids.

And the kids responded. It’s amazing how quickly children will open up, accept what you have to offer and give you back so much more.

But our time with the kids actually impacts entire families. Gaby & Kevin’s mom, Marta, has never engaged a ton in the programs we offer, but that changed on this trip. On the last day she asked to speak and shared that the way the team treated her kids was a blessing to her and she thanked us. In return she promised to pray for our safe return and that God would bless us.

barb crafting with the ladies

One of the exciting areas of this ministry is our Women’s Program. Each time we go down, we spend time with the ladies, share stories of husbands, children and life. (I always tell them a lot about my family: Pearl & Oly.) We listen to them and we pray for them. And each time, the Lord creates a deeper bond between us. This trip the ladies even showed some of us how to make tortillas from scratch!

Typically we do a few craft projects to keep hands busy while we talk. This past trip Barb showed the ladies how to make beautiful frames for the family portraits that Kristen and I captured. Frame designs were up to the ladies and it was great to see each woman’s creativity come out in her unique design. Just as each woman was uniquely created by God and is loved for exactly who He made her to be. It is an honor to share this truth of Christ with the ladies and they remain in our prayers daily.