Many of you have supported the people living in the Danli community, either financially, through prayer, or both. On our last trip, José and I spent several days getting to know the people in the community better. We discovered two things: how isolated the people feel and how many were aware of the opportunities we were creating but felt those opportunities were not meant for them. Listening and understanding their stories helps us direct our projects and prayers more effectively. Let me introduce you to some of the folks in our community.

First, we would like to introduce you to Nancy, her son Carlos, and her mother Ramona. Nancy and Carlos have lived in the community their entire lives. Nancy has two brothers and one sister. Her brothers and father also live in the community. Growing up, Nancy’s father worked as a farmhand and her mother as a coffee bean grader.

Carlos is in the 12th grade, attending school in town on a scholarship. He aspires to be a veterinarian and is doing average in school. Two years ago, Carlos was in an automobile accident due to brake failure in the truck he was riding. He has undergone several surgeries to fix his arm. The scholarship money allows him to stay in school while they are paying for his medical care. Carlos attends the apostolic church in the neighboring community.

Nancy used to work at a clothing store in town but now cleans houses and washes clothes. She also raises chickens to sell their eggs. Her favorite food is meat. Nancy attended school up to the 6th grade.

Nancy hopes for vocational training for the children in the community and for the community medical clinic to be available more often (we are working on that). She also wishes the community water project would be more accessible for her and others on her side of the community (we are also working on that).

Next is Eber and Marco, two good friends and neighbors. They both work as recyclers in the community, making between $4 and $12 per day. Eber was the first person José and I met when we first came to the community. When we first met him he shared with us the lack of opportunities for people in the community and told us about an immediate need of a family in the community that we were able to address together with him. He asked for nothing else.

Eber did not attend school because he needed to earn money for his family. He now has three children, two of whom attend the community school, and one who is in the 7th grade and receives a scholarship. She is doing average in school. Eber is dedicated to helping his children access opportunities that were not available to him growing up.

Both Eber and Marco have worked as farmhands in the past and would like to farm for themselves one day. We have started looking for farmland to purchase to create a farming cooperative for people in the community who want to farm. Please pray with us that we can create this opportunity for the community.

Lastly is Justo. He was born in the town of Teupasenti and moved to the community with his parents when he was 7 years old. Shortly after moving, he became an orphan. Being an orphan, Justo worked as a recycler and was not able to attend school.

Now, Justo does odd jobs in the community and town to meet his basic needs. He has no family in the community and lives a very solitary life. He built his house using materials he found in the landfill and takes great pride in it. Although he used to attend church, he no longer does. Justo would love to have neighbors, but his house is difficult to reach due to the steep climb up the mountain. We enjoyed many laughs with Justo, and look forward to being with him again soon.

Thank you for your support of this community. It is much appreciated.