Thank you

The teachers in the community school continue to comment on the improvement they have seen in the children since they now receive food at school and medical care from the medical clinic. I remember sitting in a home in the community, with a dirt floor beneath us, a metal roof with holes above us and the smell of burning trash in the air. The mother quietly told us she sent her children to school on a breakfast of coffee—because there was nothing else to give. At least now her children are eating at school and receive vitamins and other health care. She has often expressed her gratitude.
One of the teachers had one of her students write a letter to you to express their thanks, this is her translated letter:
Hello! Good day. My name is Mayerli Danessy Oguela Lopez. I am 10 years old and in fifth grade with my teacher, Lessy Fanseca. I want to thank Ron, Jose, and all the group of friends on behalf of all the students, parents, teachers, and the community of La Carbonera for your support with the daily balanced and healthy school meals we receive. We also receive school supplies. This helps our families, who are struggling financially. Your help ensures we have the energy and the necessary resources to learn.
I also want to express my sincere gratitude for access to the medical and dental consultations that are held periodically. These consultations help us improve our health and well-being every day. Thank you for investing in our health and well-being, which helps improve our academic performance and opens doors of opportunity for our future and our community.
Thank you so much. May God multiply your generosity and everything you do for us, the children of the Danli Carbonera School, and for our community.
God bless you

Last year, one of the doctors at the medical clinic here noticed a young girl was significantly behind in her physical development. She’s a beautiful young lady with a quick smile, but she needs nutritional support to help her grow. We purchased a special nutritional supplement for her and gave it to her mother. About a month later, we discovered that the mother wasn’t giving it to her 11-year-old daughter, but instead to her one-year-old baby. The situation can make you mad, sad and a couple other things all at once. I have to remind myself that I didn’t grow up in the trash dump. I don’t know all the circumstances this mother is facing or the decisions she’s trying to make. While it’s not uncommon for things like this to be sold, in this case she was still caring for her child—just not the one we had intended to help, and who needed it.
Scratching our heads and praying (never a bad idea), we decided to try a different approach. We purchased more of the supplement and entrusted it to the women who serve food at the school. Now, they prepare it each day for this young girl, and for another young man who also needs the support. That is working I am grateful to say.
This experience brought back a memory from a few years ago. One day, people in the community told us the water wasn’t working. When I checked the system, everything seemed fine—until I found that someone had shut off a valve clearly marked “do not touch.” in Spanish. At first I was a bit frustrated. But then I stopped and wondered—what if the person who turned that valve couldn’t read? Good question.
Getting to know and understand this community has been a deep learning experience. So often, what may seem obvious to me is not obvious here, and what may seem wrong at first glance is often shaped by circumstances I don’t fully understand. These experiences continue to remind me to live with patience, humility, and grace, something Jesus has in abundance—and to trust that God is at work in ways I may not always see right away.

We purchased school supplies for the teachers and the students for this school year. We are also adding a water tank to the school. The current water tank/water system is inadequate for the school, which means there is often not enough water to wash plates and pans nor flush toilets. This is creating a health hazard as you could imagine.

Pictures of the on-going work : Facebook
Pictures of the construction of Maynor’s house : Facebook