The ends of the earth

“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1: 8b

Where exactly are the ends of the earth? Jesus spoke this to His disciples just before He ascended into heaven, telling them that they would be His witnesses in the ends of the earth. Are the ends of the earth remote indigenous places? Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? That section of town where no one chooses to go? Or a house at the end of a dark alley in La Limonada?

There’s a house near the new school that is as far down into the ravine as you can go. To get there, we walk down several stairs, through a gate and then ring the bell at a door. Once that door is opened, we navigate through narrow passages through the homes of several families until finally we reach the smiling, expectant faces of “M” and “B” and their one room home.

“M” faithfully takes care of “B” who’s blind. She carefully leads him through the streets of La Limonada and Guatemala City as they go to do their errands. They live off of 115Q (less than $20) a month which the government gives them. And yet, they are 2 of the most gracious, content people that I know. They are always thrilled to see us and exude such joy and such love for one another.

We went to visit them last week for a brief time. When I asked them if they wanted us to pray, and what we could pray for, “M” told me that we could pray whatever we wanted because they didn’t know much about these types of things. I asked her what she meant and she replied that she can’t read and her husband can no longer read due to his blindness. And so she felt like they didn’t know much. We unfortunately had to leave before we could finish the conversation, but I’m looking forward to visiting them again and continuing it. And spending more time in a home that, to us, is the ends of the earth.

Searching For Value

This is a boy who attends one of our schools in La Limonada. He is just 8 or 9 years old. He spends hours in the ravine searching for scrap metals that will earn him about 0.20Q per pound (equal to about 3¢). The ravine in La Limonada is filled with trash and sewage.

He does this just to have some food at home.

He is faithful in his attendance at school. He loves hugs and is very intelligent. He's one of the older children in his class and is a natural leader.

He earned 12Q ($1.50) yesterday from what he found in the ravine. He was so proud of the money he'd earned.

TEN2END Tuesday - An Inspiring Young Lady

There is just one week left in our our TEN2END Campaign... that leaves us with 7 days to reach our goal of having 200 people give TEN dollars a month to help END poverty, injustice, hunger, hopelessness and despair in La Limonada.

Here's the story of one young lady who found a way to help...

A couple weeks ago we received an email from a high school student from Michigan. In her email she shared her desire to join the TEN2END Campaign. She could not foresee a way she would be able to give $10 a month in a traditional way, so she got creative and came up with a way she could make it work. Here is her email...

Hello,

I am a High School student in Michigan who visited La Limonada 2 summers ago and I can't seem to forget about that place. I really wanted to sponsor a little girl named Astrid but I found it was too much for me to commit to. It makes me happy to see that she is sponsored by someone now though.

Anyway, I really would like to join your "ten2end" campaign. The only thing is, I only work during the summer. I also don't have a credit card or anything like that for online payment. I was wondering if every month this summer I could somehow mail $40 and then be covered until next year. Just let me know if this is a possibility.

My Dad lost his job a few months ago and so we are still struggling through that. I have seen so many people give seemingly small gifts to my parents over the last months that have meant so much. A little really goes a long way....

H

We received her first $40 donation this past week. This is a high school student who has found a way to give $120 of her summer job income to help transform people's lives in La Limonada.

She is truly an inspiring young lady!

If you would like to join her, you can go to www.TEN2END.org today to get started.

Playing Like A Child - A "Holy Moment"

The other day I was on the phone with Tita as the children were playing in the soccer field in La Limonada. While we were talking, Tita began to scream with excitement. She said, "I wish you could see this! There is a homeless woman from the ghetto who always sniffs glue and she is running around playing with a ball with the children. She is running and smiling and having fun! This is a holy moment."

I told Tita she needed to send me some photos of this moment. She sent some photos and this is what she had to say...

"I have no words to explain about this moment... we were at the soccer field in the Ghetto and the kids were playing with a group of "Gringos" and we were talking with Bill on the phone... then, I saw "R" playing like a little girl!!!!!!! AWESOME!!!!!

She is homeless, she sniffs glue and drinks cheap alcohol. She has gone many years with no shower or bath. Her shoes have no laces.

She was just running after the ball. She was laughing, smiling and playing like a little girl. Who knows the last time she had such a good time?

I tried to capture the moment by taking many pictures... but I have no idea if you can capture the true holiness and beauty of this unique moment.

From Tita - Thank You To All Child Sponsors

Cincinnati Occupational Therapy Team

This past week Deb & Mike from COTI in Cincinnati came back to La Limonada for the second time this year, and this time brought an awesome team with them. Since they are occupational therapists and specialize in helping those with developmental challenges, illness, injury and behavioral problems, having them come to the schools in La Limonada seemed like the perfect fit.

They spent the week observing classrooms, doing hands-on activities with the students to help them learn with all of their senses, and teaching the team different techniques and tactics for their classrooms. Not only was this extremely helpful and encouraging for the teachers, I know the students had a blast with all the new things they learned this week.

Their team left supplies so the teachers can continue these activities in their classroom, as well as 3 therapeutic swings for each school that were so graciously donated. A big muchas gracias to all of you!!!

TEN2END Tuesday

With just two weeks left in our TEN2END Campaign... we have 47 people who have pledged to give TEN dollars a month to help us fight poverty and injustice in the La Limonada community of Guatemala City.

Over the course of one year that is a total of $5,640 raised simply by asking individuals and families to give $10 each month. Our goal is to have 200 TEN2END members by June 30... which would provide a total of $24,000 over the course of a year.

By joining you can help us move our work forward as we seek to educate and feed children living in poverty, provide vocational training for young adults who need options for sustainable living and to care for the poor and those who have no hope in a forgotten community.

If you are a current donor who would like to increase your monthly donation by $10 you may contact us at info@lemonadeinternational.org to let us know and we will make the adjustment to your monthly amount.

If you would like to become a supporter of Lemonade International through TEN2END you can go to www.TEN2END.org today to get started today.