This week has been such a week of learning and discovering why we’re here. I, remedy Tona, here spent this week visiting LACC schools. There are so many kids who still need sponsors. Monday and Tuesday I visited schools here in Bogotá. One of them is where we’ve been attending church the past couple of weeks. It’s a new school that currently just has kindergarten, but will add first grade next year and a probably a grade every year after that. Right now they have a classroom full of kindergartners in need of sponsors! There are so many sad stories that go along with these children. We met two young boys and their mother whose husband had passed away within the last week. He had found out he had cancer and died a month later. She’s now on her own with these two boys and no job. One of the wonderful ministries of this particular location is that the church also has a ministry to train women for work. They teach them how to make jewelry and sew clothes so that they can either make and sell the things they create or have the skills to find work somewhere.
On Thursday I took my first ever business trip. J Naomi and I flew to a place called Monterîa and then rode in a car two hours from there to go to a town called Corozal. We spent time with the pastors of the church and the director of the school. Every LACC school has to be connected with an Assemblies of God church, that way not only kids are getting support, the church can help the parents know Jesus, too. We spent all morning at the school on Friday taking pictures of the kids. They were all so sweet. They showered Naomi with gifts and were so excited to see her come. It was amazing to see them all so happy and excited.
One girl I met there was born premature with brain damage. She’s now seven and through a fund called the “Extreme Poverty Fund” Naomi has been able to get her physical and speech therapy. She has gained a significant amount of control over her body. They told me she used to not even be able to walk in a straight line because she just couldn’t control her movements, but she was doing so much better! She goes to physical therapy six days a week and even has a class with other girls that helps motivate her to move more!
I can see I have lots of work ahead, but meeting all of the teachers, directors, pastors and especially the children I am motivated to work hard to keep this ministry flowing well while Mike and Naomi are away!
~Tona