The Adventures of the Guatemalan Ghetto

Hi everyone this is Missy posting this entry!  Wow how do I even try to explain what we experienced today!  We went to a place called "The Ghetto".  This is a such a neat community in the city that is really set apart.  Our leader, Desi, explained that these people have kept drugs and gangs out of their community.  One of the ways they have been able to do this by not accepting food from the government.  Communities that have accepted them have had a lot of shootings and gang activity over the food.  Desi told us you could hire someone to kill someone else for 3 dollars!!!!  This community has banded together, they work together, have pride in their area and were such a neat people to be around.  Truly so sweet and full of happiness and joy.

They are a very poor community.  We had the privilege of going there to play with the kids and have a pinata party (unbelievable pinatas here friends!)  We were also able to give out food baskets to 5 different families.  The leader, Juanita, of this community rotates families everytime Forever Changed International comes and brings the baskets.  We all had so much fun dancing, playing soccer, (yes, even me) and having the pinata party.  The children were amazing and so beautiful, what fun it was to just love on them and play with them. 
There was a special little boy that our team met, Kevin.  He lives in the ghetto with his 3 year old little brother.  His mom stops by a couple times a week but when she does she is usually very drunk. This 12 year old Kevin takes care of his brother pretty much all by himself.  The community has really embraced them and they built them a "house".  He is such a neat kid, quite mature and loving.  Our entire team fell in love with him.
We went into the homes then of 5 different families to deliver food baskets.  Each family was a mom and several kids.  We were noticing a pattern that so many husbands/ fathers are out of the picture.  What an incredibly sad reality and one that really broke my heart.  To think of all these women and children without a lot of male figures.  We are told unfortunately that this is common in Guatemala. 
Each family we visited with was so poor, so grateful, so sweet, so full of prayer requests.  After visiting with the women we were able to pray over each of them which was such a blessing and a privilege. 
We truly had a blessed day, a physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting day, but a blessed day!  
God challenged each of us in so many ways.  Each of our hearts were broken.  Each of us with such heavy hearts.  Each of us with many questions.  BUT...  each of us knowing this...  Our God is Sovereign over this.  Our God is good.  Our God loves each one of these individuals more than we can even imagine.  And our God has a plan and purpose for each of these beautiful people living in "the ghetto".

Desi and Kevin