The children at Ebenezer Panoramic school in Villa Neuva are not shy at all. They love the attention, love to hug, love to smile, and are curious as most children are. The guys in DecembeRadio hand out small stickers the kids can put on their arms. That is very popular.
After a while of this, the kids go to classrooms for activities. Our group splits into four smaller groups. Each smaller group will walk to the home of a child sponsored by Compassion International to visit with their family and gain a greater insight into their daily lives.
I have seen poverty in other parts of the world, but this is the deepest level of it I’ve ever experienced. The home consists of two rooms, each about ten by ten, with bare, uneven, pitted, concrete floors, block walls, and sheets of corrugated metal laid over the top. There is running water outside most of the year, but there is no electricity.
Darlene, eight years old (on the far left in the photo), is the sponsored child. Her mother’s name is Claudia. Darlene’s four year old sister’s name is Diana. Our time spent with them is intimate and personal. We ask about their lives, their challenges, and their hopes. There has been no father present for some time. He is a drunk, Claudia says. They see him in the street every now and then. Claudia cleans houses for a living. One of her challenges is that she must leave the children while she goes to work. The Ebenezer school is a big help for her, as it is someplace safe and healthy. There is little else safe about Ville Neuva, with threats of gang or drug violence always present. Darlene’s hope is to become a doctor. She is informed by our group leader that if she keeps good grades and remains active in her church, Compassion International’s leadership program can help her go to college.
Claudia gives us a tour of her home, showing us where they sleep, outside where the banos (a hole in the ground with a seat) and water spicket are, and a small drum container they make a fire on to cook their food.
After a while of this, the kids go to classrooms for activities. Our group splits into four smaller groups. Each smaller group will walk to the home of a child sponsored by Compassion International to visit with their family and gain a greater insight into their daily lives.
I have seen poverty in other parts of the world, but this is the deepest level of it I’ve ever experienced. The home consists of two rooms, each about ten by ten, with bare, uneven, pitted, concrete floors, block walls, and sheets of corrugated metal laid over the top. There is running water outside most of the year, but there is no electricity.
Darlene, eight years old (on the far left in the photo), is the sponsored child. Her mother’s name is Claudia. Darlene’s four year old sister’s name is Diana. Our time spent with them is intimate and personal. We ask about their lives, their challenges, and their hopes. There has been no father present for some time. He is a drunk, Claudia says. They see him in the street every now and then. Claudia cleans houses for a living. One of her challenges is that she must leave the children while she goes to work. The Ebenezer school is a big help for her, as it is someplace safe and healthy. There is little else safe about Ville Neuva, with threats of gang or drug violence always present. Darlene’s hope is to become a doctor. She is informed by our group leader that if she keeps good grades and remains active in her church, Compassion International’s leadership program can help her go to college.
Claudia gives us a tour of her home, showing us where they sleep, outside where the banos (a hole in the ground with a seat) and water spicket are, and a small drum container they make a fire on to cook their food.
I’m asked to pray over the family, which I am thankful to do. We gather around the three of them, put our hands on them, and pray for their safety, their needs, their future, and give thanks for meeting three members of our family, sisters to us in Christ.
We hug, take a few photos, and walk back to the school. The school’s name is appropriate, as it’s on a hilltop where you can see for miles, all the way back to Guatemala City. We walk down stairs heading downhill to the classrooms. The children are working on projects and preparing for a lunch of small tamales,
I believe called chiquitos. They make some especially for us as well. After this snack, we head back midway up the hill for a spirited soccer match. It’s big fun and full-on action. You can tell the adults love it just as much as the kids. Lots of play, on and off the soccer field, happens, and hearts are melted by these incredible, loving children. 
