What a tremendous success we had this year as a team of folks from Canada and the USA came together and completed numerous projects this April.
I have to admit we were a bit ambitious this year and took on numerous projects that we felt would have the most impact on the most amount of people in the shortest time possible.
We delivered 40 gravity fed water systems to 40 families in the neighborhood of Javier. It is amazing that a one-time donation of $50.00 can help one family of any size receive clean, fresh drinking water every single day for the next five years or more.
Over the last two years, we have helped over 450 individuals enjoy a health benefit that so many of us take for granted in North America.
Clean drinking water is a basic health need that every individual should have access too!
Our main project this year was the complete remodeling of a local church that was flooding every time it rained. We were so eager to partner with this small community of faith and provide them a place that would sustain the rains, and keep them dry throughout the year.
We tore down the old roof and increased the pitch for better drainage, raised the floor 18 inches, raised the walls 24 inches, poured a new cement floor, tiled the floor, painted the inside and outside of the building all within eight days.
Then we held a joint service together and celebrated our coming together and the completion of the project. What a joyous experience for everyone.
As we walked down one of the streets in San Marcos area, we came across a woman in her 70's living in a dangerous structure that was ready to collapse at any moment. We called it Granny's house!
Granny needed a new roof which we were eager to provide, but the walls of her home would not sustain the new construction so before we knew it everything was taken down right down to the foundation.
New walls constructed and before we knew it a new home was built from the ground up.
The neighborhood was buzzing with smiles and laughter as the new construction came together. A simple wooden structure that gave Granny a dry safe place she could call her own. Providing the elderly some dignity in their last days was such a blessing for her and us.
We completed one medical clinic, replaced the roof of another church in Mia Monde, and on our last day found an elderly uncle living in accommodations that were one windstorm away from complete devastation.
How does one walk away and say we can't help when the cost is so minimal to make a huge difference in a person's life?
We built two wooden homes for less than $1500, and it took all of 2.5 days to build.
Without the generous donations of so many and the volunteer help of those who traveled with us on this trip none of these projects would have been possible.
All I can say is thank you to all those who made this year's trip memorable, impacting, and a time of creating new friendships and memories that will last a lifetime for everyone involved.
As we continue to grow as an organization, we are so mindful that life is really about helping others with simple acts of kindness.
We believe strongly that everyone at some time will face some kind of suffering or hardship in their lives. There are two choices we can make.
Provide a hand up or look the other way. We choose to provide a hand up and look for ways to bring hope to others.
If that is your approach to life then we invite you to join us our journey of people helping people improve the quality of the life they live.