The War On Aid

In international aid there is a constant fight between "giving"" and "going". It is a struggle for people to decide which is best, and for some reason, they feel like they need to decide. For me, they walk hand in hand. 

The ministry going on at the center is wonderful. The discipleship that is forming between the ladies themselves, as well as the groups who visit is amazing. In a country so set on the catholic ways and "earning" your way into heaven, seeing the ladies interact and accept Christ is so amazing, their words and thankfulness just is the best that it could be. Us being there to share with them our beliefs and the love of Christ has been able to, in their own words, "transform" many of them when they accept Christ and experience the love of God. Many of them now have love in their hearts that they say they never knew they had before. Many of us go to be with the children and work with them, forgetting the woman who work with them everyday, even I did when I first started coming. But they are the ones who need us most. They are the ones who are here every day and can disciple to their peers in their community. By going we are not only providing the touch and love that every one of those children and workers need, but also sharing what the Lord has done in our lives in hopes to help them through whatever they need as well as plant a seed in their heart, craving the missing piece. It is not our job to go and make believers out of them, but to go and create disciples and offer help. None of which could be done with just giving. 

On the other hand, the daily needs at the center are ever growing as we are able to care for more children. There is so much need for food, clothing, diapers, more hands to work.. Just the simple necessities and unfortunately that all costs money. Without those who give there would be no one to go to. We have been able to start a board of chairmen (who are local Guatemalans) who will run all the things that go on at the center as well as start advocating for the center in their own community creating local support for the children and the center. I have already seen some of this in action as schools from around the town have come out to volunteer as well as wealthy corporations in the big cities sending out food, supplies, and money to help with daily costs. The goal is that one day they won't need us at all, and that they will be a fully self sustaining center run by the people in the community. How cool will that be?

And then, if any of us international folks are just dying for a baby cuddle, we can stop by and visit, just to say hi.