In the past few months, while we waited for construction to be completed, we met in the 22 de Marzo Coliseum which is near the construction site and we had normal work hours there. A company was hired to do the construction work, because a person or a parent asked to help would charge by the day and that would end up costing more. This is the way things are done here in this urban neighborhood. Now that the church building is finished and the construction is able to be used, we are meeting in the church building. The building has a kitchen and bathrooms because it is located in the urban perimeter of San Lorenzo. The roof, doors, and windows were put in place. A small channel was dug to drain off rainwater, and some finishing was done in this area.

During this time, we had meetings with parents to explain how the construction was going. Project children received school bags they can use to carry their school supplies to school. Sister Martha and several church members attended meetings at the Selva Alegre Confraternidad Church on Friday through Saturday, June 10 to 12. This event was an opportunity for the churches to unite, the participants to open their hearts, and for people to get to know each other and have a time of fellowship. Also, the pastor of the church is having devotional moments with parents and he works with them every day. Once a month, he gives a talk to the children about respect, values, and sincerity.

Work has been carried out in four areas: spiritual, cognitive, physical/health, and socioemotional. Extra activities have also been organized for the children. In the spiritual area, the emphasis has been on evangelization with the children, and their mothers have been invited to accompany us in the CDN. The tutors have been using different techniques in accordance with the ages of the children to teach them about Creation. In the cognitive area, mothers are being taught how to manage their children’s fine and gross motor skills in accordance with their age. Periodic reports are made of children who have not learned to read since this skill is indispensable for finishing basic educational studies, and the children also get help doing their homework. In the physical/health area, the children do exercises, and they are taught personal hygiene habits, how to eat fruit and to take care of the different parts of their bodies. In the socioemotional area, they draw pictures to express how they feel about things. For example, their drawings show emotional situations such as fear. This activity helps tutors understand what the children are trying to express and what their needs are making them feel. Then reports are sent to the psychologists and facilitators. The children are encouraged to learn and be happy with the teaching of the Word of God.

We faced a few challenges as we built. The Church site is hard to reach, making transportation of materials difficult. Access to the site was even more complicated because there were no roads. However, we managed to get the job done. In order to start building, we also had to get authorization from the Mayor of the Municipality, and they provided equipment to clear off the land. The weather conditions slowed down the work due to the El Niño phenomenon rains. When I arrived here, I had to get used to the fact that there is no transportation available. However, now I’m satisfied, because the church building is finished and we’re helping overcome the needs caused by the poverty of the people of this community.

We’ve also had many blessings. We’re visiting the homes of the children’s families and giving them messages from the Word of God. There are monthly meetings for the Project children’s parents. The construction progressed rapidly because it was possible to buy materials and especially the opening of a road helped greatly.

I want to thank the donors and say like the Bible says that it is better to give than to receive. God takes good actions into account and rewards abundantly. I encourage them to continue having generous hearts and thanking God, because He is the One who gives and what they are sowing will in time be a blessing. 

PRAISES

• We thank the sponsors, because what they’ve done for the children in this distant and forgotten area is very significant. Thank you so much for all the help you’re giving the Church, because renting a house or an empty lot isn’t the same as having our own building where we can work in peace and have stability. This construction is a wonderful blessing for the community, so we thank God that we can carry out different activities with the children here.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Pray that we will be able to give the children in our charge a good Biblical upbringing and that they won’t go astray. Pray for the pastors who are going to be in charge of the spiritual area and will be leading the Church.