work day at Capri

Today was our first day working at one of the sights. It took several van trips to get us all there, but once we made it to Capri, we were put straight to work! Capri is the sight where the new hospice is almost complete, and also where the Living Hope Community Church's main business offices are. One group worked in the vegetable garden shelling peas, and pulling carrots. (In Scott's defense, he shelled one pea!) They stress the importance of healthy eating here because medicines are not readily available, and because they have seen comparable health results with those eating many vegetables to those taking medications. Another group was put in charge of planting little plants that will spread across the sandy ground outside to help prevent wind erotion. It was very cool to see how we were living out the scripture just preached to many of us last Tuesday night at Kairos where Mike talked about the parable of the seeds and the sewer. We may never be able to come back and see the fruits of our labor, but we were able to literally plant and water these tiny shrubs, and trust that God will continue to provide others to take the next steps in helping these plants grow.

Late in the morning the group met Pastor John Thomas of Living Hope Community Church who gave us the first tour of the hospice facility. It was both encouraging and heartbreaking at the same time to see this building that will soon house terminal AIDS patients. Towards the end of the tour, Pastor Thomas shared with us a few stories that helped us put into perspective what Living Hope is doing about AIDS in the community. He shared with us a story about a young mother of 14 who has HIV/AIDS, who had passed the virus along to her baby. When the child was born she named the baby "no hope," but the church rallied around them showing them love and caring for her and her baby. When the baby began to get better, the young mother went to the church and told them she had decided to change the baby's name to "she must get better" after seeing the hope brought to her and her family. This in a very real way demonstrates how they came upon the name of their church- Living Hope- because they meet the needs of the people in physical ways, but also reach out to their spiritual needs. They show people that there is hope after life, and hope during life through the person of Jesus Christ.

The other story Pastor Thomas shared with us was about a support group within their church for young mothers (ages 13-15) . The girls got together and came up with a motto for their group: It is better to live with HIV and have Christ in our life, than to not have HIV and live a life without Christ. This hit hard with us, as many of asked ourselves the same question. We as Americans are not surrounded by AIDS the way these people are, but even so, could we ask ourselves the same question and come to this conclusion? It was very challenging, and encouraging at the same time. We were able to see where all the funding from our Missions budget goes to, and the people it affects.

Tomorrow we will attend 2 different church services and I'm excited to share in those and see how different cultures worship the same great God. We appreciate your continued prayers for us, as many of us are in the early stages of culture shock. It is difficult to see the "Haves" and the "Have Nots" so close to one another and be angry at God. Our prayer is that we can see those in need and help them as best as we can, and that our hearts will continue to change and be changed once we return home. Until then however, there is much to be done in the ways of construction, repairs, outreach, crafts, and childrens' clubs. All that will be starting on Monday. Sharing the 3 computers and 6 bathrooms among 26+ of us has been interesting so far, but God is giving us the patience we need, and allowing us to be flexible in whatever situation. Almost time for bed here- all of our days are busy and we still need ample rest to get over the jet lag. Pray for us as we continue to serve our great and powerful God.