Martes: Colegio Cristiano La Esperanza

Aye yai yai! It's been almost a million years since my last post! I've been busy painting though, so you can't be too mad at me.

Let's see, where was I? Tuesday!

Tuesday we went to Colegio Cristiano La Esperanza with Geyzell and Alondra (two girls from Villa Esperanza).

According to their website (it's impossible for me to remember statistics without reading ;]) Colegio La Esperanza has about 300 students (COMPLETELY free for them, including the cost of supplies), preschool through sixth grade. There are eleven teachers and five aids. They have several programs, including a feeding program (feeding ALL students, five days a week), a tutoring program, and of course... there is an ART PROGRAM (well... there was... from what I understand it is "momentarily not in operation" because they do not have a director :[ ).

They also have a scholarship program for those that graduated the sixth grade. Here is a little piece from the site:

"Typically when the kids graduate from the 6^th grade they are forced to work in the dump to help provide for them and their family. Many of the children are desperate to break the cycle of poverty that is keeping them in the dump and this program gives them that chance. Along with the educational need for breaking the poverty cycle we also address the spiritual need by doing weekly bible studies and building relationships. Having someone behind them cheering them on is very important and we do this by visiting them in their homes, attending sports games, meeting with them individually, weekly visits to their school, tutorials, celebrating their birthdays and doing service projects together. Our mission is to give the youth of La Chureca educational opportunities and spiritual foundations, through which we hope to give these youth the chance to improve their quality of life."

I noticed when I went to Colegio La Esperanza last year, that this school is like a tiny haven within the dump. It's vibrant and fun, a place where the kids can be kids. They WANT to go to school (so different from the States). The teachers had such peace, which no doubt influenced the kids.

We didn't get to see many kids on this last trip because they were on vacation, but we got to interact with the teachers a lot. We spent the day painting and cleaning. I heard that a few kids came to help wipe down chairs, and were extremely excited about doing it. It's so amazing to me how much they want to serve. It's interesting to contrast these kids, with so many from the States who HATE the idea of cleaning or serving... hmmm...

 

Now I thought I was just going to paint walls... like one color... but surprise! Turns out they wanted me to paint a mural!! Unfortunately, this is where my ugly side came out :[ One of the things I've struggled my whole life is trying to do everything perfectly, even though I know I'm not perfect. I had never done a mural before and am not familiar with the style, so I had no preparation, so I got in a really, really bad mood. I'm pretty sure I wasn't super rude to anyone, but for those who know me, know that's NOT my good side! I was totally embarrassed that I got that way :[ But it was such a good lesson for me, and who knew that it would prepare me for future work (now I get to paint murals at my church)! And a few others came to help me, which was a HUGE blessing!

The teachers wanted something like those cute classroom borders, with colorful butterflies and flowers. They would ask us to add something as they sat and watched us. They would laugh and laugh and laugh every time we added something like a snail. It was so much fun to watch them and to see them smile.

 

It's moments like this that I really, really wish I knew Spanish well. I would have loved to just sit and talk with these teachers. It would have been amazing to learn about their stories, and who they are. I don't even know their names :[

Just when I thought this day couldn't have gotten any better, we ended the night with "you group" at Villa Esperanza.

We started the night off with some silly games, and it was really good to see Ana and Miurel "share" me :P. With my first trip, Miurel would get mad at me if I spent time with Ana, and Ana got mad at me if I spent time with Miurel. Either way, somebody was mad at me. But I started to notice that they were not doing that on this trip. In fact, it was almost kind of weird. They know I don't speak Spanish, so they would point to each other with huge grins and say "Tres, tres, tres!". Looks like Mama Sandra has been teaching them well!

 Of course, Kenia is making a funny face!

Then came the moment I will never, ever, ever, ever forget. Ana shared a small part of her testimony!!!!

 

She mentioned how she used to be mean, and say terrible things, and how different she is now. She was definitely nervous and giggly, but you could tell she was excited. And you could tell she was genuine in speaking about the joy she now has since moving into Villa Esperanza, but most of all, her relationship with Christ.

Ana is probably the sweetest and most caring thirteen year old I've ever met. She gets frustrated easily, and it takes her a while to realize when she's crossed the line, but when she's ready, she let's you know how important you are to her. She is EXTREMELY affectionate (she's the one holding Maria Celeste in the picture below), and takes advantage of ANY opportunity to hug someone.

She kind of reminds me of myself in a way. We both used to be mean and say awful things to people before we came to know Christ. And we both LOVE to hug and show affection. I think she also has a hard time accepting that someone else could truly love her, something I struggled with as well. I spent the whole trip trying to reassure her that I love her more than she could imagine, but she would argue. She would say "pequeño" and I would say "grande", and we would get in an argument with just those two words. Love this girl!

After Tim's message, we taped paper to the girls' backs, and had them go around writing messages on each others backs. They had so much fun, and by the end of the night, their papers were loaded with nice messages, about who they are and how much they mean to that particular person. Susie said that as she walked by their homes that night, they were all sitting down together reading their sheets. Just like Ana, this is what these girls need- affirmation that they are amazing and beautiful, and they are loved.

And then there was Wednesay...