Cultural Glimpses

Matthew 25:34-45

Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you fed me.  I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink.  I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.  I was naked, and you gave me clothing.  I was sick, and you cared for me.  I was in prison and you visited me... I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sister,s you were doing it to me!...

Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, "Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.  For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me.  I was thirsty, and you didn't give me drink.  I was a stranger, and you didn't  invite me into your home.  I was naked, and you didn't give me clothing.  I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me... I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me!"

CHILD SPONSORSHIP. This is Enderson.  He is one of the students at Emanuel House who is sponsored.  His sponsor sent him a gift, a letter, and a picture of her and her daughter.  I gave it to him and while he is pretty shy, and isn't expressing his happiness here, he really enjoyed the gift, especially the cars.  I help to deliver letters and gifts to the kids at Emanuel House and Pasitos de Jesus Orphanage.  And, we write back! [www.scoresponsor.org]

HOUSE VISITS. Last weekend, we went on house visits and just got to talk to and visit some people's homes whose children go to Emanuel House.  This is probably one of Mirqueya's favorite things to do.  In addition to checking in to see the conditions that the kids are living in, Mirqueya prays for the families as well, with the ultimate desire for them to come to know Christ. During one of the home visits last week with a team from McClean Bible Church, a woman prayed to receive Christ and I translated for two kids who also came to know Christ.  I haven't gone on a ton of house visits since I've been here, but it is one of my favorite things to do.  I am hopeful that God will continue to guide my footsteps and open people's hearts to hear the Gospel and be prayed for.

HOME IMPROVEMENTS.  Some of these families who have homes in the worst conditions have been blessed!  People have seen their conditions and committed to help pay for new homes so that rain does not come in through the roof and they have a place to use the bathroom. Most families at  Emanuel House share an "outhouse" with many other families or just go outside.  They cook outside and most often multiple people sleep in one bed.

JAIME.  This is little Jaime.  She is 4 years old and has the cutest smile.  She lives similar to many kids at Emanuel House -- with no father, many siblings and her mom struggles to feed them.  We visited her house during the house visits. She followed us throughout the rest of our house visits. In spite of her situation, Jaime is fun-loving, tender, and overall seems happy.  She is in one of the pre-school/kindergarten classes at Emanuel House.

BAREFOOT & BATHED. When we went to one house, there was a little girl sitting on the ledge outside of her house and she was balancing her feet on this can.  It is not unusual to see kids without shoes and small children without clothes.  Having said that, kids do have clothes and shoes, and when they leave their homes, they are always clean and dressed as best as their parents can dress them.  I have been surprised at where some people who I've met live.  They take pride in their appearance and in cleanliness -- even if they do not have but a few outfits.

CARS, MOVE OVER. Here is a beautiful view of a street that we rode down.  You will notice if you look closely, the dog and the motorcycle... Dogs are everywhere here.  Often as malnourished as the people, they walk around everywhere.  And, the most common mode of transportation is on a motorcycle -- or moped.  Of course, they are cheaper than a car.  Many women drive them as well, but it is more like a scooter.  I found out earlier this week that if you leave the smaller towns and go on the highway, the driver must wear a helmet.  I have seen up to five people on one moped, one being a baby... and a few summers ago I saw someone carrying a refrigerator on their moped! I am sure that anyone who has been to the D.R. has some good stories about how many people they've seen and what they've been carrying on their beloved moped.

SPECIAL. About three weeks ago, Mirqueya admitted special needs kids here.  In this picture, if you look carefully, you will see Ashlee, an American teacher from Georgia who came to work with the special needs kids and teachers. An intern for Empowering Action, she truly empowered the teachers, parents and kids.  They still talk about her and she has promised to help with activities and ideas for the teachers when they need it.

ALWAYS A TEACHER. The kids here at Emanuel House will be getting laptops soon from a program called 1 to 1 laptops which empowers kids who are deep in poverty to be better educated.  First, we have to give the kids a standardized test in the next month or so. I've had two meetings with teachers about the testing that will occur.  I am excited to see God work through this, as I imagine most kids haven't taken a test like this before.

May God continue to help us serve the least of these.  May we not forget that whatever we do, we do to our King.