July 2008 - Ministry at Loma Blanca

At Christmas we told you about our ministry in Loma Blanca on the far outskirts of Juarez. The people there live in very primitive conditions, either in houses of cinderblock, or cardboard and wooden pallets. Electric lines crisscross all over the ground and there is no running water in any of the homes. A water truck comes by and people pay to have their 55 gallon drums filled each week. Out of those barrels comes the family’s water supply for cooking, drinking, bathing and washing clothes.

But little by little the situation is improving. We are starting to build houses for the families living in cardboard shacks. We also have a wonderful team of dedicated volunteers who go every Saturday to minister to the people of this area. Early in the morning, before the people start arriving at our center, the volunteers assemble the grocery bags that will be given to each family. Some package beans and rice, others add potatoes, oranges, pasta and vegetables. These sacks are then set aside for later distribution. Then the doors of our building are opened to the folks waiting outside. About 100 children come each week and the teachers give them a short lesson from the Bible and afterwards the kids color a page related to the Bible story they just learned about. The adults are taught on their level inside, while the kids are taught outside under some tarps to provide shade. Thanks to a generous benefactor, we are currently building a second story to our center there so that the children can be inside too.

This summer a high school group from Georgia who were visiting us pitched in to help. Along with preparing the grocery bags, the high school students joined in the class for children, singing with them and helping the little ones as they colored. The students had brought along some piñatas filled with candy, so for a special treat after the lesson the children lined up to take their turn at breaking the piñatas.

There are no bathrooms in our center so the group had to go to one of the houses nearby. The house had a curtain instead of a door, and the toilet had to be flushed by dipping a bowl into a bucket of water next to it and pouring it in. Having just seen the water truck fill up the barrels in front of each house, they wanted to be very careful not to use too much of the family’s water supply.

At the end of the day one of the students commented, “No picture or video we show could really describe this. You’d have to experience it yourself.”