Cumberland GlobalX: Feeling so Blessed!

Today was full of blessings! I don’t think a person on our team could put today into words, but I’ll try my best. We started out the day with family visits. Our first stop was to meet Miriam, the mother of three children at La Casa. We picked her up at the entrance of her village so she could show us the way to her house. From the moment we picked Miriam up to the moment we said goodbye, she had a huge smile on her face.

We navigated through the street and reached her home. With her big smile, Miriam escorted us to her house which about the size of most bathrooms in the states, and constructed of anything she could find, including scraps of metal, wood, and plastic.
Her bed was simply a box spring propped up on cement blocks and her bathroom consisted of an eight foot hole right outside her home, surround by plastic. Miriam must pay $1.50 each month for her rent in the village and an additional $12 for the electricity that’s fed through the single light bulb above her bed.

Miriam was the perfect hostess, she made sure everyone was comfortable before she herself sat down. Everything in her home was organized and in its place. With Sharon as our translator, Miriam began telling us how appreciative she was for everything she has. She told us that she was completely content with her life and thankful for all the blessings God has given her. As Miriam shared with us, the house next door had the melody of “Amazing Grace” playing over a speaker. I went through the lyrics in my head as Miriam continued to praise the Lord for all she had. Even though many may pity her for her living situation, she was rejoicing and thankful. This will definitely be a moment I’ll never forget.

After our tour of Miriam’s home, we walked through the streets to hand out candy to the kids in the village. It was difficult to imagine that these sweet children live in the conditions they do. My heart was unsettled as we said our goodbyes. But as we drove away, I saw a mural at the entrance of the village that I missed on the way in. It had a few verses listed, but the one that stuck out to me was a portion of Nehemiah 8:10, “...This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” The Lord settled my heart and I myself was content in knowing that He was in the middle of Miriam’s village, caring for His children.

Our next stop was to find Claudia, who has two children at La Casa. She relies on selling whatever she can find on the street, so we drove to her usual selling spot and hoped she would be there. We were so happy to find her and have the opportunity to give not only her, but the other people selling items on the corner a cold drink and snack. After we spent some time speaking with Claudia and her friends, we loaded back up and headed back to La Casa.

We poured into the dinning area of La Casa and all sat down, trying to soak in what we just experienced. Gary and Sharon sat with us and shared a few more thoughts with us. Gary told us that the last prayer request of Miriam’s daughter was for her mother to have a roof over her head, which now she does. Although many may not consider her house a true home, Miriam is content and off the streets. I know it was helpful for our whole team to have the Powell’s help processing the morning.

After lunch and some rest at the hotel, we headed back to La Casa to spend a little more time with the kids. We made bracelets, played soccer and ate pupusas with our friends. As the night came to an end and with Kelly as our translator, we all circled up and thanked each other.

It’s never easy saying good bye to our friends at La Casa, but I know that we each find comfort in the fact that this is hasta luego, not adios.

- Katherine Arnold