We love it here at Casa Granja. Regardless of its current condition, it is an oasis in a neighborhood that makes US low-income housing look like an upscale suburb. The neighboring houses are not nearly as large or as nice. Although when we have ventured out and drive along the highway and see the endless rows of “barrios” made of tin roofing material and other building scraps we quickly realize how worse it can get. There are five bedrooms with their own baths, a pool and cabana, large patio with a grand staircase that leads to the backyard and an old fountain, a large room that is used as a classroom and another large recreation room. The grounds are mostly overgrown but there are two rows of large palm trees leading to the far gate that give evidence of what a gorgeous place this was back in its day.
The staff here has shown amazing hospitality and kindness. Whatever we need, they provide. Actually, we feel a little guilty as they do so much for us and we are here to serve them. The food has been amazing. There are two cooks that prepare breakfast and lunch for our team of 12 plus the 9 boys and other staff members. Dinner is catered by Enrique, a local chef and member of LBNE, every night around 8:00 and it is muy fabulosa!!
The Boys… there are nine in the program at Casa Granja right now. We are curious about their stories and how they got here but would rather focus on getting to know them. There is an application and interview process before they are accepted into the program. It is a very structured and they must go through five stages before they can graduate. In the first two, they are not allowed to leave the house on their own as some may have come in as drug users from their time on the streets. In the third stage, it is possible for them to attend school or remedial Saturday classes since most come and can not read or write. As the week progresses, we get to know more of them.
By far the biggest character of the group is Santiago. He will capture your heart right away with his smile, charm and love. He is always right in the middle of things and leans in to talk to you like an old man having a serious conversation. Santi is nine years old only been in Proyecto Jonas for a few months. He mainly lived on the streets as his parents worked all the time, had problems with alcohol and there was abuse as so often is the case. I’m told he has knife scars from his time on the streets. He can not read or write but you know he is very intelligent. He is learning English phrases quickly this week. We all would like to take him home with us.
Another is Davey (Dah-vee) who is 17 years old and has been in the program one year. Davey is a handsome young man who is very good with the younger boys. He was a drug dealer in Barquisimeto and the right-hand man of another dealer who had killed 30 people by the age of 18. Davey never killed anyone although once he carjacked a man who refused to get out and Davey pulled the trigger three times. By the grace of God a bullet never fired (…the man then got out of the car). He never feared the police or jail but came to a turning point only when he began stealing from his family. Although the beginning of his life was a scary start the future holds great promise. He has accepted Jesus and has goals to pursue an education to become an electrician and one day a career as a pilot. He is a little restless but is focused on achieving his goals.
Cesar needs prayers. I don’t know the details of his life but he has been threatening to leave Proyecto Jonas and go back to his street life. It must be a difficult transition to leave a lawless life and go into one of many rules and responsibilities. We can only hope that our time here has provided him some good role models in the strong faith and love of our group.
The original purpose of our trip was not supposed to be at Proyecto Jonas but God definitely had a plan in mind bringing us here. The boys have worked right along side us the whole week and we never had to ask them. When we start a new project or task, there will be several working along side you after just a few minutes. We hope that our example of hard work on the house will show them what a great opportunity God has provided them in allowing them to be here as He has shown us. How amazing that there is a place like this that gives a safe harbor to these boys!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Na Guara
Post by Mark Wilson
Na Guara! This expression is only heard in Venezuela and it is almost always used in moments of joy or awe. I can definitely say that it perfectly sums up our trip, although we are still in Caracas. I am so thankful for such a wonderful team and experience here. God has been with us and blessed us so much this week. Our team really worked so well together and we were able to make meaningful friendships with the workers at the farm and with the children also. We were able to do some things for them that they would simply not be able to do financially. Among other things we bought them a washing machine which was desperately needed. Many things were sanded and painted and tons of electrical work and lights were fixed. A follow up team is already here and we were able to meet with them and give them some great ideas also.
Everyone there was so genuine and wonderful the entire week. I can really tell that God is active in their ministry and they have developed a positive environment where true change can really occur. I loved our driver Johnny, in particular, because he made our long days in the van so entertaining. El es muy comico. The food was very good and the coffee was outstanding, although they made us use tiny cups to drink it… I have made wonderful new friends both on our team and in Barquisimeto. Thank you for supporting our team and all of your prayers.
Na Guara! This expression is only heard in Venezuela and it is almost always used in moments of joy or awe. I can definitely say that it perfectly sums up our trip, although we are still in Caracas. I am so thankful for such a wonderful team and experience here. God has been with us and blessed us so much this week. Our team really worked so well together and we were able to make meaningful friendships with the workers at the farm and with the children also. We were able to do some things for them that they would simply not be able to do financially. Among other things we bought them a washing machine which was desperately needed. Many things were sanded and painted and tons of electrical work and lights were fixed. A follow up team is already here and we were able to meet with them and give them some great ideas also.
Everyone there was so genuine and wonderful the entire week. I can really tell that God is active in their ministry and they have developed a positive environment where true change can really occur. I loved our driver Johnny, in particular, because he made our long days in the van so entertaining. El es muy comico. The food was very good and the coffee was outstanding, although they made us use tiny cups to drink it… I have made wonderful new friends both on our team and in Barquisimeto. Thank you for supporting our team and all of your prayers.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Day 4 - Work Continues...
We wake up this morning a little more sore and tired than yesterday. There is a lot to do but it seems more obstacles pop up. We are happy with the progress yesterday but are anxious to really get more done today.
Think of when you do a project at your house, you have to plan, find your tools, go to Lowe's to get supplies, get home, start work, realize you forgot something at Lowe's, go back to Lowe's, get started again and repeat 5 more times. Now imagine you don't really even have any tools or supplies to start with (not even miscellaneous screws, etc), then you can't drive yourself to Lowe's, when you get there you need to figure out how to exchange money at the best rate you can so to maximize your budget, the Lowe's is a lot smaller and the shelves are not stocked as well with what you really need and when you get back and discover you forgot something it takes another 3-4 hours to repeat this exercise..... Frustrated yet?!
We have been planning as best we can. There is so much to paint so we thought if we had a pressure washer, the prep work would go a lot faster...seems to make sense. So we buy a Black & Decker pressure washer but there are problems at Casa Granja (the Farm) with the water. The pressure is really low and there is an issue with the pump. Remember, we are also trying to fill the pool for Saturday baptisms too that worries us. So this doesn't work as well as we would like.
We get a lot more painting done now that we have the right type of paint and the right colors. The language barrier made that a challenge. We start painting the ballusters and we wonder how many there are so Lee disappears and reports back that there are 691!! We did about 100 and only started at 2:00pm so at this rate we just have another week or so to go. It was a lot of fun though as most of the boys helped out and we sat around painting the never ending ballusters and talked away. Lee with the help of Gino (one of the boys)worked after it got dark.
Kevin also was able to knock out some electrical work in between trips to EPA (think Lowe's or Home Depot in Venezuela). The women were very thankful as he fixed the hot water in their bathroom.
We maintain a very positive attitude despite some of the challenges. Our work will also continue next week as another mission team from Northpoint will arrive on Saturday. So until then we keep pressing on....
Think of when you do a project at your house, you have to plan, find your tools, go to Lowe's to get supplies, get home, start work, realize you forgot something at Lowe's, go back to Lowe's, get started again and repeat 5 more times. Now imagine you don't really even have any tools or supplies to start with (not even miscellaneous screws, etc), then you can't drive yourself to Lowe's, when you get there you need to figure out how to exchange money at the best rate you can so to maximize your budget, the Lowe's is a lot smaller and the shelves are not stocked as well with what you really need and when you get back and discover you forgot something it takes another 3-4 hours to repeat this exercise..... Frustrated yet?!
We have been planning as best we can. There is so much to paint so we thought if we had a pressure washer, the prep work would go a lot faster...seems to make sense. So we buy a Black & Decker pressure washer but there are problems at Casa Granja (the Farm) with the water. The pressure is really low and there is an issue with the pump. Remember, we are also trying to fill the pool for Saturday baptisms too that worries us. So this doesn't work as well as we would like.
We get a lot more painting done now that we have the right type of paint and the right colors. The language barrier made that a challenge. We start painting the ballusters and we wonder how many there are so Lee disappears and reports back that there are 691!! We did about 100 and only started at 2:00pm so at this rate we just have another week or so to go. It was a lot of fun though as most of the boys helped out and we sat around painting the never ending ballusters and talked away. Lee with the help of Gino (one of the boys)worked after it got dark.
Kevin also was able to knock out some electrical work in between trips to EPA (think Lowe's or Home Depot in Venezuela). The women were very thankful as he fixed the hot water in their bathroom.
We maintain a very positive attitude despite some of the challenges. Our work will also continue next week as another mission team from Northpoint will arrive on Saturday. So until then we keep pressing on....
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Day 3 - Getting to Work
No more sleeping in, it's time to get to work. We meet at 7:30am for devotions and plan our day. We have "Leaders for the Day" that will change to give everyone a chance to be in charge. Today is Ben and Gabriel's day to call the shots. Gabriel has been having a tough time so far with a horrible case of poison ivy which has gotten much worse over the past 2 days. He's been a trooper, though, never complaining or wanting special treatment. Gabriel is the youngest of our team (18 and just graduated from high school) but you would never know it from his maturity and intelligence.
We divide up in two groups. Some of the girls start the tedious job of sanding all the metal trim and doors and the rest start to tackle the pool. The church is planning on having baptisms on Saturday so this is a top priority. There have been some problems with the pump and the pool had to be drained. So we get to work cleaning and removing the remaining water from the deep end. How do you remove water from a pool when the pump is broken? You haul it out with 5 gallon buckets, of course! We were able to get all the water out and scrub the tile. It was actually fun since the boys pitched in and helped in between sliding down from the shallow end to the deep end. Everyone was soaking wet including me (Liz) who slipped while cleaning tile and took a not-so-graceful dive into the deep end. But the pool looks great, the pump is fixed and the water is slowly filling back up...hopefully in time for Saturday.
We were able to get some landscaping done. Tree limbs were pruned back (really hacked) with a maschete and the grass was mowed. Painting progress was slow due to some trouble getting the right paint. We hung a ceiling fan in the dining room which is a great help with the flies. The bugs are not nearly as bad as I thought and the flies are annoying but could be much worse.
There is a store here similar to Lowe's or Home Depot called "EPA". It is not as well stocked but good to have just 30 minutes from the Farm. Tomorrow we will get our supplies straight and tackle more projects.
Our living conditions are very comfortable. The staff cooks for us 3 meals a day and the food is great! Fresh eggs today for breakfast, beef barbeque for lunch, fresh fruit for afternoon snack and meat with peppers and onions for dinner. We are sticking to bottled water and I don't think anyone has experienced any problems. So far, so good....
That's all for now as my ride just came after Mark and Kevin went to EPA to stock up. Hope to post more pictures tomorrow. Adios from Venezuela!!
We divide up in two groups. Some of the girls start the tedious job of sanding all the metal trim and doors and the rest start to tackle the pool. The church is planning on having baptisms on Saturday so this is a top priority. There have been some problems with the pump and the pool had to be drained. So we get to work cleaning and removing the remaining water from the deep end. How do you remove water from a pool when the pump is broken? You haul it out with 5 gallon buckets, of course! We were able to get all the water out and scrub the tile. It was actually fun since the boys pitched in and helped in between sliding down from the shallow end to the deep end. Everyone was soaking wet including me (Liz) who slipped while cleaning tile and took a not-so-graceful dive into the deep end. But the pool looks great, the pump is fixed and the water is slowly filling back up...hopefully in time for Saturday.
We were able to get some landscaping done. Tree limbs were pruned back (really hacked) with a maschete and the grass was mowed. Painting progress was slow due to some trouble getting the right paint. We hung a ceiling fan in the dining room which is a great help with the flies. The bugs are not nearly as bad as I thought and the flies are annoying but could be much worse.
There is a store here similar to Lowe's or Home Depot called "EPA". It is not as well stocked but good to have just 30 minutes from the Farm. Tomorrow we will get our supplies straight and tackle more projects.
Our living conditions are very comfortable. The staff cooks for us 3 meals a day and the food is great! Fresh eggs today for breakfast, beef barbeque for lunch, fresh fruit for afternoon snack and meat with peppers and onions for dinner. We are sticking to bottled water and I don't think anyone has experienced any problems. So far, so good....
That's all for now as my ride just came after Mark and Kevin went to EPA to stock up. Hope to post more pictures tomorrow. Adios from Venezuela!!
Day 2 - Wandering Around Barquisimeto
We get to sleep in and recover from traveling 12+ hours. Today we get to explore, the Farm, food, Las Buenas Nuevas del Este (LBNE aka Good News Church), and Barquisimeto. We get acclimated with a breakfast of good ole Kellogg's Corn Flakes. Next we get a tour of the house and review all of the much needed repairs, mostly electrical. It seems there are no electrical codes in Venezuela, wires are hanging out of circuit breaker boxes which are not covered, exposed wires that are supporting light fixtures and masking tape in lieu of wirenuts. There is also much landscaping work and painting on the agenda. Before arriving, we received an email from Desiree, on staff at Proyecto Jonas and LBNE, "This is such a beautiful house, but lately we have had so many problems with it, it takes a lot of money to maintain this place and honestly our priority has been the kids." That is motivation enough to get to work!
Our first adventure of the day is to go to church at LBNE. We find out that they have been renting a banquet hall on Sundays to hold 4 services. As it's not a permanent facility, we have to set up and take down all the equipment every Sunday, including speakers, sound boards, projection screens, etc. Just think if we had to do this at Northpoint or Buckhead. They have made the best of their situation though. There is a room to use for children's programs just like Up Street. The service is very similar to Northpoint's format with "5 Before" instead of "10 Before". The pastor, Jose Rea, is a very good speaker (think Andy Stanley but more latin looking and speaking Spanish) and he does a great job engaging the congregation. We meet him and some more of the staff after the service. He is very grateful that we have traveled all this way to help out.
The rest of the day is spent exploring Barquisimeto. We have lunch in the food court of a mall that could be Lenox Mall in Atlanta. The only difference is the large TV screen showing the World Cup soccer game and hundreds of people gathering to watch. Everything really does stop when there's a soccer game on. Then off to a park for some photo ops.
Next stop is Santa Rosa which is a quaint village were the main attraction is a beautiful Catholic church that celebrates Divina Pastora, the "Holy Shepard". There is a festival every January 14th where people from all over Venezuela come to parade through the city and pray to her. There is a square at the foot of the church where, we come to find out, that is where Proyecto Jonas started. There was a real problem with this tourist attraction that street boys would lurk around the square panhandling, pick pocketing and loitering. These boys were considered a nuisance until Jhulio Gimenez started going to the square and handing out food and talking to the boys. Several years later Proyecto Jonas takes in boys from troubled homes and gives them a safe place to live, receive an education, Christian based counseling and guidance. More on the boys tomorrow!
Our first adventure of the day is to go to church at LBNE. We find out that they have been renting a banquet hall on Sundays to hold 4 services. As it's not a permanent facility, we have to set up and take down all the equipment every Sunday, including speakers, sound boards, projection screens, etc. Just think if we had to do this at Northpoint or Buckhead. They have made the best of their situation though. There is a room to use for children's programs just like Up Street. The service is very similar to Northpoint's format with "5 Before" instead of "10 Before". The pastor, Jose Rea, is a very good speaker (think Andy Stanley but more latin looking and speaking Spanish) and he does a great job engaging the congregation. We meet him and some more of the staff after the service. He is very grateful that we have traveled all this way to help out.
The rest of the day is spent exploring Barquisimeto. We have lunch in the food court of a mall that could be Lenox Mall in Atlanta. The only difference is the large TV screen showing the World Cup soccer game and hundreds of people gathering to watch. Everything really does stop when there's a soccer game on. Then off to a park for some photo ops.
Next stop is Santa Rosa which is a quaint village were the main attraction is a beautiful Catholic church that celebrates Divina Pastora, the "Holy Shepard". There is a festival every January 14th where people from all over Venezuela come to parade through the city and pray to her. There is a square at the foot of the church where, we come to find out, that is where Proyecto Jonas started. There was a real problem with this tourist attraction that street boys would lurk around the square panhandling, pick pocketing and loitering. These boys were considered a nuisance until Jhulio Gimenez started going to the square and handing out food and talking to the boys. Several years later Proyecto Jonas takes in boys from troubled homes and gives them a safe place to live, receive an education, Christian based counseling and guidance. More on the boys tomorrow!
After a long day exploring, we get back to the Farm, relax and strategize for tomorrow's work.
Day 1 - The Journey South
**Sorry for the delay. We thought the house would have internet. I was able to get to the church offices today to get on-line.... keep checking in throughout the week for more updates. Thanks to everyone for your support and making this trip possible for all of us.**
We leave from Atlanta early Saturday morning. Somehow everyone makes it to Atlanta airport by 7:00am in time for the 8:45am flight. Three planes later, by way of Miami and Caracas, we arrive in Barquisimeto greeted by staff from Proyecto Jonas, Johnny and Claudia. The airport is old school with stairs for deplaning and a not so automated baggage system.
To transport all of us, we pile into a van and a car. We have quite a bit of luggage since we have brought tools, clothes and gifts for the boys not too mention all our own stuff. The drive to the "Farm" is through the city. It's so funny to see so much US commercial influence, Firestone, Pepsi, Coca Cola etc. so far away from the US.
We finally arrive at our destination around 10:00pm local time which is 1/2 hour behind Atlanta. The greeting we receive is awesome! As each one of us get out of the van and go down the stairs to the cabana where the boys and staff are waiting for us, we get applause. Although we are exhausted this gets our excitement going to have finally arrived. After a welcome greeting and introduction, they get us situated in our rooms; the big game room has been converted for the guys and the 4 women get an upstairs room. As luck would have it, the guys get A/C and the women get fans. But there is a cool breeze and after engineering a mosquito net as a screen over the window we crash for the night in Venezuela...
We leave from Atlanta early Saturday morning. Somehow everyone makes it to Atlanta airport by 7:00am in time for the 8:45am flight. Three planes later, by way of Miami and Caracas, we arrive in Barquisimeto greeted by staff from Proyecto Jonas, Johnny and Claudia. The airport is old school with stairs for deplaning and a not so automated baggage system.
To transport all of us, we pile into a van and a car. We have quite a bit of luggage since we have brought tools, clothes and gifts for the boys not too mention all our own stuff. The drive to the "Farm" is through the city. It's so funny to see so much US commercial influence, Firestone, Pepsi, Coca Cola etc. so far away from the US.
We finally arrive at our destination around 10:00pm local time which is 1/2 hour behind Atlanta. The greeting we receive is awesome! As each one of us get out of the van and go down the stairs to the cabana where the boys and staff are waiting for us, we get applause. Although we are exhausted this gets our excitement going to have finally arrived. After a welcome greeting and introduction, they get us situated in our rooms; the big game room has been converted for the guys and the 4 women get an upstairs room. As luck would have it, the guys get A/C and the women get fans. But there is a cool breeze and after engineering a mosquito net as a screen over the window we crash for the night in Venezuela...
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tomorrow is the day... ready or not!
Wow, it's already been an amazing journey and we haven't even gone anywhere yet!Last minute packing is taking place, literally as I type. Doubling checking that all supplies are remembered and letting go of those that were forgotten. This week we have been receiving more information of what we will expect in the week to come. Our work will entail landscaping, painting and much needed electrical upgrades. Most anticipated is meeting our hosts and wondering how we will communicate with them. Will we be staying at the house which we will be renovating, Proyecto Jonas. It houses 9 boys right now. I'm sure the most rewarding part of the trip will be getting to know them.
Don't think this is up to code...yikes
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