THE DELIVERY OF 200 BACKPACKS COMPLETED

Saturday, February 20, 2010

The day has been exciting but long! Nothing is more fun than watching the eyes of children as they receive gifts. It is the same everywhere around the world – I’ve witnessed it! Today was no exception!

It all began with breakfast – okay I’ll skip what I had to eat and get to the point. We joyfully toed 200 backpacks filled with school supplies from the Church out to two vehicles and headed on our way to Ventanilla where we would have two groups of eager children waiting to see what surprise was coming their way today.

Ventanilla is a large area of poor families about 45 minutes drive from Elio, Lima – our home while here. The local church has reached out to children in this area with a feeding program and also launched two Churches. The activities at the first stop included a teaching time to the children pictures to color depicting the Bible Story and then they were given a meal. The children received the Word with gladness and also the food.

Then we were privileged to see them line up to be given their personal backpack loaded with school supplies. Their faces and the noise level expressed their joy. And as we were walking to our vehicle to depart two 8-9 year old girls had pushed another girl in a wheelchair into the space between our vehicles. It was easy to see what they wanted. And we could never have ignored them. They had not been part of the those in the church but they were at the doorsteps and we happily shared love with them and filled their hands with their own pack and supplies. It was hard to keep the flood back from your eyes as you saw the love the two had for the third girl in the wheelchair.

BUT then we saw what was about to happen! In the distance more children were rushing our direction! They had heard or seen what their friends had been given and they were on their way to see if they would be given the opportunity to be a recipient. We pulled away quickly knowing what remained were designated for our next destination.

The scene was repeated at the next Church, but without the food. But the conversation we had as we drove away after three hours was, “Did you see how those children came in and walked up to greet each of us as they arrived – the boys with a handshake and the girls with the typical Peruvian greeting of a “peck on the cheek”! Their actions spoke highly of the training they were receiving from their Pastor and his wife.

A stop at Dominos for pizza and the “purple drink made from purple corn” and then home completed our activities except for a visit from David & Ceci Hodges along with their boys, Eliel, Jordan as well as Rosita, Ceci’s niece.

Thanks for caring so we could be on the receiving end of the joy from the children.

Dr D with Mark and Rachel King