Panabaj, a small village near Lake Atitlan, once a center for Mayan idol worship was hit by a devestating landslide during the night. At the break of dawn most of the village was under 4-20' of rocks and mud. More than 1,000 of the villagers perished, most of the bodies will never be recovered and a massive grave site was declared.
And yet, God in His mercy spared a small church plant on the outskirts of town. The "colonia" is named Alpha & Omega and named after a church that was started there a couple of years ago. A church building was under construction and ten small block homes were built. On that night the mud flowed on both sides but the church and homes were saved.
Thanks to relief efforts 40 more "homes" have been built. They are one room with a concrete floor, tarps for walls and a metal roof. Alpha & Omega is now home to more than 250! There are 65 adult women, fewer men, and the rest are children.
Many of these people came from isolated villages where there was no Christian influence and now they live in the courtyard of an evangelical church! What an amazing God were serve, His ways are far beyond our comprehension!
Forrest and crew have been building plastic water filters for the colonia.
I play with the children. I bring paper, markers, crayons, scissors, glue and tape. We make pictures for the walls of their homes and have started to learn some Bible verses. We use the ground or the floor of the church building as our classroom. The children want balls and dolls. They want to know if they will return to school and where. Their's is under rocks and mud.
Many of the women escaped with only the clothes on their backs and their children. Some children were lost. And yet life goes on, meals still need to be cooked, clothes washed, work to be done, children cared for and even a baby has been born! Life is difficult here! When asked the women told me they wanted shampoo, hairbrushes, cortes (Mayan skirts) and flowers for their gardens.
Simple things we take for granted shampoo, hairbrushes, clothing, balls, dolls and flowers are what they ask for. The number one request was for cortes, the traditional Mayan skirt. The women have resigned themselves to wearing western blouses but will not wear pants. Thanks to the generousity of a small church in Chicago I was able to purchase enough cortes for every adult woman! Praise God! Pictures cannot describe the joy in the women's faces when they received their gifts! Hugs, kisses and tears flowed in abundance!
As I walk through the colonia stopping to talk to each woman I carry special things in my bag. Earrings, combs, hairbrushes, bottles of shampoo to encourage them as they work. Language barriers are many, many do not speak Spanish, but they understand that I care. Love transcends and it becomes the language of the eyes, hands and heart. I cry when their babies are sick, smile when they show off their new clothes or earrings, hug their children, admire their latest projectand hold their hands when we talk.
These problems will not be resolved this month, this year or for a very long time. There is not enough money, enough time, enough workers, but there is hope. As I walked away I could hear the music from the church, a familiar tune even though I could not understand the words..."How Great Thou Art". It is true
Jesus is the only hope!
Colonia pictures
Giving cortes to women
