Wednesday, November 18, 2009

blanca

so many awesome things have happened in the last week, i haven't been able to keep up with it all in my journal. but today was so amazing, even though i am in bed with my eyes half-shut, i am forcing myself to take a minute and jot something down.

about 6-8 months ago we met a precious girl named blanca suzanna. at 13 years old, she had already had experiences in her life that are totally unimaginable. her story is one of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and extreme poverty.

today, after God beautifully connected different events into place, we celebrated as blanca and her family moved into a new home.

the crazy thing about today was seeing firsthand the transition from the old house to the new. with a team from journey church here helping, we tore down their old house, and moved all of their belongings to the new home-site. but as we dug into their existing home and personal items, we had no idea what we were going to find.

the soot was so thick on the furniture and roof that it turned anything or anyone who touched it completely black. the beds were ripped up, and full of urine, excrement, bugs, and dirty clothes. the house was utterly disgusting. as we worked, we were all quietly emotional, and thinking the same thing.

i am finishing up a video that i will post that gives more detail about this special story, but for now just wanted to share and praise God for today's events.

the day ended with this sweet girl and her family waving us goodbye from the front porch of their new home. the bright pink house behind them (her favorite color), blanca was giddy with joy - something that we have not seen often since our friendship began.

i will never forget the last hug she gave kerrie and i.