A few Saturday’s ago, our family was richly blessed to serve in partnership with a local church in the community of Camitillo, a collection of 7 smaller communities tucked back in the mountains and near a cement manufacturing plant.
We had been invited by the church, Casa de Oracion por Todas Las Naciones (house of prayer for all nations) to give a Christmas themed arts and crafts workshop for up to 50 kids.
Gathering Supplies
The work for this labor of love begins with gathering the supplies.
There are no Michael’s stores, and ordering stuff from warehouses like Oriental Trading company is not practical or cost effective.
Brenda will spend a few weeks researching crafts online, looking for materials, shopping in the city one store at a time looking for just the right material or substitute to accomplish the craft.
Right now, it’s the peak of rainy season, so walking from store to store can be easy and dry, or difficult and wet depending on the weather. I have joined her shopping a few times for stuff, and declare to you, this is a labor of love.
Assembling Supplies
For the week or so leading up to the workshop, our house becomes craft central.
Our kids get involved, stuff is spread out over tables and furniture and floor as we seek to cut out all the little items, glue stuff in advance, and prepare pre-packaged crafts that we can give to kids.
As crunch time approaches, the hours run out and we make our way to the community of Caimitillo.
The community
Getting to Camitillo not easy to get there. We went out a few weeks early, and due to a landslide, we had to take the long way around, off-roading for about 1 hour in our little 4 door sedan. Going this time, the road was opened, but the going was just as rough.
It’s ripped full of potholes thanks to the heavy equipment like dumptrucks from the mine. At times we felt like we felt like we needed a 4×4 that would have been more suitable for the road conditions. Potholes, washouts, missing pavement all made the journey a little slower than usual.
The neighborhoods are a mix of block homes and shacks made out of whatever is found. Every home is in process of repair, or in need of repair.
As we drove around the neighborhoods, we heard Pastor Raquel describe her love for this harvest field. She knows nearly every family that has a child and has personally visited in nearly every one.
The Workshop
Brenda led a workshop on Christmas crafts for about 50 handpicked kids, ranging in age from 3 to 13.
Some of the adult helpers used to be children in this ministry and have been won to Christ by Pastora Raquel’s ministry. The children made these crafts as part of a Christmas outreach for their parents. The crafts made today will be part of a year end presentation that the church is using to reach into the neighborhood and surrounding communities.
Raquel once told me of one young girl, now 13, who has brought 6 other families into the church through her evangelism. This is hard work for Raquel and her family. Yet she dreams of these kids knowing Christ so that they will be active church members and transformative agents in the neighborhood.
Thanks for your support
God has called our family to ministry in Latin America in partnership with local churches and missions. We are pleased to partner with Raquel and your support of this work enables us to help Raquel’s church reach out in love of Christ.
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