All the difference

I will admit, there are times that I wonder...what difference are we making, if any? The obstacles seem too high, the interest too low and we are here, alone. It is easy to be discouraged, to see all the cultural differences, to be overwhelmed by the constant poverty and injustice.

But there are times...

for instance, Steve has been going around and checking in with the farmers, to see how the animals are faring, to see how the construction of the ferrocement tanks and latrines (outhouses) are coming along.

Last week he met with Uriel, a leader in Mil Bosque, whose goat recently had a kid. Uriel related how a woman who lives farther up the mountain, has a 9 month old baby, and the baby only weighs about 10 pounds. Uriel offered the woman some goat's milk twice a week if she was willing to walk down to his house. So she comes, twice a week, to get milk for her severely malnourished baby. The woman and her baby were there, at Uriel's house, when Steve was visiting. He said you would never believe the baby was 9 months old. Just when we feel too discouraged to go on, God gives us some hope...

I couldn't help but remember the story about the boy on the beach, surrounded by starfish. Are you familiar with it?

A boy was walking along the beach, throwing the starfish into the ocean. A man told him, You can't possibly save them all! What difference will it make? The boy smiled and threw another starfish into the ocean. He replied, It makes a difference to that one.

Girls play on the swingset at the school in San Pablo, where a ferrocement tank was recently built. The water only comes once or twice a week, so having a tank to hold water will help with the shortage.


The tank at the school.


The entrance to Javier's house. The path is littered with beautiful flowers.


Steve talks with Javier, the leader in Yucul, about his animals and an upcoming meeting.