One evening shortly before I left El Salvador, we happened to meet Nina Maria as we were returning to our Colonia. She was standing on the side of the street alone and looked as if she was waiting for someone. I asked her who she was waiting for, and she replied that she wasn’t waiting...
Recently, we took 10 girls from the neighborhood for a day outing at the house of a friend, John, who has a pool. The girls loved the pool! Tiana loved to jump into the water....
It had been a long time since we gathered together. Thus, on Pentecost Sunday, we reunited for a BBQ. Most of the ladies who joined us live in our neighborhood. We have gotten to know them over the past years: we pay them regular visits, and they also come to our home from time to time....
Katherine is a 13-year-old girl who came with us to our summer camp. She lives 3 doors down from us and our house is her second home. Since she was a young child, she grew up coming to our home, going to camp, and in just spending time with her it's evident the impact our...
Earlier this month I was in Brooklyn for my two-ish week orientation. Before heading to NY, I was busy visiting family I knew I wouldn’t see in a long while, and working on things for fundraising and my visa. I was making so many tangible strides toward leaving for the mission that I felt ready...
It has been a bit more than 2 years since I first met Elaine. She is one of the faithful friends who come to our gathering every Saturday afternoon at the women's shelter. I often heard different ladies at the shelter saying that living at the shelter is stressful. Sometimes, violence happens. You get along...
Those who have been on a New York City subway at least once know that it can be a place where human brokenness becomes manifested in all its depth: homelessness, addictions, poverty, ideologies - all of these and more are ubiquitous and ever visible. As I entered the subway earlier today, I noticed a woman who...
We have recently organized a small camping trip for ten boys from our neighborhood, ages 8 to 11. For some of them, this is the only chance they get to go outside the area they live in during the whole year. The trip was fun, difficult, but all in all, very blessed....
"Te quiero mucho!", Paty said. I had just met this sweet girl of 8 years old and she already told me she loved me. I accepted her hug graciously but I was shocked to say the least. Her tender affection seemed to have stirred something deep within my heart, and the questions I carried with me...
At the end of January we organized a summer camp for the boys in the neighborhood. We spent three days in the country, enjoying a large pool, fresh air, and the “mountains” of Uruguay. ...