May Mission Team Report

Monday May 18, 2009

Today was the team's first day at the Malnutrition Center. We were all eager to start the day and begin working on the center, so we left for San Juan at 7:45am. It is about an hour ride to the Malnutrition Center from Antigua, and the drive alone is an experience. The lush scenery of the mountainside greatly contrasted with the poverty we saw. Homes were made of tin sheets, and women carried water jugs on their heads up steep hills, with babies on their backs. The washboards and water holes for laundry was also very eye-opening. Furthermore, men and women worked in green fields, while carrying their children.
When we arrived at the center, Steve Otto gave those of us who had never been before a tour of the facilities. A chicken coop and vegetable garden were recently added. We also unloaded all of the supplies we brought in our checked luggage. We stacked the pantry with peanut butter jars and the supply closet with towels, blankets, and stuffed animals. The women spent time in the nursery with the newborn to two-year-olds, holding the babies, changing diapers, and just giving them all of the love we had to give. Twins were recently brought to the center who are 6 months old but under 10 pounds, in desparate need to be nursed back to health. Meanwhile, the men worked outside, priming the walls and painting as well as working in the courtyard. In the afternoon the women helped scrape paint off the walls, and by the end of the day, a lot of the outside walls had been primed.
It was a blessing to serve the children and the center today, but the smiles on the children's faces brought us just as much or more joy, evidence of God's abundant love. We enjoyed coming back to the hotel for dinner and de-briefing from the day. Tonight, we also went to a local ice cream shop and continued to reminence from the day.