Mercedes

Sponsor:  Mark & Katherine Richardson Family

Romulo, our crew told us about a family that he wanted us to visit.  In June, while a team from Journey Church was visiting, Romulo introduced us to this family.  We were all extremely touched by what we discovered.  

In a section of town well off the beaten path, lives Mercede's and his family.  The day we visited, only the teenage daughter was home.  She was a little "thrown off" by our arrival - 15 gringos knocking on your door saying "can we come in" must seem really strange!  But she was super sweet and welcomed us in.

The home was pieced together with a mish-mash of materials... block, cornstalk, and cardboard, and the floors were dirt.  What little block they had, lacked any steel reinforcement - which is a deathtrap should a serious earthquake occur. Without any real insulation this family endured cold nights without adequate shelter from the elements.

As we were all talking outside the home, we heard a banging noise and saw a cardboard box moving.  We all assumed it was an animal, maybe newborn puppies.  As I (Brock) approached, I found a special needs baby with down's syndrome inside the box.  After fighting back a few tears, I asked the team to come over.

We picked up Pablo out of his cardboard-box crib and played with him for a while.  He was full of energy and clearly happy to get some attention!  

One of the families with small children who was visiting from Journey knew they could not return to the states with their pack & play... so Pablo ended up receiving a new crib/bed that day!

 
Mercedes and his family have been so humble and grateful.  At the key ceremony there were not words sufficient to express their gratitude.

Thank you to the Richardson family for blessing another family in Guatemala!  The home is beautiful and thankfully little Pablo has a warm and comfortable place to call home - as well as an upgraded crib!