Un Dia Especial
Last Friday, May 25th, was a very special day for the central office employees of AMG. We had been talking for some time about closing the office for the day and taking the employees to visit a few of our rural childcare centers. Well, the perfect opportunity posed itself last Friday at our Villa Laura and Oratorio projects. You may have seen our earlier posts (from February 5th and May 1st) about the construction of new buildings at our Villa Laura childcare center and the visiting construction teams that have helped with the construction. Also, a "cancha" or "court" (for basketball, soccer, etc) was built at our Oratorio childcare center this past year as well. Since the construction of these two projects was completed recently, the dedication services for both was set for this past Friday when our central office employees could be there.
Twelve of us loaded up in the van in the morning on Friday and drove to the small rural village of Villa Laura. About an hour east of Guatemala City we took a small dirt road and went about 8 kilometers up the mountain to the village. Here are a few pictures from the drive:
Villa Laura - you might wonder why we needed new school buildings at this childcare center. Part of the problem was the ownership of the property as the land where a few of the older buildings were located was not owned by AMG or our church partner. Also, the buildings were very old. Here are a few pictures taken of the old buildings that were replaced:
The property where the new buildings were built was just accross from where the old buildings were located. It was purchased several years ago by AMG and one building with 3 classrooms was constructed a few years ago. Then, during the past two years, the main building(3 more classrooms, and office and a storage room) and the kitchen/storage buildings were constructed. Here are some pictures of the finished project:
It was a privilege to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony along with the staff and children of the Villa Laura childcare center:
Oratorio - The Oratorio childcare center has wanted a "cancha" for several years and needed a play area for the 400 children who attend there. And since the Oratorio project is close to Villa Laura, during the time that the last construction team was here we split the team and half of them worked to constuct the "cancha". After leaving Villa Laura, we drove back down the mountain and to Oratorio. When we arrived, they had prepared a buffet lunch with for us. Their hospitality went way over board.....but we enjoyed the lunch just the same! Here is a picture of our central office employees enjoying this time:
And after our "feast", we were once again treated to a program put on by the childcare center staff and participation in their dedication service of the "cancha". Here are some pictures from the afternoon service:
Amidst the opportunities and challenges that we face in the ministry each day, we have special days such as this one to remind us that the Lord is working in Guatemala through the ministry of AMG International.
Thank you to all who sponsor children so they are able to attend the childcare centers.
Thank you to all who helped with the planning and construction in Villa Laura and Oratorio.
Lord bless you all.
6 comments:
Happy Memorial Day! We just got home after visiting friends this afternoon, and one of the things we did was share our pictures of last month's trip with them; how cool to come home and find your latest blog post with photos from the dedication services...what a blessing to have been a part of God's work through AMG in Guatemala.
We miss you guys, and can't wait to see you again soon.
With love from Inger, Pedro & Liam
P.S. Bob, looks like your razor may need replacing. Maybe you can borrow Steve's, since his seems to be cutting a bit too close! I shouldn't tease - you should see the ponytail Pete's growing to deal with his mid-life crisis!
WOW! knowing what Villa Laura looked like just a little over a year ago to now, let's just say I am a little overwhelmed!
We serve such a mighty God!
and...why couldn't you have scheduled that the week we were there? I don't think we traveled enough ;)
Praise God for his provision! What an amazing project. Thank you for sharing the fruits of your labor and showing us how God has blessed you.
WOW, looks great!!!! Thanks for sharing the pictures with us. I wish I could have been there for the services. It is amazing to see what God can do with our feeble efforts. I will continue to pray that the children in these projects come to know HIM as well as receive a quality education. Thanks for all you do in the centers. Please say hi to the rest of the crew.
Karen
WOW! Both sites look great.
Praise the Lord for such good workers and a super AMG staff.
Bob with a beard, hmmmm. Pete with a ponytail? You're kidding, right? I'll have to check it out!
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