By Scott Linscott
Plane tickets are reserved and plans are being made to return to Oratorio, Guatemala in April of 2018. We’re heading back to see our kids!
Today more than 30 children at the Noah’s Ark Center have sponsors because we went in 2016. That is a significant impact in that community because a little church in Westbrook, Maine decided to step outside the comfort zone and get involved.
In 2016 we found the school in serious need of attention. The kitchen was dusty and dingy and difficult to clean with cement walls and floor, the play area was dreary and rain and dust blew through shutterless windows into the large group meeting area. Peeling paint was everywhere we looked.
Today there is a renovated, tiled kitchen with new cooking surfaces, fresh paint throughout the entire school and steel shutters that are easily closed in the large meeting space.
The changes begun in April 2016 and continuing are bringing a new feeling of life and energy the school.
The hot foods kitchen in 2016.
The kitchen after a remodel with $2000 we sent.
Black, steel shutters now keep the wind, rain and dust out of windows that were entirely open.
Ceilings were also painted and the entire school given a face-lift that we began in 2016
The play area in 2016 where the children played soccer and other games.
That same space now! Another team came in to continue the work begun in 2016.
The entire facility now has a different, more energetic feel.
The dedicated staff is now painting a new mural to welcome the children.
Wow! It is so amazing to see all that is happening but, even more important than an upgraded facility is the lives that are now being impacted by those who have stepped in to connect as monthly sponsors.
Buildings will need to be repainted eventually but the investment in children’s lives changes things forever. Sponsorship is literally a bridge to life for children trapped in poverty. Our partnership with the AMG staff and the teachers in Oratorio keeps us in contact and gives us confidence that our children and all the other kids at the school are getting love and care. Because we know them and call them friends, we know how much they truly love the children.
“Why go back to the same place?” a friend asked me, “Why not go somewhere you haven’t seen before?”
That’s called “tourism.” This is about serving people, loving them and building a lasting partnership in ministry. This is a partnership in the work of the gospel, not a chance to get a stamp on our passports.
If you sponsor a child in Oratorio we will gladly bring a gift for you. Keep it to no more than 3 pounds and be sure to include a framed photo. Sponsored children consider their sponsors their “godparents.” They treasure the letters they receive.
We need your help!
We will need your help getting our team back to Guatemala. We’ll need prayer and financial help. You can give a tax-deductible donation to support the entire team or an individual team member at www.easytithe.com/fbcwestbrook .
If you would like to sponsor a child at our sister school, click here to meet the children who are waiting. ($32 per month)
Of course, I’ve got some big dreams and continue asking God to provide in big ways. I have been praying for $10,000 for a roof over the play area since I first went to Oratorio in 2016. Let me know if you have any ideas of how God might be planning to provide the resources.
- Scott
