What love looks like

Mariella lives right across from Escuela Playa de Oro, Guatemala. She, along with her brother, Alexander, her younger and older siblings, her neighbors Kati, Allan and Tonia are the first ones we see when we pull our rented bus in front of the school. The excitement in each of us on the bus who have been to the village before, compares to the excitement we can see in their faces as we unload the bus. Hugs and tears of joy are present in all as we greet each other.

Mariella is also one of our hardest "hasta luego's" (no goodbyes, just see ya laters) when we have to leave. We worry about her. We worry about her health. At our medical clinic each time we come, we treat Mariella for intestinal parasites.

Mariella is 10 years old and weighs 45lbs. A young girl at her age should weigh no less than 55 and a healthy average would be 70 lbs. This is of no fault of her family. Her father and mother work hard in the fields and fishing to provide for their family of 8. Nearly half of all Guatemalan school children suffer from increased parasitic infections, malnutrition, stunted development, and anemia.

Because of where Mariella was born, because the "Golden Beach" (Playa de Oro means Golden Beach) is no longer golden in it's resources, in her 10 years of life she has had a lack of good clean drinking water, a lack of adequate nutrition and a lack of proper sanitation. Our Love is the Mission's aim is to combat these issues in Playa de Oro along with the lack of educational opportunities.

In 2020 we started with clean drinking water. Unfortunately the water project had been interrupted for a while due to issues with the system. These issues were exasperated by Covid 19 and the restrictions as well as the ongoing protests over Government corruption and the handling of the Covid 19 Vaccination process. As clean safe drinking water has always been our highest priority, we pushed through until we now again have clean safe drinking water! Thank you to Healing Waters for their continued support of this water project!

Our second issue that we hope to be able to help our friends in Playa de Oro with is adequate nutrition. Mariella is not alone in her need of nutritional support. Nearly half of all Guatemalan children are malnourished. This is the highest rate among Latin American countries and the fourth highest in the world, according to World Bank. Poverty in Guatemala is also extreme, with over 50% of the population living below the poverty-line and 20% living in extreme poverty. To help combat these statistics in the little village of Playa de Oro we need YOUR help. That is why we will be starting a Love is the Mission nutrition sponsorship program.

The Love is the Mission Sponsorship Program will be similar to ones that you might be familiar with like Unbound, World Vision, Cross Catholic Outreach or Compassion International. It will also be unique in a way that we have already established a relationship as a Church family with the families in the village of Playa de Oro. That is what is so exciting to us. We want to introduce you to these families that we have come to know and to love.

You have probably heard the quote "education is the way out of poverty". In Love is the Mission we stand by that but take that a few steps further. Education is empowerment. Education is a way of fighting poverty! According to Nelson Mandela, "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world." Eventually, with the Lord willing and fundraising being done, our desire is to start a center for educational reinforcement that would include a computer lab for learning and a place for the volunteers from Fr Rudy's church to use for Religious and Sacramental Preparation as well as other programs that would help to strengthen families.

At this time if your heart is prompted to say "yes, I want to help sponsor nutrition and/or education in Playa de Oro Guatemala". Then do it! Don't wait and let that opportunity pass you by. That is God showing you what love looks like.

All you have to do is say "yes" and I will tell you how!