Monthly Archives: February 2016

Switch Them: Part 1

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Loud words woke me up: “Switch them!” Coming out of a groggy state, I heard them again: “Switch them!” I chuckled because I knew that the Lord had given me an answer to a situation that had hung over us for a year. There are always going to be problems with personalities and relationships in any group of people. This problem involved two sets of house parents and two rebellious, uncooperative teenagers. Neither case related to the other, except for the continual attitude problems of the girls.

The first couple met with us to say they couldn’t have Susy* in their home any longer. She disrupted the lives of the other eleven girls and their own biological three with her attitude and disobedience. As I listened to the husband state their situation, his wife’s eyes pleaded with Joanne and I to come up with an answer. They had talked with, counseled, and prayed for this child for months. Suggestions from others were acted upon, but nothing worked. We saw their desperation but explained that the only option left would be to transfer the girl to another orphanage.

The house parents left the meeting with the weight of their hearts holding them to a slow walk. They felt they couldn’t let Susy leave Shadow. That meant separation from her older sister, who would remain in their home.

Didn’t God have a plan of some kind? My heart cried out for an answer.

The second couple also dealt with a difficult girl. I didn’t know it at the time, but they were leaning toward leaving the orphanage as house parents. As I talked and prayed with them, I could see the struggle in Vilma* as she dealt with the disrespect, abusive words, and attitudes.

Both couples continued to pray for their situations. Lord, show me what we can do. These parents are good people, and yet they are being torn apart by these two girls. I fought my frustration and the lack of answers.

IMG_2340Late one afternoon I was getting out of my car, and as the garage door went down, a call came in. The house father demanded I get back to the orphanage immediately. In my weariness, I asked the Lord for wisdom and energy as I drove back. I entered the house to an angry house father who jerked the door open for me; a jaw-clenching, red-faced girl sitting on a bunk bed; and a teary-eyed house mother who sat on another bed.

“Tell me what happened,” I asked, not really wanting to hear the story. It would be a similar story from the past, and I didn’t know what to do. Lord, I need to see this situation with Your eyes. I don’t have the answers, but You do.

“I can’t do this anymore! I’m done!” blurted out Vilma. “I can’t be a house mother any longer. I quit.” The battle with Karla*, filled with rebellious explosions, had gone on for several days.

For the sake of everyone involved, decisions had to be made now. Would we let these qualified house parents leave over one child? Karla had been a part of the orphanage for several years but had turned into a tyrant when she entered puberty. Was it time for the stress filled house parents to quit, or should the girl leave? My thoughts had taken several twists and turns before I had any answer.

*Name has been changed.

Poorer Population

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When we missionaries shop at the market in Monjas, Guatemala, we are on the lookout for a way we can help the poorer population by buying their produce. The poor are easy to spot, because they don’t have the funds to rent table space. They squat on a piece of plastic or the concrete that’s close to the other vendors. Sometimes this means their selling space sticks out into the street, but that doesn’t inhibit these people. It’s their way of life.

During the first several years of the orphanage, I drove our cook to the market and helped her with purchases for the kitchen. While she did the bargaining, I watched the ladies around me selling their garden goods. I began to see a pattern in how the system worked for the vendors.

Each city has a particular market day, and the vendors that sell for a living travel from city to city. They rent their space and set it up on the appointed day. Monjas’ market day is Tuesday. Local people from Monjas rent their spaces inside the market building for the entire week, but on Tuesday, they move their produce and wares outside to compete with the visiting vendors. It’s easy to find the locals, because they cluster on the same side of the market building.

I prefer to purchase items from the locals to support them, but there are times when I can only find a particular fruit or vegetable in the visitors’ section. My first choice is to buy from the little ole’ ladies who have few items to sell from their little gardens. I know they are trying to earn enough money to buy food for the day.

One day, I saw a tiny elderly lady kneeling barefoot on a three by two-feet of well-used plastic. My eyes lit on some corn on the cob lying in front of her knees. She stared up at me with eyes full of hope. “Can I help you, lady? I have fresh corn,” she said in her quiet almost garbled voice.

IMG_6012I couldn’t resist, and I bought all that she had, about eight or ten ears. She thanked me and looked like she had won a winning ticket. I returned to the house and took my purchases to the cook for a future meal. A few hours later, I heard someone call my name. I went to investigate, and there stood the same lady at the door with a whole plastic bag full of corn asking if I’d like to buy more. This little entrepreneur found out my name and where I worked. I’m sure she left the market and went to her garden thinking she found an easy hit. She did! I bought the rest of her corn, and off she skipped, I’m sure feeling very proud.

There are vendors on our streets daily who knock on the door or shout from the street selling something they made that day. They might sell doblatos, tamales, corn cakes, and the list goes on. One can see a wheelbarrow, looking like it went through World War II, full of an assortment of fruits and vegetables. I remember a time when one of our missionaries bought two live chickens from a lady to help her out. She helped him tuck each head and neck under an armpit so he could carry them home. He didn’t have a plan for the chickens, other than to put them in his yard and have roasted chicken some future day. We laughed when he told of his morning outings looking for eggs hidden in the yard.

We desired to help poorer population who work honestly to have funds for their needs. Even with our good intentions, word got around, and people came knocking on the doors of the missionaries daily. The more we bought, the more they came. In time, we moved to the new office on the property. The mile trip into the country discouraged the sellers, but we continued to help the poorer population when the opportunity presented itself.

Agua Viva

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For fourteen years many incredible teams have come to serve James Project of Latin America. All of them have left their thumbprint upon the Project, the children, and the community in Monjas, Guatemala. Without these teams, no matter how small or large, JPoLA would not have progressed as it has over these years. Agua Viva International, ( http://www.aguavivainternational.org/ ) came and ministered to a deep need for people to have clean water. For this week, I would like to share a guest post about them. There are pictures and articles about the places they have put in filtering systems to make the water pure. The link above will take you to the different locations of ministry. Thank the Lord for all of you teams and thank you Agua Viva for blessing JPoLA with a clean water supply for the health of all who live at Shadow of His Wings Orphanage. Be sure to check out their blog:
http://www.aguavivainternational.org/category/blog/
http://www.aguavivainternational.org/haiti-2014/
Guatemala 2015
Posted on Feb 22, 2015


Shadow of His Wings Orphanage (SOHWO) is located just outside of Monjas, Jalapa, Guatemala– a small town of about 10,000 people east of Guatemala City. On Halloween, 2015 a team of Agua Viva volunteers will depart Kansas City to complete our fifth installation in the country of Guatemala.
Currently home to approximately 80 girls and 10 boys, SOHWO receives children exclusively through the Guatemalan court system. These children are removed from their homes for a variety of reasons, including: violence, negligence, sexual abuse/trafficking or abandonment. Ages range from 1-year old to early 20’s. Kids live in 1 of 6 homes on the property with full time Guatemalan house parents, or at a transition home in the local town.
AVI was introduced to SOHWO, which is one of three missions run by The James Project of Latin America (JPLA), by our friends at Casa Angelina Orphanage and What Matters Ministries and Missions. In June of 2014, Jim Allen and Mike Springer visited SOHWO and initiated a covenant which was ratified this past fall.
SOHWO has a robust volunteer team schedule which hosts a team from the US almost every week. AVI will be there for the first week on November this year and will bring a volunteer team of approximately 15-18 people to carry out our programs. The AVI volunteers will bunk in a building in town set up specifically to house the constant influx of teams. The dormitory-style arrangements will be a change from what we’ve done previously in Guatemala, but we’re looking forward to the sense of community it will surely enhance.
There is actually a water tower on the property but there is currently no treatment happening on the water. We look forward greatly to this chance to help these children receive clean, purified water to improve their health– as well as the chance to instill a lifetime supply of health and hygiene education which will serve them long after they transition into the world outside.

http://www.aguavivainternational.org/guatemala-reflections-my-life-in-monjas-part-1/
Guatemala Reflections: My Life in Monjas (part 1)
Posted on Nov 23, 2015
Author: David Watts, Agua Viva Volunteer and Benefactor
If someone offered you the chance to avoid having intestinal worms I bet you would take it.  That is the reality of the work we (Agua Viva) did in Monjas, Guatemala, a small rural community East of Guatemala City.
It is a comfort to know the work we did and the clean water system installed is just beginning to have an impact.  The system will produce pure water that is free of parasites, contaminates, disease, and “floaty stuff”.  It will allow the children at the “Shadow of his Wings” Orphanage (“SOHWO”) and people in the community to have a healthy source of purified drinking water.  Kids and adults will be sick less often, have a healthier GI system, improved nutrition absorption, and they can avoid having worms.
The Agua Viva team from Kansas City was just 6 guys– businessmen, engineers, administrators, and a retired phone guy.  We teamed up with two trusted Guatemala interpreters and brought SOHWO the ability to create sustainable parasite free clean drinking water.  The system in Monjas, Guatemala will continue to operate needing only electrical power, water source (well water), and some bleach water to clean the bottles.  God had our back the entire way and watched out for us every step (too
many side stories to share here).
Saturday 3:00 AM Halloween morning started as planned when Curt Mader picked Mike Springer and I up to head to the airport.  The six man team converged at the airport. Jim Allen and Curt Mader who founded Agua Viva would not be going on this trip. We were breaking new ground and leaving the experts and founders behind. The large, heavy bags loaded with tools and equipment were checked without incident and our small carryon bags for the week were on our backs… with the exception of my carryon roller-bag (old habits die hard).  We left Kansas City at 5:50 AM for the 2 hour flight to Houston and would be in Guatemala City before noon. We were on schedule… or NOT. We ended up in Dallas rather than Houston because of weather.  Six plus hours later we did get to Houston and we did make our original flight to Guatemala (it was delayed too).  It took many more hours to get to Guatemala than expected, therefore our late arrival in Guatemala City changed our plans.  We could not make the 3 ½ hour drive through the mountains in the dark. It would have been dangerous in so many ways.  We found a hostel in Guatemala City near the airport.  When you have seven guys, one woman, and two hotel rooms, what do you do?  Well, you improvise!  Make a bed in the lobby, sleep in the breakfast room with a parrot and double up on the not so spacious beds.  Stephanie our translator did get her own room along with 14 bags of luggage and a frog in her bathroom.  It really was an adventure and I slept well on the couch in the lobby.  Best part of it was, we got to see all of game 4 of the World Series (in Spanish, those announcers get more excited than Joe Buck).
Next: The Team finally arrives at the orphanage!

http://www.aguavivainternational.org/guatemala-reflections-my-life-in-monjas-part-3/

Guatemala Reflections: My Life in Monjas (part 3)
Posted on Dec 5, 2015
Author: David Watts, Agua Viva Volunteer and Benefactor
Tuesday:  We got the materials and work really picked up on the system. The installation team led by Dale Bain and Harold Barnett punched holes in cinder block walls and solved one challenge after another. It’s not like you can run down to Home Depot for more parts. You must use your supplies wisely! And we brought ours from Kansas.
Our in-country interpreter Mario is a true partner of Agua Viva, he enabled our Guatemalan partners to help build their water system. This is a key objective so that they have ownership in the water system and can maintain it and make repairs once we leave. The intent is this water system will last many years to come.

Mario and Harold laying down on the job!
However, this was day two for the education team of Andrew Ferdon and Jared Orr with their interpreter Stephanie. It quickly became clear that we were also leading a gender empowerment movement. Because of our train the trainer model, we ended up training the older girls who were now living in a shared apartment in the small town of Monjas. Imagine, you are too old for the orphanage, at some point you move out and start to transition to independence. Seventeen girls living in a large apartment home.
We visited them one evening and played board games, No American kids keep their rooms as clean as these girls and they were all under 20. The pressure of being a teenager and the clock is ticking is a reality for these girls and nobody is going to baby them as they have to grow up fast. These were the water education students and they would become the instructors and leaders to teacher proper hygiene and how to use clean water. Water is a great gift and they learned how to best use it just as living water.
Turns out that 85% of the kids at “Shadow” are girls. Like many societies women don’t enjoy the same opportunities as men, and girls are the most at risk of being sold at a young age. Yes, SOLD is an accurate word to use. With no birth control, extreme poverty, and desperation, prostitution is often a reality for many girls. As a result the orphanage has been focused from day one on rescuing and housing girls, but they do have one house of boys.
Wednesday: These teenage girls were being trained on how to use clean parasite free water and to teach others the importance of clean water, hygiene and how to improve everyone’s health by just drinking clean water. Clean water was something that the vast majority of people in the community did not have access to. This was also true for the children (could be part of the reason most are under 5’ tall).
Seven teenage girls were the morning focus for our education team. The girls learned from a Mechanical Engineer and a Structural engineer who were as playful as kids themselves. Their 22 year old Guatemalan translator, Stephanie, who is college educated was a perfect role model for them. They learned, used a microscope, and performed experiments that convicted them on how important clean water that is free of parasites is for their bodies.
These young women will train their former high school teachers, the house parents and the staff at the Shadow project, all while seeking to find meaningful work and furthering their own education. They will also deliver the message in-town where they can supply their neighbors with the same access to clean water.
Next: A Celebration

http://www.aguavivainternational.org/guatemala-reflections-my-life-in-monjas-part-4/
Guatemala Reflections: My Life in Monjas (part 4)
Posted on Dec 16, 2015
Author: David Watts, Agua Viva Volunteer and Benefactor
Thursday: After a few more wrinkles and surprises the installation team completed their work, trained the system operators (two of the three are women who cook for the orphans).  Thursday evening our work was done and the first six bottles of water were sealed and we had a celebration with the kids and staff to dedicate the system.
The impact of clean water will be felt immediately as the Shadow project has missionary teams that stay on site as we did. Eighteen weeks a year they have missionaries there. Following Agua Viva was a Medical team.  Clean bottled water will be available to the visiting teams (we supplied them with 100 five gallon bottles).   They will save on the expense and time of having to buy water from a vendor and trucking it in.   Next they will begin to provide the children, kitchen, staff, nursery and health clinic with clean drinking water.  Until now the children had been using stagnate clay filters that produced water we could not drink.
The next thing that will happen is that the widows in the nearby town of Monjas will get clean water. A priority of Agua Viva is to help widows and orphans so that they have access.  The water will provide employment for some of those girls and provide a revenue source for the orphanage so they can sustain the operation.  The town folks will be able to buy it easier. Clean water is a luxury and the companies that sell it truck it in from distances.  If you are struggling to feed your family you would like to have clean water, but food will win the budget every time.  Water will now be more readily available. There will still be a cost to cover bottling and distribution but it will allow the poor to have access.  Deposits for the bottles are needed so they don’t deplete their supply and can buy more.
The impact of our work and the investment of donors should pay dividends for years to come.
Remember Most? I will remember many things about the orphanage, but I will never forget bringing groceries to four families in town.  The man with one hand and no shoes who stood tending the cook fire in the dark with his wife and two small kids inside their 10 x 10 lean-to structure.  They explained that they were there legally because the owner let them stay to keep the property from being vandalized.  I wish I had given him my shoes and that I had a 5 gallon bottle of water to leave for them (the system was not complete at the time), however we were able to leave them a bounty of food just has we did for three families earlier that evening.
This is the sixth installation in Guatemala by Agua Viva International, an organization that is run totally by volunteers.  It was a good use of my vacation and God blessed our work.
All the Best,
David Watts

Family Visits

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IMG_2271Over the years, I’ve observed the children in Shadow of His Wings Orphanage go through the “sweet and sour” experiences of family visits. Visitation requirements from the court say that approved friends or family members can visit a child from the orphanage. These once-a-month scheduled times provide an opportunity for the child to stay connected with a relative, but they started out as something I dreaded.

We developed a visitation program, making any necessary adjustments over time. We believed this experience would bring peace and encouragement to the visited child’s life, but discovered that this did not always happen. In the beginning, much of my time involved explaining the rules to the families and watching that they were carried out. The protective mother came out of me, and I planned to shelter these girls from any possible hurt. Visitors would sneak in clothes, food, notes, or money for the child, and this required all of the staff at the visit to be detectives. I learned a new form of body language and could move my eyes in a particular direction with a slight tip of my head while looking at another member of the team. He would know exactly what I signaled and acted accordingly. I never realized the power of the eyes.

Someone monitored each family group to assure the children’s safety and comfort. Most interactions encouraged the child, but sometimes situations came up where direct intervention became necessary.

On one such visit I heard: “It’s your fault you’re in this place. If you’d just done what I told you, I wouldn’t have to take time off from work to see you,” said one mother to one of our children. Tears trickled from the corners of the girl’s eyes. The room quieted, and all eyes turned to the child and her mom.

“Señora, may I talk with you out in the hall please?” ordered the social worker. They met far enough away from any listening ears. “Señora, family visits are to be a time of sharing and encouragement. Condemning remarks are forbidden, and if you continue, you will lose the privilege to have any return visits. Do you understand?” The mother’s remarks only defended her position. The social worker asked her to wait there, and she went into the meeting room to talk with the daughter, who sat under the arm of a protective house parent.

“Mimi*, I’m sorry this happened. Do you want to continue to visit with your mother? I’ve talked to her, and she knows she can’t say things like that to you, and I will sit with you.” With the damage already done, Mimi said she wanted to go back to the waiting room, and the angry mother slammed out of the church.

Another time, a child trembled with fear when visited by one of the people who put marks on his body. With a court order in hand, we complied with a visit but monitored the visit with extreme scrutiny. The little fellow held tightly to the social worker’s hand with the promises from her that she would remain by his side through the hour. Unsure, his eyes darted around and panic crossed his face when the adult came in with some other members of that family. True to her word, the social worker stayed, and she introduced comfortable topics for discussion. As the visit continued, she noticed that her charge relaxed his shoulders and hands. There needed to be a time of forgiveness in Edin’s* heart, and this step forward helped him in the process. He appeared relaxed at the future visits.

Heartbreaking situations develop when the visiting time ends, and some of the families are no-shows. The scheduled person, having confirmed their intention to visit, didn’t come to see their child. Our children often cry when this happens. Feeling rejected, they climb into the bus looking for an empty corner. My heart aches for them when this happens.

I watch the opposite side of this situation, where the family and child share pictures, handmade cards, and tell stories of the month’s events. These kids leave feeling in-touch with their flesh and blood. They meet the goal for family visits.

Over a period of time, we created a document that explained the policy and expectations of each visit. Each visiting person reads this and signs their name. The families became accustomed to the regulations, and the visits no longer cause me the stress that came before. Everything flows in a calmer and more efficient manner, allowing most of the children to look forward to a memorable time. There are times when a visitor steps out of line, but it is infrequent. Family visits continue to be an important component of Shadow’s program for the children.

*Name has been changed.