Fighting for the Orphan Child

A group of 18 adults, from Lifepoint Vineyard, came to serve with us in February. On Wednesday of that week, we headed to Casa Hogar Douglas to work for the day. I had a list of projects planned for the group to work on ahead of time. But, when we arrived, the workers at the home told me that the septic line was clogged and sewage was backing up. When I was dividing up

the job assignments for the day, I asked if a couple of the men could check out the problem and let me know what they thought we needed to do. Within the first hour, they discovered we had a big problem. About 200 feet of an 8" sewer pipe was clogged and in some places crushed. I really thought this was a problem that might take weeks to fix right. But these guys, were determined to fix it that day.

They quickly came up with a plan that involved jack hammering concrete, cutting out old damaged PVC piping and replacing it with new. They gave me a list of parts that they would need, and we abandoned some of our initial projects to concentrate on this more important one. I sent Mauricio to purchase the new parts and we got busy jack hammering. As the afternoon went on, we could see that we might end up working into the night. These determined guys were unanimous in wanting to finish this project before they left. As the sun was setting, and we were working by flashlight, many of the kids were beginning to go to sleep in their dorms. But just outside their window, they could hear 11 men fighting for their cause. These men weren't angry or even upset. Instead they were laughing and joking about working in poop in the dark.

The part that impressed me the most, was how safe these young kids felt as they went to sleep that night. Most nights, children in a casa hogar go to sleep insecure. Sometimes, they may even have fear about something that is going on in their life. And for most kids in a children's home, men have let them down the most. But on this night, the young kids at Casa Hogar Douglas, went to sleep knowing that 11 men were working with the joy of the Lord, in very unpleasant conditions, for their benefit. For at least one night, the men of Lifepoint Vineyard brought peace and security to the frightening world these kids live in. And they did it in a very simple way.