Hello My Lovelies!
It has been two years since my last visit to The Seeds
of Love and Hope International Society Community Center in Medellin, Colombia,
and I am thrilled and over joyed to announce that I will be returning March 10th,
2016. And even more exciting Steve and Aiden will be accompanying me for their
first time! Also our nephew, Evan, will be coming with us as well, which will
be such a treat.
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| the neighbourhood |
A brief back story. This will be my fifth time going
down to volunteer at the center. My first time was back in 2009, (Nathen came
with me), and I my heart was ever change and truly a piece of it remained, and
still remains. I did not return till 2012 as we were unable to go as a group
due to the violence not only in the city but in the ghetto neighbourhood of our
community center. I then went back in 2013 and also 2014 with Nathen returning
with me, along with my brother and niece, (yes I am recruiting my family lol).
The first two years I went I did hair services, setting up a little make shift
hair studio for the children and moms of the community. For the last two years
I have been conducting one on one and group sessions with the kids in our
program and the women who work at our center, along with some of the moms of
the kids who are in our program. I have been listening to them and collecting
their stories for a book I plan to put out about this community and some of my
experiences there. This year I will be my last year of interviews and also I am
contemplating setting up a hair studio again as I will be going for over two
weeks this time as opposed to our usual 10 days. While we are there, Steve will
be setting up vegetable gardens as self-sustainability and community service is
a huge part of our program down there. The garden would not be able to sustain
what the center needs for the meals we provide but it will assist in
supplementing the need and also it will get the children involved in learning
how to create and tend to a garden as
they will be the ones taking care of it.
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| a typical family kitchen |
We are excited to be a part of this wonderful place
and I am so looking forward
to sharing my “other family” with Steve and Aiden.
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| the caretakers home at the center |
So as I have done in the past I am putting a call out
to anyone who would like to contribute in a financial way to this cause. What I
have found since my very first trip is that always, when we are there,
unexpected needs come up within the community that we are assisting. Things
like emergency medical services, transport back and forth from appointments,
medicine costs, housing costs, basic food needs not being met, shoes, clothing….and
more. I quickly learned that having cash on hand when I go down has been a very
good practice. This is where you come in, if you are interested. Your donation
would come directly with me, down to the center and I will distribute it
directly to the need at hand. This will be my fourth year doing this and I have
collected up to $1500 from all over the world. Donations run from $10 to $100,
and let me tell you, in a third world country a little goes a long long way.
Some of your money may also go towards some of the supplies Steve will need for
the garden start up and also maybe put toward the gifts bag that I put together
every visit for our staff there…12 women 2 men….
NONE
of your money will be put toward our personal trip costs!
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| The Community Center which is behind the caretakers home...offices/classrooms and then the mess hall and kitchen |
That is important for you to know. Whatever is left
over will stay at the center in the hands of our very capable coordinator, and
she will put it where it is needed.
One year we were able to buy a much needed
industrial fridge for the kitchen with the money I gathered from generous
hearts.
There is one catch to all of this.
There is no tax receipt for this
donation.
So if this is important to you and you would like to contribute then
I invite you to go here http://www.solahis.com/
and donate directly.
But if you are interested in sending your money directly
to the trenches and hearing back from me about where it went, then I invite you
to respond to this post or email me at catscorner@telus.net and we can discuss further.
I am even open to requests
if you have something specific on your heart. I so appreciate you reading this.
I also invite your prayers, good thoughts and love as we travel down.
That our
eyes and hearts be open to all that is happening around us and
that where there
is a need,
we might rise to meet it.
Love and Light my Lovelies
