Being a mother has always been a dream of mine, but with my previous encounter with cancer it was also an unknown. We researched adoption in other countries and were very open to the idea, but in the end we were able to have two of our own blessings. Landon our boy came first followed by his sister Jada two years later. I am blessed to have the experience of having children, however my heart was still heavy with wanting to help some of the children we had learned about in other countries. After a bit more research we decided to partner with Compassion International and begin a sponsorship. Daniela Maria Del Rosario Garcia Sop is a young girl from Guatemala is a new addition to our family. We write letters to each other and she draws us pictures, We get updates and in the future we hope to visit her and her family.

Daniela lives in a remote village in Guatemala south of Quetzaltenango. She lives with both her mother and father and has 3 brothers and sisters. She has drawn us pictures of her house which is made of mud and bricks and has shown us in her drawings that she is responsible for taking care of the animals and other chores. Our monthly sponsorship helps provide schooling where she can learn hygiene, have nutritious meal, learn new skills and get help with homework. The goal is stop the cycle of poverty that continues from one generation to the next. As we continue to pray and support her we express her needs to our children and we hope to teach them about loving and helping others.

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When my husband and I started brainstorming ideas for our honeymoon lots of locations were discussed. We knew we wanted an adventure, we knew we wanted to immerse ourselves in a different culture, but other than that we had no limits. After many discussions we decided that we wanted to use part of our honeymoon as a way to give back and better our world. We saw this as an opportunity to root our marriage in a foundation of helping others. After some research we came across the idea of partnering with living waters, a non profit, that invites groups of people to immerse themselves in remote and developing countries by providing clean water by digging wells. We chose our honeymoon adventure in the small village of El Salvador. Par Elita Paraiso was a last village on the end of a long dirt road. Everyday our team was driven to the village,  dropped off on the dirt road and crossed a stream before we would arrive at our destination. For seven days we worked and got our hands dirty. Jeff worked on the digging team while I spent much of my day teaching hygiene to the woman and children, cooking for the team, and taking pictures of the kids playing. By the end of the trip I was able to give almost every child a printed picture of themselves. It seemed like a small token to me but for a child growing up in such remote poverty, it was something they had never seen before and it was treasured. At the end of our journey in Par Elita Paraiso we left with full hearts. We worked, we prayed, we educated, we played. We built relationships with the village and learned about the people. When we began our journey we entered with open hearts ready to serve and in the end we left with so much more.

Living Waters

Living Waters is a non profit organization designed to developing countries with the access to clean water, hygiene, sanitation, and sustainability. Every year hundreds of new wells are being built in the Central America and around the world. Visit Living Waters for more info and how to help.

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