Hogar De Hannah
Last Saturday I went to an orphanage about an hour outside of Lima. I joined two other students from the Bible College (David and Sam) to paint the orphanage for an upcoming inspection. We took a taxi to the International Christian School of Lima where we meet up with some teachers (the rest of our team) and our ride. David, Sam, and I got lost looking for the school. We made it to the right intersection, but from that point on we were looking at our directions upside down. Eventually however, by the grace of God, we found the location of our rendezvous with the rest of the group. I was surprised when we arrived… There were seven teachers, all white women in their twenties. Their names were: Laura, Cindy, Lindsey, Eden, Candice, Lauren, and Amanda. Us guys were outnumbered!
We got into the van with David, the representative from the orphanage, and we were on our way. I took pictures on the ride out there. The further out of Lima you get, the poorer the communities become. I was saddened to find out that people lived in the many small shacks along the highway.
As we neared the orphanage, the surrounding district seemed to be one of the poorest. However, the orphanage stood out! It was a beautiful piece of property (compared to that which was around it). It was named Hogar De Hannah (Or Hannah’s Home). Hannah means grace. So it is the Home of Grace. What a beautiful name!
When we arrived at the orphanage we got out of the van and met Max, the dog. He was very cute! David explained to us a little about what was going on. The orphanage is not open yet; they are still in construction. But some of the buildings are finished and they hope to have them inspected and open them soon in order to start ministering to the children. David (the orphanage guy) has been in Peru for around two years overseeing the construction. He will be leaving soon. He has been helping Leslie (the overseer of the orphanage/property), Leslie’s wife and family to complete the work.
The building was white when we got there. Our job was to paint it orange and an off-white color to make it look nice. I took photos of as much of the property as I could before my camera batteries died, but I didn’t get the before and after shots. We got to the orphanage around 9:00am and got home around 6:30pm. It was a long day, but it was fun! We packed our lunches and ate there. When we finished we played a short game of volleyball (they had a net on the property)!
It was a privilege to serve and know that our work was making the place nicer for the children who will live there. God is good. I pray that those children will experience the grace of God and His love and that they might come to know salvation in Jesus Christ.
