Casa Gloria - The children's home.

I haven't written to you in a little while, but for good reason - we've been really busy. But I have a moment now in between waiting for other stuff to happen and I want to use it to update you. 

Since our return in January we've been working our fingers to the bone on the construction of this home. It is definitely not as easy, straight-forward, or simple like I thought "building a children's home" would be. It's a good thing I didn't know the amount of work that it would take just to build the thing before I came here, otherwise, I can't say that I'd have come. Or at least that I'd have come with a good attitude!!
Here is our progress so far this year:

End of last year

Dig, pack, spray footings

Pour Footings

Block the footings

Fill inside with gravel

Pack all the gravel with a whacker packer

Plumb the footings

Fill with Nylon and Steel

Pour the Slab

Finish the Slab

Order the first floor's wood

Unload the wood

Frame

Frame

And frame some more.

And since we've been done framing the first floor, we've been putting all the plywood and tar paper up while we are waiting for the second floor framers to get here. What a job! I absolutely love watching how the Lord is providing for this construction and it is a reminder that we are right where He wants us doing the very thing He wants us doing. 

Now about the children's home. As things are quickly becoming a reality, we have been brainstorming and praying about how we are going to run the home. What will the home be like? I have been in a very beautiful, clean, quality, orphanage in China where the children were healthy and content and being loved on with a qualified, well-trained and dedicated staff. It seemed to be the ideal home. And then I have been in a home where there are roaches everywhere, lice in all the children's hair, kids are constantly sick and dirty, the home is falling apart, and it is being run by foreign volunteers who come and go at a whim and speak mediocre Spanish at the very best. There was no control or supervision over the staff and it was obvious that abuse was present within the home itself. That was the home that spurred my passion to start a home here in Guatemala. Being in a country which does not currently allow foreign adoption, it is important that the years that the children will spend here are years where healing takes place within the child, not more hurts. A place where the child will learn and grow and have doors of education and opportunity open to them. A place where the child can learn to trust and love and be the Guatemalan child that the Lord intended him to be. 

Our mission statement is "Empowering God's children to change the world." And those of you who know me, know just how literal, deep and true that statement is. So keeping that at the forefront of your mind, I want to give you a picture of what I pray and intend to make of Casa Gloria. 

In this main building we are building now, there will be three apartments on the second floor and a nursery, clinic, and offices on the first. In each apartment there will live a family. The family will be the caregiver plus four children. That means upstairs we will have the capacity for 12 children. In each apartment there are three bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and one and a half bathrooms. The family will operate as a normal family would. Breakfast, lunch, dinner in their dining room. Homework and other family activities will be done in their home and they will sleep two to a room in their own bedrooms. This is as "ideal" as we can make it for a child coming from the circumstances that they have come from. There will be no communal dining and the kids will only interact with the kids from the other families at scheduled times - outside or weekend play time, etc. 

The nursery will be for the newborns and other infants that come to us. They will have their own caregivers. Each will have their own crib and clothes. And next to the nursery is the nursery playroom where the babies can be free to roll around, play and crawl. We will take in up to 6 babies at a time. 18 children total, maximum in this large home. 

Why not take in more? Our focus is on restoring and healing the children the Lord brings us. Crowding a house with a bunch of already hurting children is not really a good way or an ideal setting for the healing process to take place. 

We will hire qualified, like-minded Guatemalans to fill all the positions. They will be the "mothers" to the children, they will be the secretary, the pediatrician, the psychologist, the social worker, the directors, the cook, the maintenance man....everything. And we will pay them very well, just like they will deserve. 

Why not use volunteers? Volunteers won't have the language abilities to effectively restore and raise a healthy, independent Guatemalan. They won't have the knowledge of the culture to teach the child. Neither myself nor Geoffrey have the language abilities or the deep understanding of the Guatemalan culture to be a long-term caregiver for one of the children. Volunteers will come and go and even if they commit to staying for 5 years, what will that do to the child when they leave? 

I believe the Lord will send us volunteers to bless us in training our staff, improving our home, teaching the children the Bible, English, and different trades, among other things. We will welcome them with open arms and grateful hearts. They will understand that this children's home is not a "zoo" where you can come and look at children who have suffered immensely and take picture after picture...but instead this is a sanctuary, the only place in the world that this child has to feel safe and loved and respected. Volunteers will facilitate and encourage this.  

One idea we have is to give the children a global outlook. Each family will have a country a month to learn about and pray for as a family. We will have a prayer room on the first floor and children can sign up to spend time in the prayer room praying for their family, the other children, and other people around the world. 

They will have at least weekly sessions with the Christian psychologist and regular check ups with the pediatrician. Children will receive preventative care and each child will have health insurance.

One commitment of mine is to make this home not just an accredited home, but a home that goes above and beyond in every area. I want part of our staff's training to be shadowing nurses at one of the nicest hospitals in Guatemala. I want them to learn hygiene practices and cleaning standards that will take our home to a different level.  I want the caregivers to learn to cook healthy meals on a daily basis for their children. I want each child to have their "own" things, books, blankets, stuffed animals, clothes, etc. I want to have tutors come to the home to help ensure that each child is getting the most out of their education. I want to hold workshops with the children based on their interests: music, mechanics, construction, animals, art, etc. I want to teach the children to love and care for others and for animals. I want them to be involved with community service projects. I want to hold workshops with the staff to ensure that they, too, are learning. I want our psychologist to work on a regular basis with the caregivers, giving them wisdom and advice and an opportunity to express themselves in a safe environment. I want to use animals as a source of therapy when possible. I want to work directly with the biological families of the children that have one to educate and train them with the hope of one day being able to restore the child to their family.  I want to go through the grueling process of becoming accredited because that is what the government says is the best. I want to teach the children and the staff that as followers of Jesus, we respect the government, as they are our authorities, even if we do not agree with everything they do. Period. We don't condone sinful behavior or support something that goes against what the Lord has said, but we respect them as our authorities and submit to them where we can. I want to respect the government because it will encourage the ones that seek good and justice to continue to seek good and justice. If we are going to change a country, we have to work with the authorities of that country. It may cost us more money and effort and time in the long run, but there is absolutely no doubt that it is the right thing to do. 

We intend to build relationships with other accredited homes, which now there is one in our area for disabled girls. And there are two more that are in the same process we are....to accredit their home. Praise God there are others doing things the right way to help these children! And we plan to spend time with directors of successful homes and unsuccessful ones in order to learn from them. What has worked for them? What would they do differently? What are the biggest challenges they face? Etc. 

What else? Our profile is children between the ages 0-10 who have been orphaned, abandoned, abused and for this reason a judge is placing them in a temporary shelter (what we call a children's home). Street children, HIV children, and children with mild learning disabilities that are also being put in a home by the judge. Why will we only accept children from a judge? Because that is the only legal and therefore "right" way to do it. We want to be above reproach and honor Christ in all we do. Will we take in a child because his family is poor? No. But we will work with the family anyway we can. Will we accept a baby from the arms of a mother? No. But we will work with the mother, ensuring that the baby is healthy, and hopefully teach her that giving her baby up really should be her last resort....but if it comes to that, she must first go to the judge. Will we admit a child over the age of ten? If it is the only way to keep him with his brothers and sisters who are younger than ten, yes. Will our home fill up really fast? Yes. And we will have to say "No." more times than we will say "Yes." Will our hearts break a million times - definitely. 

We are putting a LOT of effort into the "quality" of the structure we are building, and you can be sure that we will spend a LOT of time and effort ensuring the quality of care these children will receive during their time here. This is no easy task. Thank God I was so naive. There is still SO much I have not thought of. I am utterly and absolutely unqualified to run this home and that is why our goal is to get it built, running smoothly, set the standards and eventually turn this home over into the hands of very qualified people. We will one day just be those "board members" that everyone should be on their toes for :)

Oh, and I should mention that once we are up and running with the main building, we will begin to build more little homes to house more family units. And we also look forward to expanding our ministry to work with and be family to child mothers coming from our area. 

Why are we doing everything the hard way when we could have just simply moved here and taken in babies where ever we found them? Because we feel strongly that the hard way is going to be the very best way - for us, the children, and all the people watching us. And for my friends who are rolling their eyes, yes, I am still naive :) That's probably why God hired me for this job. It's going to be very hard. There will be many many obstacles. Will this not cost us a mountain of money? Absolutely. But we have a big God who honors those who seek to glorify Him - and that is exactly what we seek above all else. Hence the name, Casa Gloria (Glory House). 

So now you have an idea about the structure (internal and external) of our home. And I would like to ask those who support us financially and prayerfully for any ideas you guys may have in making our home a sanctuary for these children? You are the ones who are building Casa Gloria with us, so I would like any input you feel may be useful. For example, I had the idea to put a wash station right at the entrance to the nursery for obvious reasons and a hand sanitizer dispenser at the entrance to the clinic. Do you have any ideas? Feel free to share them with us here, or in an email to misionvidanueva@yahoo.com, or on facebook. I can't wait to hear from you. 

Love, 

          Jenna

www.misionvidanueva.info