Measuring in Guatemala

Back in February I had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala to participate in a workshop/ training about how to measure the results of different projects FH carries out. We learned about base line surveys, statistics, and anthropometric measurement (a big word for measuring height and weight, and an important measurement to determine prevalence of malnutrition).

I spent a good part of my week there in the meeting room of the hotel we stayed at, but we did get to leave one afternoon to visit one of the communities FH Guatemala works in near Coban. During our visit we got to meet leaders and families and hear about FH projects, and we also got to practice our anthropometric measuring skills with some of the kids in the community :)

When I got back, I jumped right in to preparing for our own base-line survey here in Peru, so I didn't have time to download my pictures to share. Here is a slideshow of my afternoon in the community:

Praying for Beauty to Be Made from Dust

As part of the initial phase of the violence prevention project FH Peru is starting this year, I have been busy working on a baseline study, a key part of the monitoring and evaluation plan for which I am responsible. So for the last couple of months I have been behind my desk coordinating the design of questionnaires, data entry tables, and participating in a monitoring and evaluation training.

After much preparation, with much joy I finally got to get out of the office to help collect information for the study (based on interviews with parents and children in Lima a Pucallpa about their beliefs and practices regarding self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, as well as violence and violence prevention). I have to say that it was so good to get out into the communities again and talk with families and children, but it was also hard; it was hard to hear about so much pain and despair within families, children and mothers abandoned, abused, and hearts full of shame and brokenness.

During the 4 days that I was scheduled to do interviews with families, I began to understand not only the importance of this new project, but I also began to see the true brokenness and hardship that the project will be coming face to face with. But in the midst of the preparations I have wondered - will we really be able to make a difference? We have been planning and readjusting our plans to create a project that we believe will really impact lives: working with parents, and children, leaders, pastors and schools. But the truth is that families will only be resorted through God's love and grace working through us and in them. Like a song I recently heard....

All this pain

I wonder if I’ll ever find my way

I wonder if my life could really change at all

All this earth

Could all that is lost ever be found

Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

All around

Hope is springing up from this old ground

Out of chaos life is being found in You

Beautiful Things, Gungor

I know the heart of our God, He makes beautiful things out of dust, He is a God of restoration, of reconciliation and new life, and I believe that he wants to transform families in Lima, Pucallpa and Chincha. So even though I am overwhelmed by the need I heard during the few interviews I conducted, I will rembmer the words of the the Psalmist:

Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God? Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.

Psalm 71:19-21

And this will be my hope and prayer for this new ministry FH Peru is embarking on this month. May God lead us to trust Him in all of the plans and activities of this new project, may families' hearts be softened to hear His voice, truth, and love in the midst the different activities of the project, or during a home visit by an FH staff, or in a conversation with a local pastor or a neighbor who also wants to share the love and hope we have in Christ.