Guatemala - Easter day

Lisett age 11

On Easter day, before we started visiting Fundacion Castillo, the first Toybox project, and Red Alert, the citywide project, we spent the day with a former street child, Lisett, who Alastair first met when she first left the streets on his first visit to Guatemala. She has always been at Alastair’s side whenever he has visited and has always shown signs of developing into a young lady who helps others that were once like her. Lisett is now back with her family and found Alastair’s email address on the internet a couple of years ago. Initially this was a concern as Alastair immediately imagined potentially a full email inbox from many children. Lisett has respected Alastair’s request to keep his email confidential and every couple of months she has emailed news of what she is doing. As we have received these emails we realised that she was beginning her own ministry and have read with excitement, so seeing her at home and what she is doing is very special for us.

Outside Lisett's House

We went to Lisett’s home in an extremely poor community and spent time chatting with the family. She took us to her Church and half way through worship we were asked to have a chat with the Pastor. He gave Alastair 10 minutes notice when he asked if he would preach for an hour! Debbie helped though it was quite an experience at short notice! We had lunch with Lisett’s family and were given a wonderful present of a model ship 3 feet long which is beautiful. This will end up at home, eventually!!!

We visited some friends of Lisett’s in her community; one home was grandmother, mother, aunt and children (14 adults and children). One of the girls had a polio type physical condition and relied on her family and a wheel chair for her mobility. Access to her house was very difficult and the house had a leaking tin and plastic sheeting roof and a bare earth floor. The rain season is about to start at the beginning of May but we were told they had plenty of containers to catch the rain. Not an ideal situation for anyone…. Lisett is teaching her friend literacy and numeracy.

Lisett teaching numeracy and literacy

We then went back to Lisett’s Church where Sunday afternoons she teaches a group of adults literacy and numeracy too in the hope they will have a better chance of employment in the future.  We were able to join in which was interesting as the books Lisett was using were at primary school level. Lisett is now extending what she does for adults to children in her community and is a great example of a former street child whose life has completely changed and is now helping people who are like she once was .., she is well qualified to do so.

Lisett is asked by people in her community, who recognise the difference in her life, what has happened to change her. She tells them that she became a Christian and that God has been very good to her. She explains why her faith is important to her and how it has made a massive difference to her life. She speaks of being wild and unruly and doing terrible things associated with street life but knows that she is forgiven by God and recognises and knows that Jesus lives in her and leads her life. Lisett is a great example of a former street child whose life has completely changed and is now helping people who are like she once was. She is only 18 years old and has an amazing ministry ahead of her. We look forward to hearing how her future develops and will never forget a very, very special Easter day!

A very special Easter day