From mid June through the first week of July I was able to visit our friends in Monteria Colombia. I was able to check on the progress of Mia and Sandi as they continue their education in program design and English.
I was also able to visit with Angel and his sister Mari. Angel has down's syndrome, he is a energetic, wonderful young man who loves dinosaurs!
Nikole Ruiz, who we help with therapy and lessons for dyslexia and aphasia, is making wonderful strides. Her younger sister, Celeste, is still battling chronic asthma and bronchitis. Much of her respiratory problems are due to the polluted environment which they are forced to live in. Their mother Stephanie continues to help us vet and work with our families to ensure your treasure is used to its maximum potential.
It is always a joy and pleasure to visit our good buddy Milan, his brother, MIller, and their mother, Judith. Judith does her best to provide for her family, selling food product from the food cart our donors so generously provided. It is always a challenge living in such grinding poverty, but with their strength, and your prayers and help, we will continue on!
Lastly, we made some new friends, Miriam and Emmanuel Moreno. Emmanuel suffers from cerebral palsy and is a such a sweet, young boy. We hope and pray that we will be able to provide them with increasing assistance.
While we continue to work on a consistent revenue stream to provide education, medicine, food and transportation for these families, we ask for God's help on an even larger scale.
We are asking families and organizations with the material means to consider helping us provide livable safe housing for these three families. We have some apartments in safe neighborhoods, better schools that, with our help, could provide the impetus to move these families out of poverty and into a life in which they can provide for themselves!
It will take a lot of resources, hard work, prayer and trust.
Thank you all for your prayers, your treasures, and sharing of our story.
We hope and pray that we continue to earn you support in helping those less fortunate than ourselves.
God bless all!
Sincerely,
Dan Harms, Big Papi
The last two weeks of July I had the privilege of working in Monteria Colombia, as a representative of Big Papi’s Kids.
This project is under the supervision of Ms. Stefanie Ruiz, who is our hard working intern and is continuing her education at the Corporacion Educativa De Córdoba.
Our goals were primarily two fold:
To distribute laptops and ipads to college and elementary school students.
To establish a relationship with the Proyecto Betania (Bethany Project). The Project helps to feed and educate 40 of the poorest of the poor in Monteria’s barrio.
The director, Mrs. Katia Prima Iglesia Is the director and is truly an Angel of Mercy. We are hoping to develop a revenue stream to feed, educate and possibly, acquire a larger and safer building in the barrio.
I had the privilege to meet, work with, and break bread with their families.
On a personal note… I am “all in'' to help these children and adults to improve their lives. With the goal that once we help them, they can “pay it forward”.
God bless all.
—Dan Harms (Big Papi).