Suzanne Potter: March 2009

Thursday 26 March 2009

Wednesday 25 March 2009

Recently I've been catching up with one of the Striders in her placement. When I met wuth her boss and asked how it was going for the Strider and with the programme in general, she spent half an hour telling me what a pelasure it was to have the Strider. She'd got thoroughly involved in her host family and church and work and was always friendly and always ready to help out with anything that needed doing. Then she explained that "I knew that not all volunteers settle in as well as she has, but I recognise that behind a good volunteer is a good organisation. We can tell that she has been well prepared by Latin Link for this experience and is supported by them whilst she's here."
It was great to hear this sort of comment - not only that this particular Strider had settled into the culture so well and was really making the most of her placement - but also that we (Latin Link) had shown ourselves to be an organisation that took seriously the Striders experience and that of those who recieve them. That's what I've been striving to acheive - that the Stride experience can be beneficial for everyone involved.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Selected Stepper wisdom

I´ve spend the last week with the Central America step team - in various stages of jetlag, awakeness, tiredness and at times pain ... but as always young people bring their own particular brand of wisdom to any given situation.
Here´s a few quotes that have kept me chuckling...

"I´m an assett to humanity........................why are you laughing??"

(when asked to think of 4 words to describe the gospel) "Crocked people get party"

"It shakes when I shake it".

I´m sure that they´ll be more to come and I´ll keep you informed!!!

Spring Step team in Honduras

I´ve been with my new Step team for the last week. The idea for step teams is that they live and work alongside a church or project in order to learn from each other and serve God together. The team will be here in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for the next 7 - 8 weeks (before moving on to Guatemala for a new project).
Here they´ve received a fantastic welcome from the Roca Fuerte church (at Pizza Hut!)

It´s a church that has grown in a poor Colonia on the outskirts of Tegus - which has a significant amount of gang activity. Many young people and younger kids join or get involved in gangs because they have missed out on education and feel that they have no other option or hope for the future. So about a year ago the church started a kids club in the next door neighbourhood, which is even poorer, with the hope that they could reach kids and prevent them from joining the gangs. Now the club regularly gets 80 children coming along to hear about and experience God´s love through the team of volunteers.
On the first day, the team visited the club and some of the homes of some of the children. One family lives in one room (I think with 5 children), nailed to the side of another ´house´. Half of the floor was dirt and the other half was wooden planks. Through the gaps, we could see the ´river´about 10 feet below. 2 of the kids proudly showed me their school notebooks which the club had been able to provide this year. (In theory, education is free, but kids have to buy their own books and uniforms etc.) Many families just can´t afford it and take their kids with them to scavenge from the city rubbish dump - or earn money in another way.

Whilst they´re here, the team will be working with the kids club and in a local school as well as doing some practical work to improve the house where the club meets. The floor needs leveling and concreting and a drainage system to prevent it from flooding every rainy season. They´ll also repair the roof.

In the meantime, the team are getting used to washing from a bucket (when the water is off), watching cows graze on the rubbish left in the park opposite the house, being accompanied to work every day by the pastor (for protection) and........fantastic cooking from Blanca, our host (amongst others!!!)