Mission #34 took off on January 1, 2010 and consisted of Oscar Flores, Sister Debbie, Bill Murray, Allen Pellerin, Judy and Marcel Charland, and two representatives from the Lamb of God church in Florida; Rev. Walter Fohs and Victor Rinke. On our first day, we toured many of the sites that the Mission of Hope supports: Pajarito Azul Disability Center, Juan Pablo II Baby orphanage, La Chureca (the dump), El Crucero Orphanage, Casa la Vida Women’s Support Center, Guadalupe Clinic, San Jose Hospital in Diriamba, Nejapa School, and Colegio Nino de Jesus Praga.

One disturbing experience was our visit to La Chureca (the dump) where we met with the Director of the clinic we assist there. She was very disturbed about the major increase in sexual exploitation of children and young teens and also the increase in AIDS among young people there. During an upcoming mission, Our Mission of HOPE will be painting a mural of HOPE in the clinic area where the mothers and children gather. We will be doing this with some of the children of the dump who will be selected by the Clinic Director.

This area remains such an incredibly sad and heart wrenching reality of our world today!! By the way, Oscar shared with us that “La Chureca” means “something which is NOT right”! What an understatement. Thank God the Mission of Hope can also be about “making things right!!” That IS WHAT JUSTICE IS ABOUT- right relationships- with God, with others, with nature, with self!

On the ECO front, the ECO team (Judy, Marcel, Walter, and Vic) toured the water filtration plant in San Marcos. Later that day, the manufacturer provided training to 30 families and the ECO team gave each family a filter, donated by the Lamb of God church. The team also did two demonstrations of building rocket stoves, which are safer, use less fuel, generate more heat and less smoke than conventional ovens used today in Nicaraguan homes. These can be built for less than $10 each!

One of the main goals of this mission was to keep the clinic construction project on schedule. The design for the clinic was finalized, and the wall, guard shack, pavilion and septic system are all completed. We expect the clinic to be complete by May 2010.

The mission returned to Plattsburgh on January 7, and plans are now being finalized for the big February mission #35!