Kristi had been aware of a "soup kitchen" in Rivas but had never been there before yesterday. When she said, "we are going to Anita's today", I didn't really know who Anita was but came to find out, she is the lady who runs the "soup kitchen". Julie McBroom had been helping at Anita's weekly and invited us to go. I didn't know what to expect but I thought it sounded like a good thing to do. I can't even begin to describe the things we saw and the feelings we felt. Before going to Anita's, we drove by the city dump and Julie pointed out that the people who were there rummaging through the piles of garbage were looking for anything useful to eat or to use. I got a knot in my stomach as I compared my life to theirs. I felt guilty to have the many blessings that I have. I have never in my life wondered where my next meal would come from.
We then arrived at Anita's. She is a Nicaraguan who has devoted her life to helping others who are in need. She provides a meal every day for children who otherwise may not have anything to eat. We found this room full of happy, cheerful children. They were playing with games and participating in activities. Julie had stopped and bought some watermelon along the way and we all started cutting it up. There were a few kids that wandered in and had a wistful look on their faces. They were too cute to resist!!! (You may notice the man with the big camera. There has been a filming crew here in San Juan del Sur filming a documentary on expats abroad and the good things that they are accomplishing.)
It came time for Anita to gather the kids together into a large room and she taught them a little gospel message and had them participate. For a lot of them this is the only formal lessons they are getting.
When it came time to pass out the food (the watermelon and a simple rice dish that Anita had made), the kids were all orderly and polite. It was so touching to hand these plates of food to these kids and see their appreciation.
When they were through they brought their dishes around and washed them. They were so polite and grateful. We loved them all. Wish we could take them home with us and take care of them!!!
There were a few mothers who showed up with small children in their arms. They were given food after the children were all fed.
Here's Kristi with Anita after the meal was over. Anita is very young and very ambitious and very impressive. She runs this service on donations. She wants to provide a small Christmas present for each of these kids. Hopefully she is able to get the donations she needs to provide this wonderful service.
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