A Good Day at La Montanita

Water, Latrines, Corn Grinders, and Justa Stoves

Members of the construction committee met In La Montanita with Jaun Murcia, head of the water board, latrines and Justa stoves; Pastor Adrian Soriano Gonzales; and Jose Santos. An add-on water line to service seven homes on the far side of the gully was discussed. These homes also are in need of latrines as they are contaminating the adjacent stream. Senor Murcia gave a very well thought out proposal for dealing with the situation. A parallel line would be run from the supply tank to the homes and then those homes provided with latrines (which require water for flushing). Until the new water line is completed, latrines will be provided for homes in need but having water. He gave us an itemized bill of materials for the new line suitable for estimating the costs.

Although many of the ladies would like a Justa stove, we pointed out that our funds are limited and our main mission was to alleviate health problems. Pastor Gonzales has a child with asthma and he is such candidate. Mr. Murcia will give us a new, prioritized list of Justa stove needs.

Jose Santos was informed that he was suggested as an instructor for the building of Justa stoves for a sister mission organization. And should he be agreeable, he should expect to be called upon for his expertise. Also discussed was the possibly of interest in a microenterprise for providing the service of maize grinding and of assuming the responsibility for a sizable loan to purchase the equipment for doing so. Senor Mucia agreed to investigate to determine if any ladies would be interested in this proposed endeavor.

All in all it was a very informative and productive meeting. What has been thus far accomplished in La Montanita and having met face to face with them gave us a lot of confidence in their ability to carry out tasks if provided with adequate funds.


Hygeine, Dental, and De-worming Clinic

We spent the first part of our afternoon teaching two things: hand washing and tooth brushing. We administered two items, as well: de-worming medication and fluoride treatments (30 second mouth rinse). The children were very enthusiastic and eager to participate. It was rewarding to note a few parents came along with their children and followed through with this program, setting a good example for their youngsters.

Fun Time with the Crafts

Thanks to your response to our last minute request for yarn, we were able to show the interested girls how to decorate flip-flops. They learned quickly and were pleased. Having only 4 pairs of slippers for teaching, we had to draw lots but we also had 2 girls wash their own flip-flops and gave them yarn and directions to cover these. A fun time was had by all and we have yarn left to take to Teo on Thursday.

Meeting with Pastors in LaMontanita


The team met with the Pastors of two of the churches in LaMontanita (Church of the Good Shepherd and Church of the Good Samaritan/ Assembly of God) and a leader in the Roman Catholic Church (Sabrina Zamora). Each one described their church, their challenges and plans. Of special interest were their plans to collaborate with one another.

During the October team visit, all had expressed interest in receiving Bibles for personal use by families and coloring books and children’s storybooks. They were delighted to receive the materials they had requested. With the participation of Lety, the Agape Promises teacher, they brainstormed ways to utilize the materials. It was good news to learn that all have Sunday School classes for the youth.

As we said our goodbyes to the Pastors we knew it was a special God moment as the children picked up the story books and started to read aloud.