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| Delivering Bads in Guatemala |
It has been one week since we boarded the plane and headed back to the United States. That day is always filled with mixed emotions. I look forward to returning home, but I also do not want to leave. For me, the feeling of "home" is becoming more of a blurred line, than a definite location.
They say "Home is where your heart is". If that is true, than I would really have to say I have 2 homes. My heart is here in Texas with my family, friends and comforts we are used to, but my heart is also in Guatemala with the wonderful people we get to meet and be part of their lives. If you asked me where I would rather be, I'm not sure I could give you a true answer. I guess the best answer I could give is that I want to be here to make/raise more money to go back to Guatemala and help more families!
While I am glad to be home, I must admit, I have had troubles sleeping at night. As I lay in my comfy bed that I absolutely love... I dream and think about the hundreds of families I know of that are at best sharing one worn out dirty bed with the whole family, but in most cases it is families and kids sleeping on the floor or on cardboard. Until a couple years ago, I would not have dreamed that there were so many people who did not have even a simple bed! It is a great honor to me to be able to buy and deliver beds and help make such a basic need a reality for families who could never afford to buy one. I am honored and humbled to have just finished delivering the 32nd set of beds for our family. That means that at least 64 kids now have a place to sleep because of a little effort from us... and from all those who have donated to help out. The reality is that probably most of those beds are used for more than one child. Although we would complain about how crowded and uncomfortable that would be, those families are just grateful to have a place to lay their heads at night.
These beds cost $180 for each set of bunk beds, $40 for the pillows and comforters, $20 for the sheets, and $15 for the mattress encasements. That means for $255 you can provide a set of bunk beds to a family. That is 2 complete beds! It seems like such a little amount to make a change in someones life. And trust me, it does make a change in their lives. The beds, pillows and comforters are bought in Guatemala. We buy the sheets and mattress encasements here to take with us because the sheets we pay $10 for at Walmart here, cost about $30 at Walmart there. In the past two years, over 400 beds have been delivered by teams like us in partnership with Our Guatemala in Guatemala. While that number is amazing, it is just a dent.... I love this project because we get to make contact with each family. We also take backpacks filled with toys and items for the families! For me, it is a way to share God's love with these precious people.
So if you ask me how I sleep at night... I guess my answer would be this. I sleep well dreaming about our next trip and helping more families! I dream that one day we will be able to take more teams down and make an even bigger difference. If you are reading this, and you think "I would like to help", would you consider donating? Better yet, would you begin to pray about joining us? Or maybe sharing with 15-20 friends, and begin forming a team of your own? We would love to partner with you as Karter's Dream and lead your team to Guatemala and introduce you to the place and people we have come to love so much. Just contact me to find out more about how you can help!
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