Joe Walenciak's Blog: Geidi

May 21, 2012 - Chajul, Quiche, Guatemala

Today was a good day in Chajul, Guatemala.

In July, 2011, Larry Bland and I visited three villages in Guatemala for the purpose of developing a water purification project. This was to be a partnership between John Brown University, Healing Waters International (and their Guatemalan arm "Aguas de Unidad"), and Compassion International. All three villages captured our hearts, but there was something very special about Chajul. It is an isolated community with severe poverty and problems with clean water. There was also an incredible Compassion Student Center there that could serve as home to the water project. Throughout the visit, I took pictures of a lot of curious children, including the young lady in this picture. She was in the street near one of the locations we visited. I never got her name or knew anything about her, but she sure was a gorgeous young lady.

July 2011 - Chajul Guatemala

With the help of Stacie Burley, Karen Morales, and a team of graduate students from JBU, the project began to develop. Stacie decided that we needed promotional materials, so she looked through the pictures from my first Chajul trip, found this picture, and decided that this young lady should be our poster girl.

Over the course of the year, by the grace of God, the dream has become reality. This girl became the face of the JBU Guatemala Water Project. People continued to ask me her name, and I couldn't tell them anything. She may have been an unknown girl in an isolated village, but her beautiful smile touched the hearts of many donors and prayer partners.

The story of the Guatemala Water Project is long, and even though there have been many struggles and challenges, the whole journey has been a testimony of God's goodness, grace, and love for His people. As I write, I am in a small hotel outside of Chajul, having just watched the team complete Day #1 of training for the people in Chajul. The machine is here, and the people who are going to run it are amazing. Clean water is coming to the people of Chajul!

As part of our time here, we decided to find this girl whose smile has touched our hearts. Working through the staff of the Compassion Student Center in Chajul, we found her today. Her name is Geidi.

Geidi's mother brought her to the Student Center. They are so poor, she didn't want us to see where they lived. We gave Geidi a copy of the Guatemala Water Project poster. Also, because we used her picture to promote this project, we wanted to do something to bless her family...so we presented them with a large basket of food supplies. We told Geidi how her beautiful smile is helping the people of her community. I'm not sure how much of all of this she understood. Maybe some day she will understand how God used her when she didn't even know it. I pray that she will grow to be a woman who loves God.

Today was a good day in Chajul.