Blessings

Hi! My name is Colton Fremont and I have had the greatest chance to work with Starfish this year! I am writing for the Thursday of our trip so let's begin!

We began the day off with a trip over to the adults special needs orphanage, San Martin. They gave us a tour of the facility and rooms that the kids (they are technically adults but they perform at child's level so its easiest to refer to them as children) stayed in. It was difficult to see because they were staying nine kids to a house with one person overseeing all nine of them. Most houses (large living spaces really) were not tidy or smelled good at all. Its hard to think about these kids living in this space for the rest of their lives. BUT the kids were so happy! You literally could not see one person in the entire facility without a smile on their face. It was so encouraging because as Americans we couldn't imagine living somewhere like that, but God has blessed them through their problems with a pure joy. It was so encouraging to see a happiness in them that no matter they seemed to always be happy! After we visited the facility we got to have a massive dance party with all of the kids and it was a blast! Every kid was so excited to be able to hear the music and to dance along with us. It was such a blast! San Martin showed me a happiness that we should see and feel every time we think of God's love and mercy and grace. It was a great refresher!

After San Martin we went over and had lunch with the AIDs orphanage and painted shirts with them. It was fun to see smiles come to their face as we painted their shirts and made them balloon animals. The worse part of being there was that we found out earlier in the week that the organization that runs this orphanage is shutting down because it is “unfair and discriminating to the children” and so they are dispersing the children to different orphanages where they won't have the nurses to be able to take care of them and the disease they had. I know that God will provide no matter what the situation turns out to be and that His will be done and that is what we have to keep the focus on-that God will provide for his kids.

As we got to our last stop of the day, CISNA the all boys orphanage, we had trouble getting into the orphanage due to the fact that the women's correctional facility next door was having a riot and it was unsafe for us to enter, but it was a complete God thing because we decided to go visit a family that Starfish had built a house for back in March. It was a a grandmother and her fifteen year old grandson who weighed no more than twenty pounds. Doctors don't know whats wrong with him and it was so hard to see him because in that moment there is nothing you can do. He couldn't move, talk, or even communicate. All we could do was pray for him and let him and his grandmother know we are here to support them. God meant for us to see that family and we were blessed to meet them and pray for them.

At the end of the day we got to feed the homeless for the last time this week and it was a brutal thing. It is the lowest point for someone to be at in their life and they come so quick for a simple sandwich and chips. It is heartbreaking to see these people beg for just one more bag of food but we don't have it. It is heartbreaking to hear their cries and thank you's because we could only give them a simple meal. God's plan will always prevail where his glory will always shine through. In every situation God gets glory and I know He gets it even from people without homes to live in. Today God received all glory and I pray He will receive it tomorrow. I thank Christ for giving his life to give these people life. I ask that you pray for those we fed tonight that they find Christ if they don't know him and that God will provide in every way possible. Thank you all for reading!!