Hope Point Student Ministries

Esqueleto. The Skeleton. A place I have dreamed about for the last two years. A place I longed to return to; to see the familiar faces, and as Leigh Anna said, “yet I hope they aren’t there, that things have changed for them.” As we drove in over the last two days, I couldn’t help but notice the things that have remained the same, and the things that have changed. You can read about our previous experience here.

One of the major changes that has happened in the past two years is that as the church has come into the community and started impacting lives for Christ, “mysteriously” the gangs have begun to decrease in the area. There is most definitely less of a presence felt as you walk through the streets. We, as a team, were able to venture much further out into the community as we toured and were free to take pictures as we walked around, respecting people’s privacy and asking for permission to photograph them as we went. It was an interesting experience to be able to see more this time, and to meet more of the people here, to pray for them and to share the love of Jesus with them. As we were walking, I wasn’t sure what God wanted me to write about this time. I’d already shared the story of Esqueleto, and things are changing here, but I wasn’t certain that’s what he wanted me to share… then as I looked into the sky I saw this:



It’s not a bird, it’s not a plane, it’s not even Superman. It’s a kite. And I knew in that instance I was supposed to write about the kites. I remembered the kites from the last trip, but they stuck out to me this time for some reason that they hadn’t before. They are simple really, a few sticks, some string and a piece of material. I’ve seen kids tie a string to a plastic bag and fly that. However, their reality is much more complex. There isn’t much wind here. Or at least not much that we’ve noticed, yet kites are flying all over the place. In our “tour” of Esqueleto, we probably saw 15-20 different kites being flown. Each kite attached to a person, or a group of people. The significance of that stopped me cold. Here, in this land of rubbish and dirt, kites fly above it all, twisting and turning, bobbing and weaving.

Sometimes the kites get tangled up in wires…



Sometimes they are flying high above



Sometimes the kites are held close



But through it all, the kites still fly. Despite the dreary surroundings, the simplicity of life, the extreme poverty, the kites represent the hope of this place. They represent the joy that perseveres. That is one of the things we have been most impressed with, the joy the children have.

















Their joy is contagious isn’t it? Their kites soar over their homes. Is your kite soaring over yours?