Bon & The Hole

This past Saturday afternoon was a super afternoon. It was an afternoon that was simply fun.
The G.O. Ministries staff was able to take 50 kids from Hoya de Bartola otherwise known as the Hole to an ice cream shop. Many of you know the Hole as a garbage dump/sewer run off/ drug, alcohol infested hole nearly in the center of Santiago. Thanks to Gilberts Chapel United Baptist Church in London, KY for helping to pay for this fun event.


We picked up the kids from the hole at 2pm and from the moment they entered the bus they were singing and making joyful noise. They sang so loudly that our famous bus driver Edinson had to cover his ears while driving. As for me I simply joined in with the loud screaming so I was just part of the joy. The kids ran off the bus into Bon and without stopping headed toward the big red slide. Literally for over an hour and 20 minutes fifty kids shoved, pushed and climbed their way up those plastic steps to the curly-q plastic slide. They then went down the slide with huge grins on their faces until it was time to head back to the dreary hole.



There is no doubt that bubble gum ice cream was their favorite as we took a vote on the bus. This was proved true as they devoured the blue colored bubble gum at leaving at least a gallon of chocolate remaining needless to say the chocolate lasted for only a few moments longer. On a day that was easily 80 degrees neither of the two big containers of ice cream lasted long enough to melt at all.

For some of the kids it was their first time having ice cream. For others it was the first time they were in air conditioning (on our bus) and for others still it was the first time they were on a bus. I sat in profound amazement as I watched some of the kids faces as we drove through the city to our destination. They just have no idea what the outside world looks like. Their eyes were lit up like it was Christmas in New York City!

Our culture in the USA is one of expectation and with these kids there is no expectation: They don’t expect to leave the sewage of the hole, they don’t expect for medical care, they don’t expect for life’s hidden surprises, they don’t expect for anyone to care about them at times not even their own families. Are they in dire circumstances, no not really they are just not given many chances to live a life of abundance that we have been granted.

I hope that Bon gave them a cold bubble gum flavored sliver of that abundance.