Joy-filled Quelacasque

The missions version of the Travelocity gnome is on the move. We've already shown you the  Mercedes and Betania sponsorship centers. Today, we’re visiting Quelacasque, the road to which is visible from the porch of Kim and Jonathan Hall’s home. So, pull up a rocking chair while we point out the sights and learn about the third sponsorship center.

If you could fly, Quelacasque would be the closest sponsorship center to Gracias. Since you probably can’t fly, you’ll need to drive three or four minutes outside of Gracias and then take a dirt road. In Kim’s opinion, the road to Quelacasque is the worst. After driving for about 35 minutes, you’ll cross a bridge. You’ll know you’re in the right place by the terrifying noises the bridge will make when you drive onto it. (Note from Trish - that's a Bailey bridge. If you're unfamiliar with this type of bridge, here's an educational link.) On the other side of the bridge, you’ll need to continue driving up a long and winding road. It’s the kind of road where you will be scared you will meet trucks driving in the opposite direction. Go ahead and prepare yourself because you will meet trucks driving in the opposite direction. There is a steady stream of trucks filled with people going to town to sell bread and vegetables.

The people of Quelacasque have a poor reputation and are often looked down upon for being dirty. It is the poorest area, overall, of any of the sponsorship centers. A large number of kids in the program live without electricity or running water. It is not unheard of for eight people to be sleeping in two twin size beds with no mattress and only ropes to support them. The people of the area have a distinct look. Kim says you always know them when you see them. The population tends to have a lot of special needs and there are many children with special needs.

Most of the parents of the children in the Quelacasque program do not know how to read or write. The children are getting no help from home with their schoolwork. The school used to go through sixth grade, but they now go through the ninth grade. That is huge and it will continue to help a generation of kids become more educated than any of the generations that came before them.

It’s the sort of place where the women all still give birth at home, rather than going to the hospital. When Kim was talking, it reminded me very much of the old Catherine Marshall book, “Christy” about life in a fictional community in Appalachia in the early 1900s.

This church is the central location for the Quelacasque program

The Quelacasque center consists of six small churches spread out all over the place. Some of the kids walk for more than two hours to go to the central location. Kim said she was present when a team member was being driven to a home visit. They drove until the road ended, at which point the road was so narrow they weren’t even sure how they were going to be able to turn the truck around. The sponsor walked the rest of the way to the house. Following the home visit, the team member was returned to the truck, by the family she'd visited, on horseback.

Given the information in the preceding paragraphs, you may be surprised that Kim describes Quelacasque as a place of joy. While the kids are undoubtedly poorer and dirtier than children at other sponsorship centers, they are also playful, happy, and fun.

Up until about ten years ago, the community was almost entirely “Catholic.” I put that in quotation marks because it was actually a sort of Catholicism/superstition hybrid, which is not uncommon in remote areas. Allen says the superstition element is something like voodoo. Kim has met the grandma who worked to initially bring the evangelical church into that area.

Kim is continually impressed by how well those children know the Bible. She said, “Even the small ones can probably quote fifty Bible verses.”

You might also be surprised to learn that the kids’ attendance is better than that of any of the other sponsorship programs. The children rarely miss the opportunity to attend. The joy-filled children of Quelacasque bring joy to those who work with them.

 - posted by Christi