Author: Caylyn Moglia

Program: San Jose Study Center

Hola Todos!

Friday, the 2nd, was my last day as an intern at Hogar de la Esperanza, a super cool organization that works with carriers of the HIV virus. Hogar de la Esperanza was founded 24 years ago by M. Sc. Orlando Navarro Rojas in 1992. It currently serves 28 permanent residents as well as a women’s group. The residents are all HIV+, but that does not mean that they all have AIDS or that they are all dying. Many of them are managing their condition and living their lives. Aside from HIV, the biggest health problem is smoking and drug/alcohol consumption among some of the residents. Over the last 3 weeks, I have learned so much, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to have met these people. During my time at Hogar de la Esperanza, I have done a few Bible studies with small groups, and each time I learn something new about the textts. We have studied the stories of Amnon and Tamar, David and Bathsheba, and Rahab.

Some Information about HIV:

It is NOT AIDS, it is HIV.

It is NOT a death sentence; it is a life opportunity.

It does NOT exclusively affect homosexuals.

It is NOT a sickness, it is a health condition.

It is NOT caught; it is transmitted.

Today we had a special meeting, and we read and discussed various Bible passages, including:

Proverbs 19:1-8, Psalm 41, and John 12:20-26

Today we made Christmas decorations…with glitter. I still have some glitter on me, and somehow, when I was done with two pictures, I had glitters all the way up my arms, and I felt like a five-year-old.