Last Friday morning, Sam and Nate left after almost two wonderful weeks of visiting us here in Cuzco.  In addition to wanting to see Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and Cuzco, Sam and Nate wanted to use some of their trip to give to this community.

So – after talking about different options, we decided that they could paint a mural in Fundacion Cristo Vive’s newly opened hidden house.  (I have been volunteering as a counselor with Cristo Vive since the fall, working with families who are suffering from domestic violence issues within the home.  We have a hidden home where mothers and children who need to get away are able to live for up to 6 months.  It is in our new facility that they painted the mural.)

Sam took these photos that I sent her . . .

and created a sketch . . .

and a color scheme . . .

that would become a reality – after only two short days of painting.  Pretty amazing!

One of the coolest parts of the entire project was incorporating the kids who are currently living in the house into the painting.  Sam and Nate outlined some large shapes and then handed paint brushes over to eager children who went after it with vigor.

At the bottom of this post will be a slideshow where you can watch the project develop from start to finish.

For now – enjoy my take on it:

In a way of saying thanks for all of their hard work, the Fundacion made Sam and Nate guinea pig for lunch on their second day of work!

A lot of happy faces in front of a finished project!

The final product looked almost exactly like their sketch.  So beautiful!  This mural is in the dining room/kitchen area and will welcome several families in years to come who are fleeing from abusive situations.  We hope that it will comfort them and bring them some joy in the midst of their struggles.

The tag line – “Compartiendo el pan con amor y alegria” translates to Sharing bread with love and joy.”  Cristo Vive believes that everyone has some kind of bread to share with the world, in the case of Sam and Nate, it was their artistic ability, and in sharing this bread, they spread love and joy to others.