One project led to another, and in July 1999 with funds mainly from the Venezuelan Church's Caritas relief agency, Maryknoll Partners in Mission and other friends in the United States, the clinic was built and dedicated. It's a concrete expression of God's kingdom among us. Even as Karina's gurney was being wheeled into the operating room, the priest was called away to inspect repairs of leaks in the relatively new concrete roof. The social service programs directed by Heim extend beyond the doors of the clinic. In poor neighborhoods, his agency sponsors breakfast programs for schoolchildren.
Mothers take turns preparing the food donated by a local milk company and flour mill.
Heim hired Gonzalo Gualdron, who was trained as an economist, to run his agency's health education and legal assistance programs. We take the commitment of Christianity into everyday life. Since her surgery, the everyday life of Karina has improved. On her first day back at school, the teacher invited her mother to tell the other kindergartners about each of Karina's operations and why she now had stitches in her nose. The students were impressed by their classmate's bravery.