Last week, we held a health and nutrition conference for the ladies of Pueblo Nuevo, a subdivision in the outskirts of Laredo and one of the poorest areas in the United States. It is here where we have the En-Gedi Ranch, which has allowed us to offer many training opportunities for the residents of this subdivision. Our latest training was focused on providing the women of Pueblo Nuevo a conference that would include Zumba, a cooking and nutrition class.
The conference began with a class by Luisa Rodriguez, blogger of Fruitful Living!. She started with an introduction to basic nutrition and explained in detail why whole and sprouted grains are better for the body, for example. Since rice is a staple of their diet, the ladies were amazed to find out what makes white rice white and why the brown rice packs a much better nutritional punch. She also addressed portion sizes, choosing the right cooking oils, and talked a little bit about organic foods and GMOs.
The nutrition presentation was followed by a cooking class by our very own Pastor Lucy DeLeon. She showed them how to make a delicious salad and make their own balsamic vinaigrette. She also showed them how to cook whole wheat pasta and how to make mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower.
Her talk was followed by an amazing Zumba class given by one of our youth group members. Ashley Cervantes energized the room with her dance moves and gave us a great workout! We are so glad to have someone so talented volunteer her time to serve in an unusual, but fun and exciting way.
Towards the end of the conference, the women got to try the food prepared by Pastor Lucy and the volunteers. We wanted them to not only learn about nutrition, but also to taste the food so that they could see that eating healthy can taste good as well.
This whole conference would be in vain if the woman did not have access to better foods. That is why New Vision Community Church is going to work to bring Joseph Store House to Pueblo Nuevo so that the women will have the opportunity to buy organic and gourmet foods at a discounted price. We will also be selling farm-fresh eggs for their consumption as well. The women were very excited about this prospect and we were glad to see that some of the woman actually drove all the way to Joseph Store House in the heart of Laredo to buy some of the healthier items!
By providing these opportunities to the people of this very poor area of Laredo, TX, we are opening doors to be able to give them the Bread of Life. We are already beginning to see the spiritual fruit of our work and outreach done through the En-Gedi Ranch and have plans to do so much more!
For more information on what we are doing in Pueblo Nuevo through En-Gedi, you can read more about it through our missions page.
To learn more or if you wish to volunteer, please contact us.