On New Year’s Eve, when we were visiting Jessica’s family, Virginia (Jessica’s mom) told us about a little girl “just like Jessica” who lived in a village not far from them. Today Dick, Tony and Brian and I made a trip up to Vera Cruz to meet this family.
After waiting in Patulul for Virginia we were a little surprised to see (well, not really surprised, maybe disappointed is a better word) to discover that not only she, but her daughter and a young man living with them had come meet us. It was a difficult conversation for me to explain to her (though I had done so repeatedly on the phone when we talked earlier) that only one of them could come back with us to Antigua. There were a number of good reasons for this, but it’s still hard for me to say “no” knowing that especially Erma (her daughter) missed Jessica terribly and would love to see her. This in one of those times when I’m learning I can’t meet every need or desire, as much as I would like to.
Though disappointed, they all seemed to understand, or at least accept this decision, and agreed that the young man (whose name I wish I could remember) and Erma would return to their home after visiting the family in Vera Cruz.
With this settled, we were soon on our way to meet this family, whose daughter was also named Jessica. After a short drive on the highway, we were met by Jessica’s brother, who would show us the way to their house along a dirt road. We had expected the house to be “off the beaten path” as most of these homes are, but I don’t think even Virginia and her family were prepared for just how far off the path this was. It took between 20 and 30 minutes of driving on rock, dirt, some cement, and often grass before we reached the family’s home. To think this young man (12 years old) had walked this distance alone, and then waited for us, seemed incredible.
We had been prepared to find a child with severe malnutrition, and we (at least I) was relieved to find this young girl looking well fed and cared for. That would not be the end of our involvement, though.
Jessica could definitely use a wheelchair, and Dick expertly measured her for one. Mom also shared with us that she was a single mother who had to work, and had no one to care for Jessica during the day. Her only solution was to keep her eleven year old daughter out of school to care for Jessica while she was at work. The girl had missed much of the previous school year because of this. Did we think we would be able to help her get Jessica a permanent placement at Hermano Pedro?
It’s hard when asked these questions, because we are not “officially” part of Hermano Pedro, only volunteers. We do have some good friends on the staff, however, who often help us out, and we promised to do what we could. Actually, since there had been five recent deaths in Anibal, the children’s area, it seemed that this might be a possibility, though we didn’t share this with Mother. As we talked further, we discover Mom had already begun the process, and would be bringing Jessica to Antigua on Jan. 20 to begin the first examination. We would talk with our friends, and ask them to meet Jessica and her mom when they are there. Mom did not know about Case de Fe, where families coming for treatment at Hermano Pedro can stay free of charge (kind of a Ronald McDonald House, Guatemalan style), and she was delighted to find out she could actually travel down the night before the appointment. I’ll be meeting her when she comes down and doing whatever I can to facilitate the process for her, though there surely are no guarantees. I’d ask for prayer for this family as they make this difficult journey to placing their child outside their home, and also prayer that Hermano Pedro will open its doors to her if this is for her best.
A number of things struck me today, but nothing more than the kindness and love Dick’s kids show these children we visit. Often they have a better rapport with the kids than two older gringos ever could. The kids seem to trust them more readily, and the ease with which the boys reach out to children with disabilities is a beautiful thing to see.
Today I got to see Tony in action. Tony drives a tuk-tuk and seldom gets to come along on visits, but today he loaned his rented tuk-tuk to a friend to drive for the day. (Tony pays Q200 a day—about $25—to lease his mini-taxi, and at Q5 a ride must drive at least 40 fares to even break even. How he can make money is beyond me.) Though not around kids with disabilities as often as the others of Dick’s kids, he was a natural with Jessica, and she enjoyed the attention from a young man immensely.
I’d had a similar experience the other day when we were at the orphanage in Patzun. I’m used to Fernando being a kid magnet, but Kevin surprised me a little. Kevin is a bit shyer, but once a little one I was holding reached out to him, he, too, rose to the occasion and did a great job with the kids, especially the tiniest ones who seemed most drawn to this gentle young man.
I think Dick sometimes wonders about the time he invests in the kids in his neighborhood—I know he’s had to eliminate some more typical ministry activities to be available to the kids. But the past few days have convinced me of the benefit of his “ministry of hanging out” with these young people, and the impact he has made on their lives and their futures. I’m sure we will get some “home missionaries” out of this bunch, and the rest will be better parents at the very least. Not a bad return on the investment of time if you ask me. . .
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