Tomorrow is the US day of Thanksgiving. I have always loved that holiday, but it has taken on special significance over the last two years. Since I came to know Jesus Christ it has been a day that has caused me to focus on being thankful for the thousands of blessing which God has showered on me, but the work we are doing here has changed my perspective on what I should be thankful for.
I will come back to that thought in a minute as I want to share a story that has unfolded over the last few weeks…
About three weeks ago I was contacted by a friend for mine, Joe Bedford, a missionary serving in Ciudad Vieja. An elderly man at his church had a stroke about four months before and was bedridden and being cared for by his elderly wife. He wanted to know if there was anything we could do. So Gerardo and I met him the following Monday to visit with the family.
They live in San Pedro las Huertas in a settlement partially up the side of the Volcano Aguas. There is a large field there that is owned by the municipality and they have given small pieces of land to poor families on which they can build. The result is a large area about three football fields in size on which shacks have been built. Most of them have been erected using tree branches, cornstalks, plastic and cast off corrugated metal. Over 100 families live there without running water or electricity.
We found Vinancio lying on a single bed in their home, which was a single room about 10’x6’ in size. Since his stroke his left arm and leg had retracted severely and he was unable to straighten either of them. We did an assessment and decided to provide him with a wheelchair and two months of physical therapy. We arranged to come back the following week with the wheelchair.
As we were leaving I spotted a young girl next door that I suspected to have special needs. I spoke to her, but she did not talk at all. I decided to follow-up with the family when we returned the following week. Meanwhile, Gerardo got to work finding a therapist who would go to their home for therapy, as transporting him was simply not practical.
We returned the following Friday with a wheelchair for Vinancio and he and his wife were thrilled. For the first time since his stroke he was able to go outdoors and sit in the sun. By this time Gerardo had located an excellent therapist and we made arrangements to return the following Tuesday with him so he could do an assessment and begin therapy.
As we were leaving their home we went next door and found the little girl outdoors playing. As we started talking to her her mom came out and joined us. We found out that her name is Katerin, she is 10 years old and she is severely cognitively delayed. She does not speak, has no bowel or bladder control and no concept of fear. As a result, she often falls from high places because she simple walks off the edge. She will also hurt herself because she will crawl off her bed and land face-first on their dirt floor.
As we talked with her mom, Aura, we realized that they were in great need. So we told them we would be back with some diapers for Katerin on Tuesday and we would do an assessment then.
On Tuesday we met the therapist and took him to Vinancio’s home where he began the therapy. The therapist, Luis, told us that he felt that he could help him over time. (On a side note, Luis is considering becoming our physical therapist for our group home, Hogar de la Esperanza. Please pray for God’s guidance in this matter.)
While Luis was working with Vinancio, Gerardo and I went next door to do a complete assessment on Katerin. This was the first time we had entered their house, and what we found was heartbreaking. A family of nine was living in a one-room shack that was about 10’x12’. There were two double beds wedged in and the roof was composed of cast-off corrugated steel that was filled with holes. There was not enough metal to cover the entire room, so the last two feet of their home was uncovered. Their water is carried about 300 yards up the hill from a community supply and there is no electricity. In this small place a father, mother and seven daughters live. (The ages of the children seemed to be from about 14 down to about 6.) The father works as a construction assistant, and his income is dismal.
We didn’t get far into out time with them until we knew that they needed help desperately. We are arranging to provide them with diapers for Katerin and monthly food deliveries. We are also going to provide them with a couple of sheets of corrugated steel so their dad can properly cover their house. All of this means we need a sponsor for Katerin for $30 a month. If you would be willing to be that sponsor, please write to me at daryl@hopeforhome.org.
As we drove away from their home yesterday and went past row after row of similar shacks, my heart broke. An entire ministry could be dedicated to just those three football fields of houses. A feeding program could be established along with children and adult ministries. A church could be planted. A job training and skills program could be started. These are people hungry for hope, and that field is ripe for the harvest. And I see it all so clearly as I sit here overworked, overwhelmed and understaffed.
So, all this brings me back to Thanksgiving. Why has this experience, and countless others like it, changed my view of this holiday? To put it simply, it has changed both what I am thankful for and how I express that thanks.
You see, these experiences have sharpened my senses to the little things. The running water that comes from my faucet is huge, even though it is not safe to drink. Opening a drawer and finding freshly washed clothes are a gift that is no longer taken for granted. A bathroom with a flushing toilet is an honor that I seldom noticed in the past. My education that enables me to read and write are now truly appreciated. Real, sweep-able floors instead of just dirt are a Godsend. These and a thousand more little gifts are now big gifts to me. I am overwhelmed by these floods of blessing that I never noticed in the past.
It has also changed how I express my thanks. In the past, my gratitude to God was expressed through quiet times with Him where I poured out my prayers of thanksgiving. While I still do that, my gratitude has become so much more. I have come to understand that thanks is expressed much better through actions than through words. I, one of the most blessed men on planet earth, have the opportunity and privilege to allow that gratefulness to flow out of me and into the lives of others in such a way as to help them find gratitude to God as well. I am still learning how to do this, and will likely be learning it for the rest of my life. But, as I do it more and more and better and better, I am convinced that my Jesus receives what I have wanted to give Him all along…true thanks.
I trust and pray that you and your family will have a wonderful and meaningful Thanksgiving as you focus on the One who is the source of every true blessing. He is so good and so worthy of our thanks and praise!
Because of Him!
Daryl, Wanda and the Crew
