I have always heard that everyone has a story and I am beginning to agree. I also think many people want to share their story and have someone listen to them. Perhaps it is so they can have an advocate, supporter, a voice, or someone just to relate and not just automatically judge them.
Sometimes in life we are dealt hands we just don't understand. They often seem unfair and cruel and can make us question God and ask why? I don't think we will fully know the answer to this question here on Earth, but I am confident that it still perfectly fits God's plan and that good still comes out of even the hardest of circumstances.
When I visited the Compassion site, I immediately felt myself wondering , why them Lord, why do I have so much and they have so little, but when I left that thought changed a little. Yes I still wish they had more and I still hate they live in such poverty, but they are blessed in areas I am poor in.
My Compassion child is named Victor. He is 5 years old and so sweet and loving. Many things about him remind me of my boys and reminds me that no matter what ethnicity or economic status we are all humans and children of God.
We had the pleasure to go down to his house and see where he Iives and meet his family. He lives with his grandmother , uncle (Felix who is 10), his brother Wilver( who is 3) and his mom who is 19. The area they cook in is right outside the house and there is a sink right outside to do laundry , however, they do not have water. There is an opening to the house (not really a door) and to the immediate left was a little spot where there was a bed. That is where the mom and Wilver slept. All the beds were very humble. There is a tiny tiny area which had a small hammock and that made up the living room. They had sheets hanging to separate the beds. Then straight back was the grandma's bed and the beside that was Felix and Victor's bed. They did have electricity and above each bed was a barb wire. Their clothes hung there and there probably is enough for 2-3 days. They have to keep up high in case it rains and floods the floor. The walls and outside were cement blocks and I did not see any toys or any thing else really. There was an outhouse out back that was covered by tarp.
The grandmother then showed us the small humble yard and we walked to the back of the house. We then saw written was Wilver 2009. She explained to us her son wrote that on there right before he was killed in a car wreck. She got very emotional telling us the story and said he was only 14 and was very well liked. We also found out she had one more son in jail. Hearing this my heart broke. Not only did she live in poverty, but she also had such tragedy in her life. We also found out that Victor's mom had an 8 year old son too. Now remember she is only 19. I think it is a fairly reasonable assumption to assume she was taken advantage of at that young age, and once girls "become of age" this is a common occurance there.
When we met the daughter she was wearing a rather short skirt and this is someting I wondered about. Sure we all wear shorter stuff here in the states but it is acceptable here, but not as much there. The mother used to work in a factory but no longer does, so another reasonable assumption would be how else she makes her money. This is where I began relating to the story. Yes all of the above has heartache but this broke my heart completely. I know first hand how you can feel when you have been taken advantage of. I know how it can make you feel, how it lowers your self esteem and makes you feel worthless and how it especially makes you lose trust in humans especially men. And in my situation I was older it did not go as far. It took me until I was 30 to admit this and begin healing and moving forward from it, yet she had to face it head on since she became pregnant.
I also know I would do anything to provide for my kids and making a little money for her is literally life and death. I know it is easy to automatically begin judging her, but we need to remember what she has been through, where she is now and that she is still an awesome child of God. And God always knows out heart and why we do the things we do. I just could see the despair in her and see a broken girl even in her extreme beauty. I know she feels she has lost hope, but Compassion can help and begin to give her hope again.
The boys hair showed they were malnourished and there bellies were tight, indicating parasites and this was hard to see. We were able to take grandma, Felix, Victor and Wilver out to lunch. We took them to a fast good restaurant with a play place. They had so much fun and had a great time. When I got done eating I put my napkin over my food. A couple minutes later I saw Victor going to it and getting my food. It just showed me he is always in complete survival mode. We were also able to bring the mom something back. This was the first time they had ever been out to eat. Man talking about convicting , here my kids fight about which place we eat and here they never ever get this opportunity.
Thanks to Stacy, I was able to bring Victor a little bag of toys. It was so enduring and sweet to watch him. There was one point he had a little stuff animal and he ran and gave it to Wilver. He also gave some to Felix. This warmed my heart and showed me that even though they live in poverty they have so much love for each other and respect and showed me that perhaps I lacked in some of that.
I absolutely feel in love with this family and am so glad I could meet them and get a glimpse into their life. Wilver also stole my heart and was so snuggly and lovable. It was so hard to say good bye and I did not want to. When we hugged grandma bye we noticed her fingers. They had become nubs and her fingernails were almost gone. This was due to her job. She cleaned and did laundry for other people and is a very hard worker. She works hard to support her family and she is proud.
It is very easy to get caught up in all the negative that surrounds them, because they do have a lot of hardships. But I find it comforting that they have Compassion to help in what they can and give them hope again when life seems hopeless. I am praying daily for them and look forward to growing and strengthening my relationship with the whole family. I pray I can be a small voice and advocate for them but most of all I pray they continue to love Jesus even amongst their heartaches.
Humbly yours,
Amber
This is heartwarming, im so glad you got to do this.
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