July 1, 2009
It was perfect timing. Just as the last of the other kids had filed out, a beautiful and slightly nervous young lady
named Araceli walked in the door with her mother. I´ve said it a dozen times before, but I cannot repeat it often
enough: Seeing your sponsored child for the first time is truly a thrill. Clearly it is a big deal for them, too.
What can I say about Araceli? I really didn´t know that much about her, but I sensed that she had a heart of gold, and
I was not wrong. In this case, I think I know why. It´s because her Mom is a super nice lady that has instilled some
very good things in her children. They may be poor, but as long as she´s there watching over them, they will be okay.
After giving Araceli some jewelry that she really appreciated, we climbed into the van and wound our way through the
tiny and bumpy streets of Viña overlooking the shoreline. It´s a spectacular view if you´re willing to ignore the
grinding poverty that is their everyday existence.
It´s hard to ignore for long, as the walk from the street to their front doorstep demonstrated to me. Down some
steps, over a 2 foot wide plank (a misstep means a drop of maybe 8 feet to a ditch below), across a plot with exposed
rebar, down a second flight of rickety wooden stairs right out of an Indiana Jones movie, and through dirt,
mud, and rocks to their door. It´s precarious during the day; it´s a veritable death trap at night. Three kids and a
single Mom deal with this every single day. Words fail me.
So why does Araceli´s family find themselves in such dire straights? It´s simple, really. The husband/father deserted
them many years ago. I cannot imagine how any man could run away from the people he is responsible for. It is
doubly troubling that this particular guy would do so given how incredible they are. What a warm and wonderful
group of people he has left in a lurch. I´m sure there are many desperately poor families where the fathers are
scrounging to put food on the table. That´s not the case on my short trip. I could go on a rant about how they are
incorrigible fools, but I´ll spare you for now.
On to more pleasant thoughts, such as our day at the mall. Clothes were at the top of Araceli´s list. Gym shoes, a
black sweater, a couple nice tops and a stylish pair of jeans were just what the doctor ordered. As her sister,
Estefania, came with us, we got her a sweater and a make up kit (she no longer has to raid her mother´s stuff!). An
aside about Estefania: what a pistol. She wants to be a singer, and she has the personality to go with it.
Both girls started eyeing the stuffed animals, so Estefania got a purple elephant she named Purple, and Araceli scored
a white teddy bear she now calls none other than Steve. That may be a first for me. It may be just a silly toy, but it
put a lump in my throat knowing that my sponsored girl would always have her bear near her side and think of me
when she does so.
I´m sure you´re wondering about lunch and whether it involved fried chicken and chocolate donuts, right? Sorry to
disappoint, but we found a shop at the food court that served decent stuff, and no one ordered chicken!
We were having fun at the mall and didn't want to cram into the truck like sardines for the 45 minute drive to the zoo,
so we decided to spend our remaining time together at the arcades. The girls won lots of tickets playing all kinds
games, and they had a blast driving bumper cars for the first time in their lives. Yours truly got bumped a few times
and dished it out as good as he got.
With dusk quickly approaching, it was time to grab some much needed groceries, then head back to their "home"
again before it got dark. We parted with some heartfelt words, a few kisses and hugs, and my promise to return. My
anger at their father´s betrayal was tempered with knowing that their mother loves them and that CI and I will be
there to give them a helping hand. God knows they need it.
A video playlist of our day is here.
Ciao for now!
It was perfect timing. Just as the last of the other kids had filed out, a beautiful and slightly nervous young lady
named Araceli walked in the door with her mother. I´ve said it a dozen times before, but I cannot repeat it often
enough: Seeing your sponsored child for the first time is truly a thrill. Clearly it is a big deal for them, too.
What can I say about Araceli? I really didn´t know that much about her, but I sensed that she had a heart of gold, and
I was not wrong. In this case, I think I know why. It´s because her Mom is a super nice lady that has instilled some
very good things in her children. They may be poor, but as long as she´s there watching over them, they will be okay.
After giving Araceli some jewelry that she really appreciated, we climbed into the van and wound our way through the
tiny and bumpy streets of Viña overlooking the shoreline. It´s a spectacular view if you´re willing to ignore the
grinding poverty that is their everyday existence.
It´s hard to ignore for long, as the walk from the street to their front doorstep demonstrated to me. Down some
steps, over a 2 foot wide plank (a misstep means a drop of maybe 8 feet to a ditch below), across a plot with exposed
rebar, down a second flight of rickety wooden stairs right out of an Indiana Jones movie, and through dirt,
mud, and rocks to their door. It´s precarious during the day; it´s a veritable death trap at night. Three kids and a
single Mom deal with this every single day. Words fail me.
So why does Araceli´s family find themselves in such dire straights? It´s simple, really. The husband/father deserted
them many years ago. I cannot imagine how any man could run away from the people he is responsible for. It is
doubly troubling that this particular guy would do so given how incredible they are. What a warm and wonderful
group of people he has left in a lurch. I´m sure there are many desperately poor families where the fathers are
scrounging to put food on the table. That´s not the case on my short trip. I could go on a rant about how they are
incorrigible fools, but I´ll spare you for now.
On to more pleasant thoughts, such as our day at the mall. Clothes were at the top of Araceli´s list. Gym shoes, a
black sweater, a couple nice tops and a stylish pair of jeans were just what the doctor ordered. As her sister,
Estefania, came with us, we got her a sweater and a make up kit (she no longer has to raid her mother´s stuff!). An
aside about Estefania: what a pistol. She wants to be a singer, and she has the personality to go with it.
Both girls started eyeing the stuffed animals, so Estefania got a purple elephant she named Purple, and Araceli scored
a white teddy bear she now calls none other than Steve. That may be a first for me. It may be just a silly toy, but it
put a lump in my throat knowing that my sponsored girl would always have her bear near her side and think of me
when she does so.
I´m sure you´re wondering about lunch and whether it involved fried chicken and chocolate donuts, right? Sorry to
disappoint, but we found a shop at the food court that served decent stuff, and no one ordered chicken!
We were having fun at the mall and didn't want to cram into the truck like sardines for the 45 minute drive to the zoo,
so we decided to spend our remaining time together at the arcades. The girls won lots of tickets playing all kinds
games, and they had a blast driving bumper cars for the first time in their lives. Yours truly got bumped a few times
and dished it out as good as he got.
With dusk quickly approaching, it was time to grab some much needed groceries, then head back to their "home"
again before it got dark. We parted with some heartfelt words, a few kisses and hugs, and my promise to return. My
anger at their father´s betrayal was tempered with knowing that their mother loves them and that CI and I will be
there to give them a helping hand. God knows they need it.
A video playlist of our day is here.
Ciao for now!
