Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Unauthorized Posts
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A House for Little Lupita
I first met little Lupita, a young lady with Down syndrome about a year ago.
She was a little shy at first but has been more outgoing the more we visit. We were told about this family by word of mouth. When we first met them they lived in a little shack with no electric and running water.
The door was only a curtain. Upon talking with some people in Agua Prieta we found out that Lupita, who has two older brothers and an older sister had been abandoned by dad. We also learned that the one brother had Hemophlia. . Because of little Lupita and Juan, mom (Bertha Alicia) was working just to pay medical bills as she would have to travel by bus (5 hours) to a hospital from Agua Prieta to Hermosillo, Mexico to get the proper care for the brother and Lupita. What left over money she had went to feed her kids and pay rent on the house (if you want to call it that) they lived in. Because she worked so much one of the kids had to stay home from school to watch Lupita. Yari, being the oldest has to drop out of school to help her mom. She didn’t want to not go to school but family was more important.
One day we had stopped by and found the gates locked and no one was around. The neighbors told us that they had been evicted but did not know where they moved to. We thought maybe she has saved enough money to move the family to Hermosillo to be closer to the hospital there. We found out later they had not. We found them living with a distant relative in a one room shack.
By chance, we had another family move out of one of the trailers we have on property paid for by a member of the Charity. This left this mobile home vacant. It was perfect for Bertha Alicia to move in and have space and some land for little Lupita to move in. We began making sure the water and electric were all connected and just recently completed building a fence around the property so Lupita cannot wander off. We had help from some of the people we help. They assisted us in getting this fence built.
I am happy to report that they are now moved in. We do not charge rent per se but require them to help the city clean up around certain areas of the town. We have a person who will watch Lupita while mom works and Yari will return to school in the fall. With a little help or donation we all can make a difference. Little Lupita now has a new home!!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Honor Was Mine
A gentleman in Agua Prieta put on a big quincenera recently for about 300 young ladies whose familes could not afford to have one themselves. A quincenera is a special ceremony that a girl has when she reaches the age of 15. It is a sign of showing that she is becoming a woman. It is an important part of the latin culture. He paid for the church, the building for the celebration afterwards and other important parts. The young ladies going through the process had to come up with the dress and other vital parts of this celebration. We had three young ladies that were invited to participate in this celebration.
Understanding the importance of this tradition we helped these families secure the items that they would need including renting dresses for them. Two of the young ladies came from the same family, Maria and Janeth. Janeth was adopted by their mom Rosa when she was a baby. She was born without part of one arm and her mom wanted to give her up. Rosa (the mom who has cancer) took her in and raised her as her own. Both needed assistance for the celebration. The other young lady was Nora, Angel's sister.
The day before the celebration, I went over and made sure each of them had what they needed. Little did I know what was in store for me. Upon checking with Rosa's family they asked me if I would be willing to escort the girls (part of the ritual because they had no other dad. I was humbled and very shocked that they would ask me. I, of course, did not turn them down. I had to laugh as they then begun to let me know what I was suppose to wear and what time to be at the church. I think I was more nervous about this then they were. I have been to several quinceneras before but never took part in it.
The church was packed with many people all there to help celebrate this special moment in all the young ladies lives. As you can tell the young girls were all very elegant. They had their mass and then it was off to the large building that was rented for the other part of the celebration. At the other building is where I took my part in the celebration. I escorted Janeth and presented her with a rose and a symbol of her 15th birthday, a ring. We then has to dance as "father and daughter". I have to admit, I like to dance but was nervous to make a mistake in front of many people! The night was very special for everyone. Rosa was a proud mom that night and very humble but in reality I was humbled the most for being able to take part in this tradition.
This was an experience I will not soon forget. The people were proud and happy and for one precious night were able to put their poverty issues aside and enjoy this tradition. I have attached more pictures in the album section and hope you take a look at this wonderful event in their lives and in mine.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Sarah Haupt’s Inspiration
needed any more money and absolutely not that much. Sarah insisted that I take it and if it wasn't needed to bring it back. Reluctantly, I agreed to her wishes.
By appointment I met Norma, my interpreter, in Douglas and we decided to take separate vehicles into Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico (a town right on the border separated from Douglas, Arizona by a fence) as each of us had other matters to attend to after my need for Spanish
interpretation was completed. After several stops I felt that I no longer needed her assistance, as there were just two more deliveries for me to make so we went our separate ways. My first stop was one of my regular stops and it went well so I drove on to my last stop. This was to take a bicycle to Enrique, a gentleman that needed transportation to get to his new job. As I was unloading the bicycle, Norma came driving up at high speed. She quickly alighted and said that she was glad that she had caught me. She explained to me that Enrique had not paid on his lot since losing his job several months past and that he and his family must pay the entire balance by Monday or they would be evicted. I asked Norma to find out how much was due. She was told four hundred and seventy dollars. I returned home with one dollar. Needless to say there were tears in everyone's eyes.
A postscript: A few weeks later we were able to cross a donated mobile home to this family. The parents and three children had been living in a small pickup camper. They never complained, as this was much better than their neighbor's homes.