I remember meeting Blanca the
first time Helen and I went to Solidaridad. She was a cute
little 5 year-old girl who was always with her big sister.
Blanca seemed to be shy and rather forlorn. Maybe depressed
would better describe her. Many of the little girls were
very active and eager to be around us. Not Blanca. She
kind of held back and didn't have the spring in her step and
the big smile that the others had.
However, Blanca has changed.
Last APRIL'S, Helen and I both noticed that when she came
to the mission for breakfast she was wearing a cute little
school uniform. We mentioned to Enrique that this was the
first time we'd seen her in the uniform. We also noticed
that she was much more animated and seemed to feel better
about herself. Enrique then told us her story.
Blanca lives in a one room house
(shack) just down the street from the mission. She shares
this house with her mother, father, teenage sister, brother,
the brother's wife and their baby. From only seeing the
house from the outside, I'd judge that the house is about 12
feet by 12 feet. This is the bedroom, living room, and
dining room for the family. The kitchen is a fire outside
and I don't know anything about a bathroom. There is no
running water and sewer. Electricity came down the street a
couple of months ago, but I'm not sure they hooked up to
it. If they did, they would only have a light bulb.Enrique
commented that Blanca's mother, father, and brother all are
frequently drunk and abusive. He said that Blanca sees and
hears things that are not appropriate for a little girl.
Last July, we were able to use
funds provided primarily by the vacation Bible school at the
Chapel By The Sea, the adult Sunday School class at the
Chapel and Cleveland Park Presbyterian Church near Buffalo
to buy shoes and school uniforms for about 70 children in
Solidaridad. Blanca was one of these children. Enrique
told us that when he gave the uniform to Blanca she didn't
know what to do. Several times she asked him if this was
really for her. She couldn't believe it when he said yes.
It is possible that these were the first clothes she had
ever had "first hand."
The real news is that Enrique
then learned that Blanca had been old enough to attend
school a year earlier, but because she didn't have a
uniform, she had been staying home. Having the shoes and
school uniform meant that this little waif of a child was
going to actually be able to leave her home and go with the
other children to school. When the school learned of this
story, they placed Blanca with the other girls her age from
Solidaridad.
As Paul Harvey would say, "Now
you know the rest of the story." Going to school has given
Blanca a spring in her step and better feelings about
herself. She also knows that this was only possible because
of the gifts from people like you. Possibly for the first
time she has been able to experience love in a place that
isn't very lovely.
Tomorrow I'm going to send you a
picture of Blanca.
Frank Miller
