Stories
Sarah
It was late afternoon and I had other work to do. As I locked the last of the tools in the storage closet I heard the words that always stop me in my tracks, “poppy poppy.”
Click the title for the rest of the story.
| I woke up this morning in a foreign land surrounded by people that are very different from me. Most of them will never come close to understanding who I am or why I am here. It is kind of an odd place to be on Father's Day, but I will tell you how my day unfolded with the people of a different culture who have taught me far more than I have taught them. Click the title for the rest of the story. |
I just spent an hour with a young woman named Elvira. She is 22-years-old and has a three-year-old son named Angel Joseph. She ran away from her humble home last night after the father of her child and his friend beat her....Click the title for the rest of the story.
Stranger at the Door
He was different than the typical Peruvian. A bit taller but less than six feet, thin but with a strong handshake. His eyes were intense and bright and made direct contact as he spoke. He wore a well trimmed beard which is unusual in this hot, humid climate, and he would partially bow as he spoke, almost Asian in mannerisms. Click the title for the rest of the story.
Rosany is a petite, brown skinned girl with a beautiful smile and the face of an angel. Her eyes are soft and wisps of black hair frame her fine features. She was guided into our office by an officer of the court. Her head was down because she was shy, confused and too scared to contribute any details of her story....Click the title for the rest of the story.
Vanessa is 12-years-old. She is tall and very thin. Her front teeth are beginning to turn black and rot away from lack of proper nutrition and brushing. Her clothes are horribly tattered and dirty. Most of the time she is barefoot and though her long black hair is combed, life without soap and shampoo is easy to see and hard to hide. Given the conditions she lives in, her appearance is understood.
click title for the rest of the story.
Now I will tell you about Kayla. Our 17-year-old mother who is living in our foster care facility. Unbelievable is all I can say... She remembered seeing me in Palosaco, a small village five hours upriver. This was in March of 2001 which may not be such a big deal except she was 12-years-old and had been abandoned for two years. She had been assaulted in every way, and survived it all. I will be interested to hear more of her story as time passes. She is special and is quickly winning the hearts of those she meets. click title.
Come to my Father's House
Steffany, a 16-year-old mother of 11 month old Nicole, was banished from her small village on the coast while still pregnant. The father of the child then brought her to Iquitos. I don´t know how long the relationship was good or how quickly it deteriorated ,but the father started beating them both. Steffany, to avoid the pain, and out of fear for her child's life, has been staying on the streets with all of her earthy possessions in a small plastic bag the size of a purse. Most of these belongings are baby related. click title.
We stepped off a marine repair dock along an Amazon tributary and moved to the shade on the first landing of the steep stairs leading to the street far above. Julio, Marcos and I were talking to the owners of a speedboat that we were in the process of buying. The discussion took ten or fifteen minutes, and during this time I saw a young man sitting on the next landing above me. At first I didn't notice anything about him that was unusual, but as I watched I noticed his repeated swaying, his head hanging low and an awkward touching of his cheek and right eye. My first conclusion was that he was drunk and had just found a shady place to sleep it off. click title.
Veronica
It is March and the streets of Cuzco are filled with people of all ages that live a life of poverty, hopelessness and day-to-day survival. I have a few friends here and I want to tell you about one of them. click title.
Abelardo
His name is Abelardo. He is a twenty-seven-year-old subsistence farmer that has struggled to provide for his wife Edith and daughter Allisa. click title.
She sells candy on the streets to help the family survive. She was nine years old when I met her and now she is fourteen. She is not as little and cute as she once was. Charming a tourist isn't as easy as it used to be. You might say she is past her prime. click title.
Martha and Candy
I found two little orphaned girls tonight. Their names are Candy age 10 and Martha age 8. I kid you not; they look 5 and 7. Freddie and I were joking with the little one who was panhandling money from us. I said, “Didn't your mother tell you not to beg!” Of course in this place the parents instruct their children in the techniques of begging.
click title.
Hmmm...$200
The first call of the day was to pick up the sister of my friend Marina and take her to the eye doctor. She has had vision problems for a while and has been frustrated because she couldn't afford glasses. click title.
Nikko
I watched a man dance in the square for money. What made him unique was he had only one arm and one short stub for a leg. He sits on the sidewalk and kind of bounces. He had wrapped tape around his leg stub so that the concrete wouldn't rub the skin off while he danced. The crowd was quite large, maybe 200 people. click title.