Areceli:

Areceli, 10 years old, was going to fetch water in a bucket at the local well in her village when she fell with the heavy and broke her leg.  When the cast was taken off, they found her lag was infected with gangrene.  Her right leg was removed about half way between her hip and her knee.  She lived with her mother, stepfather, and six brothers and sisters.  Not knowing how to care for this child, they turned custody over to Gloria por Cenizas.  I will never forget that day.  I watched the big crocodile tears fill her eyes as she watched her parents sign the papers and leave.  I don’t remember my heart ever hurting so much for another person.

Hold on, there is a good ending.  After sponsoring her mother on a women’s retreat (something similar to, but not exactly like a Walk to Emmaus weekend), her mother reset some of her priorities.  Areceli has been reunited with her family and we are hoping to be able to assist with prosthesis soon.  Please pray for this to come to fruition.  Also, if anyone knows any other groups that help with prosthesis assistance, please contact us through this website.

Celeste is well educated having what we would be considered to an associate’s degree here in the states.  Celeste has exited our project.  Mama and baby and girls are fine.  As part of her exit strategy, we are continuing to assist Celeste with her education in the form of assistance with her tuition and books.  She in enrolled in a computer class where she will learn the basics needed to help her secure a job in an establishment such as a local bank or as a legal secretary.  Gloria por Cenizas will also help with childcare while Celeste attends classes if she needs a little extra help.  These ladies are allowed to leave the program voluntarily just as they arrived; however, they remain in our hearts and this new wonderful family forever

Lilly:

Lilly’s mother fled an abusive relationship, literally fearing for her life.  When she left to look for work in Mexico, she thought she could only manage to take one of her two children with her.  She took her four-year-old son, leaving Lilly with her cousin. 

The cousin took Lilly in, but really did not want her.  In the days ahead the cousin therefore did not make it a priority to bath or feed Lilly or keep her clothes clean.  When Lilly was finally brought to us, she was thirteen months old, but weighed only12 pounds.  We contacted Lilly’s mother and started making arrangements to her to come back to get Lilly.  She arrived to find Lilly happy, healthy, clean, fed, and growing.

Gloria por Cenizas has since assisted with assistance guiding the family through the court system to get protection for mother and children and hopefully some financial assistance from the father.

Mariela:

Mariela came to us in September 2006.  She was introduced to our project through a social worker working through the local courts.  She brought with her three beautiful daughters: Ashley, 7; Marieinta, 5; little Katherine, almost 2; and she was pregnant with her fourth child.  As with all the ladies and children in our project, we took them to the doctor for a routine checkup within a couple of days of arriving at Gloria por Cenizas.  Her initial ultrasound revealed that she was in for a change as this unborn child would be her first son.  As a matter of fact, the little guy made a great Christmas gift; arriving about 2 o’clock in the afternoon this last December 25th.

Mariela is very resourceful and one of the hardest workers I know.  The women’s shelter is cleaner than I have ever seen it (or ever seen any home) since she arrived.  She had been in a marriage where her husband has had at least eight other women in their short eight-year marriage.  Most people understand how that hurts a person and their esteem, but there are other issues that are sometimes overlooked.  These partners outside the marriage introduce the faithful partner to disease – diseases that can be lethal.  Not a risk that a mother can take when she has three (and now four) beautiful children that she wants to see grow up.