I hugged a mom the other night. It was out in her front yard, in the dark, surrounded by her family. We didn't know each other and Dennis and I were actually there for her grandchildren whom we know and love. We were there for a wake. This mother's son had been murdered in a terrible way and we were there to convey our sadness to them. The family knew who we were and offered us chairs to sit in for a while. We felt awkward as we looked around with the porch light in our eyes. It was hard to see people in the dark. Tonight was the first of three days of mourning and many people were expected.
I had asked people the day before about the young man who died. Many of them had fond memories of him. Some were sad because he had spent time in prison and although they did not have the words, I could tell their hearts were heavy because of the wasted life. I could tell that they wished things were different. I could see that there was a feeling of hopelessness. A pastor friend had a conversation with the mother the day before and what she told him made my heart hurt. She said that she had expected an ending like this for her son. She had tried to get him to change his behavior, others had too. But the dark world had a tight grip on him and his death came as his mother expected it would. He left behind beautiful children who loved their dad and many other family members who will miss him greatly.
I have spent time with another mother in Buena Vista. Dora has a great sense of humor and laughs when she tries to teach me Spanish. She is an excellent cook and recently she came over and we made donuts for the whole family. We had a lot of fun. Dora works very very hard. A month before school got out she had to leave her family and travel to Orange Walk to work in the cane fields. Dora tried to make it home as often as she could but you could tell her absence was taking its toll on the family. I stopped by one afternoon and noticed that she was walking in a painful way. She told me that the sugar cane was very heavy. They have to harvest it by hand and then carry bundles to the carts. Dora is like all mothers and she wants her children to have a better life.
I have been praying for Blanca. She is a mother of at least two beautiful young ladies, Tanya and Jennifer. They are very smart girls and they both can read very well. As a matter of fact, Jennifer was in the district spelling bee this last year. Blanca has some form of cancer that has recently been causing her much pain. She wears a bandanna that covers her forehead and one eye. The sun really hurts her eyes. She will be away for a while. I think she is seeking long term care but I'm not sure. I asked the girls if they will be alright without their mother and they didn't seem to worried. Her cancer had taken her away from them so much that they didn't know any different.
Today I was working at the school and another mother stopped by when she saw me there. She is a very determined mom who is very proud of her youngest daughter who caught the bus for high school this morning. We talked for a while and she asked if we could help pay for Susana's lunches at the school. This mom had asked us before for help with her children. As I said, she is a determined mother. She is doing all she can to help her children attain a better life. I will not fault her for that. As a matter of fact, I admire her strength as much as I admire her humility.
Poverty is at work here. She is cruel and heartless. If Satan had a favorite mistress, she would be Poverty. She steals dreams from mothers. She creates desires that are unattainable for young people. Then they give themselves over to her through addictions, prostitution, stealing, jealousy and many other immoral behaviors. Poverty eats away at fathers who are desperate to feed and protect their families. Poverty takes the health of the elderly and the very lives of babies. Poverty creates evil in the hearts of men who know they can gain what they want by manipulation of the hungry.
And one of the worst things I have seen Poverty do is harden the hearts of families toward each other. It is easier to not feel the pain. Tenderness towards each other is a rare thing with these families. There is an outside toughness that looks a lot like apathy towards each other, but it's not. I don't doubt that they love each other but they must use toughness as a form of self-preservation. They cannot spend the time and energy it takes to coddle children. That would only make them susceptible to the influences of Poverty.
God is all about relationships. Dennis and I came to Belize for this reason. We love these people and we want them to know that there is hope. We know what Jesus has done for us and we want people to know the hope that we have is available to them also. Only the hope that Jesus provides can overcome the darkness of poverty. Light will always overcome darkness.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29-11
These are the things that people in poverty need to hear.
We love you guys. The next blog will have Dora's donut pictures!
