Archive for July 29, 2010
New stove brings joy
During a mission awareness trip to El Salvador in 2008, Mary Kampsen, a sponsor from Minnesota, brought her two daughters with her to meet her sponsored friend, Erick. He read to her a beautiful letter that he had written where he said that “she lives in my heart.”
“It was just a wonderful, happy feeling!” Mary said of meeting Erick. “I have sponsored him for three years now. It feels kind of like having a second son. I feel it will be easier to write letters to him now that I’ve met him and know more about him and his family.”
After talking for some time, Mary learned that Erick’s mother, Valentina, washes clothes for a living, which brings in about $7 on a good day. But, what she really wanted to do is to cook pupusas.
If she could have the small stove required to make pupusas, she could not only bring in a more steady income, but she could also stay at home to raise her children. This was important to Mary, who stayed home to raise her children when they were small.
Mary worked with the local CFCA staff and was able to purchase the stove. Now Erick’s mother will be able to stay at home with her children and raise money to support the family.
Two years later …
Valentina says that having the stove has helped greatly with her children’s nutrition. She also cooks tortillas and pupusas, which she sells by going from house to house. She is very happy.
Since Valentina no longer has to work outside the house, she can now dedicate more time in the fields to cultivating corn and beans. She uses the harvest as ingredients for the pupusas. All of this helps cover some of the expenses of the family.
Thanks to the stove, Valentina has seen many good changes in the past two years, including spending more time with her five children, working together with her family, being more mindful of them with regards to their studies and other activities in which they participate.
She is managing to support her family without the help of her husband who had the opportunity to migrate to the United States for work. But, at this point, the family has not received any support from him. So Valentina and her children are very thankful to Erick’s sponsor for buying the stove for them. They will forever be grateful to her and will always keep her in their prayers.
Erick, who is now 13, says the family works better together, and he is happy because he can spend more time together with his mother helping her with work. He no longer has to to stay home alone, since his mother is never too far from home and is always there to help him and his brothers. He feels very secure having her near him.
View more photos of Erick and his family on our Facebook page.
July 29, 2010 at 3:45 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Going back to school at 74
Interview with Flor de Maria by Henry Flores
My name is Flor Maria. I am 74, and I live in Costa Rica.
My father died when I was 10, and my mother took care of me after that. She made sweets, and I sold them. I have 10 children. They live in different parts of the country. Some are married, others are divorced.
It’s difficult to be an aging person in Costa Rica. Our reality is hard. I have seen other elderly women begging in the street, even sleeping there. We aging have much potential. Look at me. I am able. My hands cook rice. I can make beans. I can scrub a floor from one side to the other, but clearly I can’t do it all in one day. I have to do a little at a time: one part today, another tomorrow.
I was taking classes in handicrafts when I first met CFCA. I told the social workers about my life, and they said they could support me. They give so much help for those who need it. I suffer from many illnesses, and thanks to CFCA, I receive the medicines I need. As part of CFCA, one feels supported. One feels calmer. They even help me with my school supplies and other expenses.
Returning to school:
I left school when I was 12, but thanks be to God, I returned to school and finished sixth grade at the age of 50. The situation was difficult. Nevertheless, I always wanted to study. I always wanted a degree as a lawyer to defend others.
When I was little, my school had few seats, teachers and everything else. It was very poor. At times, they taught sewing, and they didn’t have the materials. They didn’t have notebooks. So, I decided to leave school. When I was in school, I remembered doing homework before and after class.
Now, I have returned to school; only now I am 74, and it isn’t easy. I remember on my first day of class, one of my daughters said, “Oh, no, Mother. Don’t go to school.” I simply did not pay attention to her. I want to do what I want, and I want to learn, to study; to prepare myself.
Going back to school at my age is beautiful. I feel like any other student with a desire to learn and advance. Everyone knows that I have studied, and that I don’t want to leave my studies unfinished. Some tell me to drop out of school, but I just ignore them.
School has helped me a lot. I am more alert because they say my neurons have awakened.
Many women attend my school, because they teach many subjects there—sewing, tailoring, etc. I don’t have a favorite class because I believe that, for students, all material should be their favorites. I am taking six classes: Spanish, science, English, civics, mathematics and social studies.
Before my tests, I drink a glass of chamomile tea because they say it’s good for the nerves. This calms me. I tell myself, “Don’t get nervous. Don’t get nervous. God will take care of everything else.”
Sundays, when I go to school, I get up at 5 a.m. I prepare breakfast and lunch. Later, I grab my backpack with my notebooks, and I leave early since I start at 8 a.m.
In the afternoon, around 4 p.m., I go home. I drink a cup of coffee and rest. I do homework during the week. For example, today I have some homework in Spanish. I have to answer the following questions: Who am I? What do I want to be? I am not going to answer much. What I will write is: “I am Flor de Maria. I am 74 years old. I want to be a lawyer. Granted, this isn’t up to me. This is up to God.”
Flor’s words of wisdom
I want to say to the youth to take advantage of their time in school because it will lead them to better work and higher pay. Your studies will keep you on the good path and keep you away from vices. Don’t lose your youth. Don’t lose this moment because one day, you are going to want it back like I do now.
My message for the elderly is to study to keep your neurons working, so you don’t get Alzheimers!
July 29, 2010 at 9:08 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 3 comments
