A visit with Doña Carmen

Doña Carmen is 96-years-old, fragile, and one of the cutest elderly ladies I have ever met. Her smile is lacking teeth, but certainly no joy. She has lived in Los Anonos for almost her entire life. Most of her family members have passed away, or she is estranged from them. Her two previous houses built on the same property where she currently resides have been destroyed in fires. We have learned from a past visit that she really enjoys a cup of coffee.

So, yesterday, we arrived at her home with a mug of black coffee thinking we were just peachy! We had no idea what was about to happen...

Upon entering Doña Carmen's home, we greeted one another, and she invited us to sit down. She shared that she was feeling better, as she was sick the last time we saw her. We offered up the coffee and she was grateful. After I poured it into one of her dirty looking mugs for her, she took a swig. No sooner was the coffee in her mouth and there was a look of disgust on her face. Very slowly she bent forward in her bed, stuck her head over the edge, and then spit it all out onto the floor of her home. I was rolling laughing at this situation, and at the same time felt awful for being the cause of such an unpleasant experience for her. Yes, she wanted sugar!

I'm not a coffee drinker, but next time I visit Doña Carmen it will be with more coffee and LOTS of sugar.

Home Visits

At least twice a week, Marsha and I venture out to do a home visit with a family. We are always trying to make new contacts, but at the same time we want to continue to deepen relationships with families we already know.

Last week, we visited a family that is fairly new to Anonos. They moved into the area about five months and have a home that is about 10 by 20 feet in size. Winston and Ana (the parents) have three children: Ani is their oldest, and they have twin daughters, Nicole and Jacqueline. The twins are two-years-old; however, Jacqueline was born with part of her brain paralyzed. She hasn't developed at the pace as her twin and has to eat through a tube in her stomach.

The visit was really good. We took bread and some desserts in celebration of Holy Week. We shared the bread and some Coca-Cola with the family. As the children colored, Marsha found out that the reason they moved to Anonos from another nearby community was because the other community had a lot of marijuana smoke that was affecting Jacqueline's health. They have since got plugged into the church down the street from them and seem to be doing well.

Mom and Dad are very grateful for their special daughter and allowed us to pray for her healing. We also were blessed to pray for them and be an encouragement to their situation. Winston works away from Anonos and is probably only home on the weekends like many of the men here. Please pray for healing for little Jacqueline and for this family.