Hope

Something that has always amazed me about the people I have met here is hope. So many people have faced so many difficult situations but still have a deep hope and faith. This is why I am here: to accompany the people.

One woman that inspired me when I first met her is named Lesbia. Her father owns a coffee farm even though he is very old (like 80), can barely walk, or move his hands from arthritis. One day some kids were stealing coffee from the farm and one of them was shot in the arm. Well, the police came and arrested this father and took him to jail. Lesbia had to borrow a lot of money to bail him out. But she told me that it was worth it. He is her father and is so old that he would die in jail. Then the trial kept getting pushed back and pushed back. (This was all happening last July and August and still hasn't been resolved that I know of.) Yet, through all of this, Lesbia still had a deep hope.

There is a girl that I know named Lourdes. She comes to a young women's group that we lead and is about my age. She just graduated and is trying to find a job to support her family. Currently, her older sister is the only one who works, but she was just diagnosed with cancer. She has two young children and if Lourdes can find a job, maybe she can go through treatment. This week, Lourdes and her sister both came to the women's group (her sister has never gone to Church, but wants to know God.)You would never have guessed what was going on. They were both so positive.

The encounters I have with people here continue to amaze me. I hope that I can continue to walk with those I have met and help out along the way.