Virginia Valencia is a 30 year old mother who struggles in many ways. She already has 6 children and is again 5 months pregnant. She has a husband whose name is Ramon who is 28 years old, they are very very disadvantaged. Ramon is a pedicab driver and would only earn a meagre 200 pesos a day (that is $3.00-4.00 Aust) that is on a very very very good day! This money would not come in if he is sick or does not drink and gamble the money away.
Jn14:12 sees Virginia a lot as she begs and tries to get money and medicine from wherever she can for the rest of her children. The children are often sick. We know of one child that she has birthed that has died already, through starvation or neglect we do not know, it was one child we could not save. In many ways Jn 14;12 have tried and in some ways failed to help Virginia and her family.
Virginia is an extreme example of how poverty can corrupt and change a person. She is extremely hard to deal with manipulates and constantly deceives. You may ask “Why do we sponsor her? ” or “We should do something?”
Sometimes I guess we ask the same thing…..
Yet
You can only do what seems right as you deal with it (sometimes you hit the ball for 6 out of the park and other times you get bowled out!) BBB are trying to deal and work with Virginia in the best way we can, no matter what she is like!
In some ways we just “forget” about the parents and HAVE to focus on the children.
Take a look at her kids faces………………
.
They tell a story……….
In their eyes are pain, sickness and fear………
Their house is ramshackle……..
They need the help……..
Virginia (sigh) we have tried to help many times, we gave her vitamins for the new baby and she did not take them, she left them to grow mouldy! We ask her to go to the clinic she makes excuses! She tells us she will go but does not……We can get self righteous and mad sure…..but do we really understand what these women face on a day to day basis????? Really???
No food
Children hungry, crying
Sickness and death
Despair at life
Depression
Hate and anger
Fear driven manipulation
They “must” cheat, steal and lie to get help
They fear pregnancy
Many fear husbands
Physically
Emotionally
Sure she may not deserve help, but who ever did? Jesus died when we were all still sinners not when we were “right” or “clean” or “good”, we were in a bad way just like Virginia…..so by helping her we SAVE literally her kids and even her unborn or potential children.
We are hoping that Virginia will have a tubal ligation, this will alleviate many of her issues. Women in a predominantly Catholic country face many children with no income to meet their needs, they have no faith in God so cannot believe for a better life even. This is a small thing we can offer the women of Baseco trapped in the cycle of baby bearing and poverty. I make no apologies. This is saving babies and children not cutting life off.
Virginia hopefully will go through to the end with BBBabies and hopefully ligate, and perhaps her children will have less pressure and more food in the house as they grow to adulthood.
Then again she may be so trapped that she may not……she just cannot see that anything can help her.
Just pray for her
Above all she needs God,
Above all she needs Love.
