So at 12:15 Katie and I were standing on the Progresso side of the International Bridge, standing in front of of one of a multitude of Pharmacies. We saw the familiar red truck, driven by Sister Maureen, with Ken and "the other Vickey" in the front seat.
Katie and I had our bag of goodies, which is like a gym bag on wheels...into the back of the truck it went and Katie and I got into the crew cab portion of the truck.
Soon, we stopped at Vicky's place. Out came our little Vicky to melt our hearts again....
Nothing like Vicky's hugs!
We distributed the goodies we had brought...this time for the whole family. Something for everyone, as we did not want any of the kids to feel left out...that Vicky was getting everything. We also had some cash for mom to help her with whatever she might need most. We just put it in a card with spanish translation we did on the net.
One of the greatest hits turned out to be one of the smallest and least expensive...note to self...don't go overboard...were packages of gum for each child. This was the type that is in a roll and you can peel out as much as you wish from the container.
Mom immediately went and got some metal chairs from inside the one room. Katie started to take lots of pictures of the kids with their loot and playing with their gum. Pancho Villa(Jose)was his usual self...smiling and posing, showing the dimples on his cheeks...what a ham!
During a conversation between Sister Maureen and Mom(Armada)we learned that she was having problems with the tin roof leaking. This is not such a big issue when it is not raining or the humidity is not causing water dripping, but when it rains it rains....I did not do anything with this info at the moment due to other things going on, but later, as we were making our rounds, I saw a couple of men who were doing carpentry work at the home of the obviously wealthy dentist from Progresso whose large home we had seen on the previous visit. That spurred an idea for me...so I asked Sister Maureen how much she thought it would cost for someone to fix Armada's roof. Sister Maureen said she thought it would cost $40...and she would likely have one of the men doing the carpentry to do it as he lives very close to Vicky's place. Katie and I looked at each other and she dug $40 out of her purse and gave it to Sister Maureen.
Still at Vicky's...another woman came by, and had some conversation with Sister Maureen. We learned that she had just found out that at school the next day, her son would be unable to participate in one of the activities, because it required 59 pesos or roughly 5 American dollars. Katie immediately went to her purse and gave the woman the 5 dollars she needed. She was so grateful!
Katie was then seated on a chair in the sun and that same woman insisted she move to another chair in the shade, indicating by hand signal that sitting in the sun is not so good for you. How thoughtful!.
Armada brought out a small photo album while we were sitting, with pictures of all the kids when they were small. I got her to hold up the album with a picture of her husband Jose Maria as we had not had the opportunity to meet him.
We continued with our visit, then, it was time to leave and go on to Sister Maureen's agenda for the day. Sister Maureen asked if we wanted to go with her on her journey with Ken and Vickey and we said definitely yes! Very sad saying goodbye to the family, and especially our little Vicky, knowing that we would not see them and her for another year...hard to describe the strong feelings that developed in such a short period of time with just a couple of visits.
On the topic of visits...some of the feedback Katie and I have received is that some folks might think they cannot adopt to send a child on Sister Maureen's list to school because they are not here and cannot visit. It is not necessary to be here, it is only a bonus. Sponsors get letters and information on how the child is doing at school...and the really important thing is that unlike some other sponsorship programs where you don't necessarily know where your money is going...you do in this case, because Katie and I have seen it first hand.
So off we went in the red truck, stopping at several homes that we had not been to before in Neuvo Progresso. At one home Sister Maureen spoke to a woman, and we learned that she was going to come with us when we went to "Canalas" Mexico to see her father. Sister Maureen speaks English with a Boston Accent, but makes herself well understood in the Spanish she has learned. This woman who cannot read or write, crochets constantly, and works without a pattern...her work is amazing....
Once we were finished in Progresso we started off on the highway to Canalas, several miles away but we were not going near any cities or small towns as it is too dangerous. On the highway, we came to several spots where the pavement stopped and an area was filled in with gravel. This is where they had a flood and cut holes in the road to let the water through. There was so much water, that the fields on both sides of the road were filled and Mexicans were actually fishing there. We came to a spot where the road was so bad, they built a small detour around and back onto the highway.
Wasn't long before we headed off the highway onto a dirt trail and through some fields...off roading at it's best. We came to a house in the middle of nowhere, nothing but fields all around with a new growing crop of corn, but Sister Maureen informed us that with no rain, at least half the crop would be dead by July.
This house is where the woman who was with us was going to see her Dad. Several people were living here with no running water or electricity. Her Dad is 92 years old and refuses to let anyone do anything for him in terms of making him more comfortable in his small one room area.
There was a husband and wife here, and the husband works in the fields with an old fashioned hoe...he told us he worked for 9 hours and his arms and hands were very sore...and for the whole day he made $12.
His wife was very proud of their "renovated" kitchen...and I use the term loosely....
The people here are so hospitable and welcome you with open arms.
We continued on to some other homes all clustered together and Sister Maureen allowed each child to pick one toy out of a large bag. One little boy had something that looked like a mouse but wasn't and couldn't find anything to plug it into. Finally he decided on a fanny pack. It was empty...so Katie put a quarter in it...and got a huge smile in return.
Waiting for their toy...you can see in the rear "The other Vickey" with the Sunglasses giving a chocolate to each child.
We continued on with Sister Maureen talking and helping other women at other homes, then we went back to pick up the "Crochet Lady", and her son Miguel(not Palmer and Jenner's child), who rode in the back of the truck which is covered with a cap on the way to and the way back to Progresso.
On the way back...same detour...same going slowly over the filled in spots on the road.
We dropped "Crochet Woman" and Miguel off a few doors away from Vicky's house...Hooray!!!!...a request to Sister Maureen...and one last quick hug from Vicky....Yes!!!!!!!! What a way to end many hours of watching poor unfortunate people, living in awful conditions, but who always seem to have a smile on their face, and ready to shake hands and greet you warmly...even the most shy of the children...would never happen on the other side of the border!.
The back of Sister Maureen's truck was bare now...all her cargo having been dropped off at one place or another...so we decided to go for coffee, and returned to the bakery on Main Street where we had been on the first trip. The coffee here is very good!
Lots of good conversation, with stories and insights from Sister Maureen and "The other Vickey". It was very enjoyable and a great way to end an educational and emotional day. Sister Maureen asked us to say a prayer for her next Thursday, as she is getting both knees replaced...she said she finally made up her mind to do it and has had the problems almost 30 years. We quickly said we would.
Sister Maureen said she would drive us back across the International Bridge, but Katie wanted to pick up her last small bottle of pure vanilla and a couple of odds and ends, so we said we would walk. Hugs for Sister Maureen and Vickey and a handshake for Ken, with thanks going both ways.
We met Sister Maureen at 12:15 and it was about 5:00PM when we finally got back from all her rounds. Sister Maureen is definitely one of the most dedicated, helpful, and kind people we have ever met. She is truly one of a kind!
Looks like she will have to curtail her activities a bit while she recovers from her knee replacement surgery, but knowing her...she will find a way to do what needs to be done, with much help from Ken and Vickey we're sure.
Good news!!!!! Terry and Arlene took some foodstuffs and odds and ends from the Palmers and themselves to Sister Maureen at the Basillica in San Juan, and learned that the last little boy in the family to be sponsored...had in fact been sponsored in the last 24 hours. Apparently it was because of the blog or Katie's facebook page. We do not know who the sponsor is, but are very glad he is now sponsored.
Don't know his exact name but know it starts with an "O". He is very cute and friendly and changed his T shirt three times while we were there. His Sister, who is already sponsored, obviously cares about him a great deal, as she was looking after him and hugging him often. So great!
After leaving Mexico...Katie and I went to the Blue Onion Restaurant in Weslaco...It was very good and just what we needed after a long day.
more later....and another great day in the valley
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