Katie and I spent some time on Wednesday gathering supplies and gifts for Victoria(Vicky) the 5 year old that we are sponsoring in Mexico, so she can go to school. We had a lot of fun...deciding what she would like or not, what she needs for fun and learning, and what the family would appreciate in the way of food. Here is what we came up with...
We made arrangements to meet Sister Maureen, the Catholic Nun who orchestrates all the help these very poor kids and families receive, on the Mexico side of the International Bridge in Neuvo Progresso, Mexico.
At the appointed time 1:15 we saw Sister Maureen's red Ford Truck come across the bridge. At first we didn't know it was her because there were two other passengers in the truck. Turns out it was two permanent residents of Pine to Palms Park in Weslaco who help Sister Maureen. The Lady, coincidentally, happened to be named Vicky. These generous folks are also sponsors and have been coming to Mexico for several years learning the language bit by bit, and learning and helping the families and kids.
Katie and I had put all of our loot in a couple of well constructed type shopping bags, and they were heavy. We did not know how far Vicky's mom might have to carry them as we were not sure what the agenda for the day would be. We put the two bags in a large gym type bag which had wheels and a handle that pulled out. Sister Maureen has a crew cab type truck so there was no room for our bag. I put it in the back and saw that the back of the truck was loaded with bags and boxes of food. There were 25lb bags of rice, boxes of beans, and all sorts of other food stuffs. Katie and I squeezed into the truck with Sister Maureen driving and off we went.
Sister Maureen told us we would be going to Vicky's home, which is on the back streets of Progresso. She was also going to drop off her load of food at two different locations. On the way on the main street we saw the school where Vicky would be going for kindergarten. If you hadn't been told you would not even know it is a school, but the kids who go there all have to wear uniforms, white shirts, skirts, socks and shoes. All the kids who go to school in Mexico have to wear similar uniforms, the only difference being the colors between kindergarten, grade school, and high school.
We drove down the Main Street of Progresso much further than Katie and I had ever been. We finally made a left turn onto a street that they were working on and paving. Sister said this road had been terrible. Sister Maureen calls this "Church" Street as there are several churches on it. When I say churches not the type you would normally think of, but mostly one or two room type buildings and mostly in a state of disrepair.
We turned just short of the Catholic Church, and down a back lane type street with all sorts of one room buildings in much need of repair...It wasn't long before Sister announced that we were pulling up in front of Vicky's place.
As you can see, the fridge is outdoors, as there is no room inside the so called home. It is hard to believe that this is a day to day year to year living arrangement, with really no hope for anything different.
As soon as we pulled up, Vicky and her brothers and sisters came running out of their one room home....and incredibly Vicky went straight for Katie. Katie swept her up in her arms, and Vicky gave her the biggest and longest hug and a kiss that anyone could ever ask for.
Then it was my turn....
I cannot fully describe to you the feeling I had when Vicky wrapped her arms around my neck, put her head on my shoulder, and hung on..and on....and on....and then gave me a big kiss on the cheek....all the time having a big smile on her little face. I won't soon forget the moment or the feeling. I think Katie and I both fell in love with her right then and there, with no words at all spoken.
Then we saw the rest of the family(the De La Cruz Deleon family)...Mom,
Mom, Vicky's Sister, two brothers and Grandma. We didn't get all the names there was just so much going on in the moment and the following hours. Sister Maureen though calls Vicky's brother(the little one in front) "Pancho Villa" as he is always posing and puts a big smile on his face.
Here are a few candid shots....
Behind Grandma is an opening which is a store where another relative not part of Vicky's immediate family sells a few goods to try and make some money.
We learned that Vicky's father who was not present, shines shoes on the main street, and has epilepsy. We also learned that many of the fathers of these families are alcoholics...so the money that is being used...given by sponsors to send the kids to schools, is never given to the fathers...rather kept in a separate fund, for the kids to go to school. This involves uniforms, books, supplies, toilet paper, water, and all sorts of other needs.
One thing that became obvious is when Sister Maureen's Red Truck pulls up...kids and parents come from everywhere...it is a symbol of generosity and caring. When the kids approach you, the first thing each and everyone without fail does, is hold out their hand to shake hands and say "Ola". This was consistent throughout the day.
We learned that in Vicky's family, all the kids are sponsored and now our Vicky is as well. Sister Maureen has a long waiting list and most of the kids have been on it for approx 4 years. Vicky has been on the list since birth. There was another little girl there and one of her brothers still needs a sponsor...more on that later...
After all the hugs and kisses, it was time for Katie and I to take Vicky and her mom along with Sister Maureen out for lunch. Vicky's mom obviously didn't want Vicky to go out for lunch dressed as she was, so she went and put Vicky in a cute skirt. We went back to Main Street and were guided into a very tight parking space by a man in a uniform who does this for a buck or two.
Sister Maureen took us to a bakery with a large restaurant in the back. Sister Maureen said they have the best coffee and she was exactly right. Sister Maureen had breakfast...Vicky's mom, Katie and I all ordered a beef dish which came with fries, tomato, beans, and lettuce. The older Vicky and her husband had pastries from the front. The beef dish turned out to have a piece of thin beef which covered the whole platter so that all the other ingredients were underneath. With a bit of trepidation as we had not ever seen anything quite like it...we cut into it and took a bite. Delicious! and tasted like Veal.
Katie and I each ate half and stopped, so that Vicky and her mom could take the rest home for the rest of the family. Vicky's mom fed Vicky from her plate. Before the main course of the beef arrived, they brought an appetizer of nachos and cheese on two plates. Our little Vicky dug into that Nachos and we couldn't believe how many she ate for such a small frame...along with constantly sipping from her large coke. Then her mom cut up some beef and Vicky dove into that. It was so good to see her enjoying the food. We learned that Vicky has never been out to a restaurant. I forgot to mention that on the way to the restaurant Vicky sat on Katie's lap...so trusting...and just like they have always been together.
Here are some candid's from the restaurant
Jim and Sister Maureen in enjoying a conversation
Our little Vicky
Vicky and her mom
Katie and Vicky
All the extra food was put into take home containers for the rest of the family.
We all left the restaurant and back into the truck, with Vicky taking her spot on Katie's knee. Back to Vicky's house. Lots more hugs and kisses from Vickey for Katie and I, more posing by Pancho Villa and he gave Katie a big hug like Vickey does. Sister Maureen had some letters and gifts from sponsors for the other kids...Katie gave Vicky some bubblegum which she immediately shared with her siblings.
Then very very reluctantly for Katie and I....we were off to our next destination.
It's time for Katie and I to go play golf with Judy, Lorraine, Raymond and some other people, then we're going for drinks after at Bob and Judy's, so I will finish this later....there is more to tell....
Best Day Continued
We continued on in the red truck waving goodbye to our Vicky and her family. Down some more terrible back lane type roads, the trucks suspension taking a beating. We arrived at Carla's house(Little girl sponsored by our friends Terry and Arlene) and across the street lives Miquel...who is sponsored by the Palmers and the Genners.
The same story at this location as at Vicky's house. As soon as the red truck pulled up, kids and parents appeared from nowhere. Lots of handshaking and Ola's.
We headed off to the next location, bumping and shaking along. Now it was time to unload half of the large amount of food in the back of the truck. Again kids magically appearing along with some mom's...a couple of these mom's help Sister Maureen by distributing the food to those who need it the most. This is all donated food. Some of the bags are extremely heavy but one little guy hopped in the back and proceeded to grab and drag the goods so that other kids could grab and carry them. One little guy tried to carry a 25 pound bag all by himself and gave me a dirty look when I said I had to help him. The kids all want to carry by themselves. Katie made sure that those who were not so aggressive managed to get something to carry.
After half the foodstuffs were unloaded, Sister Maureen gave each child a candy cane.
Some Candid shots....
Again...each and every child came up to us and shook our hand...so polite and obviously so grateful for anything they get.
Then we were off again...Sister Maureen took us down some more of the back roads so we could see the conditions. Horrible roads and in some cases Sister Maureen who handles the truck very well, is just crawling along as the road is that bad.
On the way back to the Main Street, Saw a Police Toyota Suv pretty new, parked on the street outside the Police Station with 4 flat tires. Another one in the driveway looked to be alright.
Sister Maureen and her helpers from Pine to Palm Park in Weslaco then dropped Katie and I off on the main Street close to the Bridge so we could go and do our shopping.
Many thanks were exchanged in both directions and off they went to drop off the rest of the food in Canales another area several miles further away.
Katie and I just looked at each other, both of us feeling a combination of joy and sadness at what we had just seen. Both of us agreed that we wouldn't trade the experience for anything and wouldn't soon forget it or Vicky's hugs and kisses for that matter.
Now some words about Sister Maureen and her program....
Sister Maureen is a member of the "Sisters of St. Dorothy" and she is based and lives in Progreso, Texas which is across the Rio Grande River and the International Bridge from Progreso, Mexico.
She makes trips to Mexico three times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursday. To get back across the bridge a couple of weeks ago she had to wait on the Bridge lineup for 2 and 1/2 hours to get back home...it is not always like that but talk about dedication!
She distributes letters and gifts from Sponsors every time she goes, and we saw first hand how she knows virtually every child's first name, and stories about each family. She has a Boston Accent, and is self taught in Spanish.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with her, and one can visually see and internally feel the love that she has for the kids and their families. She is one hard working nun!
It is not easy to keep all of this straight and to administer the "Las Flores Education Fund" as it is known.
What can I say about Sister Maureen? She is performing "Saintly" work. This really has nothing to do with religion...it is her vocation at work! I'm pretty sure that she does not often stop to think about how many people's lives she is touching in a positive way...Mexican kids and their parents...and all of us who chose to sponsor a child for school...all because of what she is doing!!! I can only say that for the majority of people, this work would just be too hard, so they would not do it.
Many thanks Sister Maureen! What would they do without you?
For those of you who agree with us that this is a very worthwhile project and wish to become a donor...
The cost for kindergarten and elementary is $180/yr and can be paid monthly, quarterly, and bi-annually.
For High School it is $240 with the same options.
Don't forget Sister Maureen has an extremely large waiting list.
THESE KIDS NEED TO GO TO SCHOOL! and anyone can sponsor...just think
of what you have and what they have.
you could write to Sister Maureen Crosby
c/o Sisters of St. Dorothy
Las Flores Education Fund
P.O. Box 147
Progreso, Tx 78589
email mcrosby@cdob.org
Well that's my account of "Our Best Day", hope you enjoyed the insights!
0 comments:
Post a Comment