#111 Our story

Angelina graduated from the university Friday night. The parent walks with their son or daughter and also wears a cap and gown. I am so proud of Angelina.

While I was gone some judges from Villa Nueva visited and told the staff that they wee very impressed with what they saw.

I believe it was June, 1996 when we were going back to states that we took our 5 children as well as 6 of the Guatemalan children. It was a very difficult process to get passports and visas for the Guatemalan children. When we tried to check in the Guatemalan officials said that we could not take the children.

The reason they said that was our tickets were to Houston but our destination was Louisiana. It took over an hour of talking with officials before they finally gave us permission to leave.

Each year I would ask the children to write down three gifts they would like for Christmas. We would take the lists to the US and purchase the gifts and put them on a container. As each child would finish their list they would hand it to me and leave to play. This particular day one girl did not write anything down.

She had been abused all of her childhood and had run away from her home. She told us that she walked for days until her shoes were so torn that she could not wear them. When she arrived in Villa Nueva she sat down on the sidewalk. Soon a pastor’s wife noticed her and the girl told her story.

The pastor’s wife led the girl to the Lord and took her home to feed and clothe her. She eventually brought the girl to Casa.

Since she was the only child without a list I asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She looked at and said, “I want you to adopt me.” I do not believe I have ever felt so humble. Today she is married and has two daughters and is only this month away from her degree as a registered nurse.