Being very burdened for him this past Thurs. I prayed and determined to involve him in my life more. So, needing my van cleaned out anyway, I asked if he'd like to help. He agreed and after lunch we got to work. Much less talkative than he used to be, it was hard to get him going. When I asked him whether everything was ok he always said, "Yes, I'm fine." Even when I pressed the matter I only got, "I'm fine sir."
After a job well done we relaxed on my front porch facing his house with some cold water and a crisp cold apple. As we were eating I saw his little sister fall from their second story rented house. We dropped the apples and ran to see if she
was ok. On our way I was worried and angry at the same time.
Worried, of course, for her safety, and angry
because all that was keeping anyone from falling out their back door was one rotten board nailed into a termite eaten doorframe. Yes, the back door opens to nothing; no back porch, no balcony, nothing. Too many houses here are constructed until they're functional, then construction stops. I had seen their back door open many days with that one little board as the only thing keeping a child from falling out. I said to myself too many times, "Someone's gonna fall out that door one day and break their neck." Then I saw someone fall. I was mad at the landlord for making them live in such poor conditions, mad at them for thinking no one would ever fall out, and mad at myself for not doing something to
fix it sooner.
As we ran to her we heard crying. A good sign. She wasn't dead. But surely something had to be broken. She was screaming and holding her leg as she sat in the wet, trashy, urine smelling stuff that was made up of what they throw out and even where they spit after brushing their teeth. She kept saying her leg was hurt. I checked. It wasn't broken. Rivaldo picked his sister up and carried her upstairs. I asked if I could come in and was told I could. Their mother is not home, of course, and a group of children began to gather. We checked her out some more. It was really a miracle. Nothing was broken and she wasn't even scratched. She hit her leg, but apparently it wasn't too bad. I couldn't believe it. I was really shocked since I saw from where she fell. I stressed to her brothers that she could have died and we should be thankful that she's not hurt worse. I immediately began making plans to build railing.
I was forced to asked the 11 year old leader of the home if it would be ok if I went and bought some wood and got to work. He said he would have to ask his mom, so my plans had to wait until the next day. The rest of the day I felt very down and at times sick to my stomach. It was another cold splash of reality of the true conditions that some people live in here. Amie and I were both shocked when we first learned that no one watches them during the day. But I was shocked again when I saw her fall then shocked when I entered their house and saw their living conditions. All this that happened forced me to stare at the ugly truth that many people here live in sad conditions and because of it people suffer, get hurt, or get in to trouble because they don't have anything to hope in. And it's right next door.
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