February 2002

Dear Valued Friends and Supporters:

We have had lots of gracious rain and our gardens and lawn here at Bethel are thriving, as are the children in the freedom and leisure of summer. They have a few structured activities from time to time, but they have enjoyed the new houses and the neighborhood environment this year.

The new year is well underway and I want you to know some of what is going on with us. A major computer crash in December put me in a bind for several weeks. The Bethel computer was out for about three months and we were using my laptop as a stopgap, so it was only when the funds were found to fix that one that I took mine back and began to reconstruct my electronic life.

Last week we rejoiced and were sad at the same time as our little Daniel was reunited with part of his family. After eight months with us as a mystery child—because we had no birth certificate or document telling us his age—the court found his grandmother in the state of Bahia and an uncle traveled by bus two days from there to here to fetch him. I now know that he turned 4 years old just days before he came to us, confirming our estimate of his age.

Daniel’s memories of his family were not only very sketchy but not entirely positive since he had been with his mentally ill mother and father and apparently dragged around from place to place over a matter of months before he landed with us. Perhaps that is why he was so appreciative of clean clothes, simple toys, good food, and attention.

When the social worker first told Daniel that he had a family he left our office and the helper in the laundry room saw and heard him as he wandered around the yard muttering to himself "I am not leaving here. I live at Bethel. I am not going away from here." We spent the next week explaining to him that he has two older sisters, as well as an aunt and a grandmother who will take care of him and who have wondered where he was.

By the time his uncle arrived and hung around with him for a couple of days, he was ready to make the long bus-ride to his home. Everyone made a big fuss over him before he left and Uncle Cícero was impressed and touched by the loving care and prayers that he saw poured out on Daniel. We have continued to pray, and trust that he and each of the children who has passed through our lives will continue to be blessed with God’s mercy and faithfulness wherever they are.

Thank you for your continued prayers for each of us.

In God’s gracious love,

Virginia Gartrell

The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 258