The village has about 400 inhabitants.
About 40 years ago, it was a town of more than 1,000. There was
a milk factory that employed 600 people, a railroad station, a
bank, a post office, a small medical clinic. On two occasions
the inhabitants raised money to asphalt two of the main access
roads to the town to facilitate the entrance of heavy vehicles
into the town in rainy weather. Both times, the county political
leaders made the money “disappear.” The two roads
are now called “los caminos fantasma” (the ghost roads).
Since access to the town did not improve, the milk factory went
out of business. Then the railroad station closed, and one by
one, the bank, the post office and the medical clinic shut down.
We heard stories of tremendous battles for life: The father of
a 12-year-old boy with appendicitis who had to carry his son on
his shoulders 35 kilometers in pouring rain to the main highway
in order to get to the hospital in the county seat. A young husband
who had to carry his pregnant wife through the rain because she
had a major infection in one of her molars. A young husband, a
pastor in a nearby town, had to have gall stones removed from
his bladder, and the county surgeon accidently cut into his pancreas.
He is now in a coma, and his first child was born two weeks ago.
All of the evangelical congregations in a 100-kilometer radius
are sending prayers and contributions to the young mother, trying
to make the resurrection of Jesus a real hope in times of desperation.
In spite of such heart-wrenching stories, it amazed me at how
close-knit the members of the church are, and how they showered
us guests with gifts, love, and attention. Their solidarity amongst
each other, and with members of the community at large who have
gone through moments of great suffering, is astounding. One man
slaughtered and slow-roasted a piglet for us to feast upon on
Saturday. Another woman sent us home laden with jars of homemade
and homegrown jams. Others gave us handmade toys and adornments
for our daughter. We also bought homemade country cheeses and
sausages. In return, we were able to repair the pump in one of
the wells and leave money to help the church replace the aluminum
sheeting of the roof, which was full of holes that on sunny days
caused the church to be bathed in speckled light and on rainy
days showered the congregation with rainwater.
Love,
Katie
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
40 |
