Do you remember the storey of laura. For those who don't know.
Laura is around 14 years old, she lived with her Great grandmother (GG) from the time she was three. Her grandmother has been trying to kill the (GG)to get the house. GG had a stroke a year ago. They have been living on $9.00 a month . The house had only a stove that the chimney was plugged. no water, no food, no toilet, broken windows no security.
Men would let them selves in to pleasure themselves on a regular basis. the electricity was due to be disconnected... laura was kicked out of school, and they were living on food found at the dump (full of toxic waist) things could not get much worse ....... ENTER LAURISA Laurisa is a kind loving lady who was poor herself, and had no outside help. She goes to the dump and finds little children there and takes them home, and tries to provide food for them if they will stay out of the dump. She found Laura there and began helping her. Laurisa started doing what she could to get the house cleaned up, and food into there bellies. The locals would yell and swore at her because she is a Christian, and they did not want her in the community. .......
She took Laura back to the school, and made arrangements to get her enrolled again and helped her with her school work. When we found out about her and the work she had been doing, we knew that we needed to help.
With the generous support of People here, we went over to help Laurisa. We began rebuilding the house. New windows, doors, walls plastered and painted, new electrical panel and wires, new fence and locks bars on the windows, toilet, fixed the chimney and stove, electrical heaters and lights, paid for the hydro to stay on and for the next year, a years supply of coal, new beds, furniture, blankets, new kitchen counter,and appliances, sink and water inside. We even put up flood lights with auto sensors outside, and an automatic light in the toilet. The court yard was cleaned up and wood was cut and stacked. the house was parged and painted, and the walkway to the house had new gravel put down. Along with helping Laura, we started many little projects with the neighbors, and they in turn helped us. It became a community project. It was nothing to have 25 or 30 locals helping at any one time from 2 to 92, they all worked.
It was an incredible transformation. While this was going on, Laura and her GG were taken to the home of one of our workers, and cleaned up, and given healthy meals, then taken to the market for a few new outfits to where. Arrangements were made to get Laura registered, and the documents were secured so that if anything happened to GG, the house would go to Laura.
The village is one long dirt road with no side walk, and probably about 30 houses and a population of about 150 to 200 people. all very poor field workers. As I was walking down this street one day, followed by the usual 8 kids, two dogs, a duck and a scrawny cow with a rope tangled around its horns , I remember having this thought of one day there being a church there for these people to meet. A place of new beginning for them.
Well we finished up there , left a little money for Laurisa to take a little pressure off her ($30 a month) and moved on to the next project.
Just befor Christmas, we received word that GG had died. We did what we could from here to assist , but took comfort that Laurissa was there to look after things.
Fast forward to an email I just received from Olga..
Hello John and Jilie!!!
I am very glad to hear from you and i thought about
you very often and memorize the time with warm weather
and very active time.
Yes i saw Larisa and sometimes she comes to my office.
She passed hello to you, i just talk with her.
she said ,that since the time of granny funeral,
Larisa took Lora to her house. Lora need help, control
and care. Now in granny's house, they make the
fellowship and cell group meetings.It's funny, in my mind, it is now starting to make sence !