Maria Teresa...

It has been a week since our newest child, Maria Teresa, has joined the Casa family and she is doing wonderful.  Teresa (as she likes to be called) is 7 years old and comes from a small little village in the Sierra Madres.  In fact it is so small and hidden you can only walk to get there.

She was actually brought to the orphanage by her father.  He is in a very difficult situation as he needs to travel around in search of work and must leave his daughter with her mother.  Sadly, Teresa’s mother is an alcoholic and spends more time out in the nearby towns then she does taking care of her 7 year old.

Upon returning to their village after being gone for over 3 months, Teresa’s father learned of more bad things that had taken place while he was away.  Enough is enough and with the encouragement of Teresa’s grandmother, he took Teresa and headed to Corarayvo.

Corareyvo, if you recall, is the small town where Maria Ana and Erasmo are from (about 7 hours away).  One of their cousins, who still lives there, suggested Lazaro bring Teresa here.  With no other options, Lazaro boarded the train and began the trek to the orphanage.

They showed up at our doorstep last week, with only a small backpack and a blanket.  We spent a few hours in my office listening to their story, asking questions and coming up with a game plan as to how we could help and minister to this family.

It was agreed by all parties, including the government after talking with them, that we should try to find Teresa’s mom and share what was desired for Teresa’s future.  I was a bit skeptical of this at first because it was clear she didn’t want NOR cared for her daughter anymore.  However, since she is legally her mother and didn’t know where her daughter was, it was important to at least try to find her.  Even more so, we were praying for an opportunity to share the Lord with this lost and struggling woman.  And so the decision was made to make the 3 hour trek to San Rafael to try to find where she was.

Thank the Lord everything worked out Just fine.  The team that went were able to find Teresa’s mother and share what we all desired for her.  She had little response and was quick to sign the paperwork for her daughter to come into our care.

Our children have done a wonderful job of making Tersa feel loved and welcomed.  She is very bright and bubbly but also feisty and aggressive.  We were able to enroll her in the school for next year and she will be in the same class with our daughter Ayantu.

Please join us as we continue to pray for this sweet girl, her transition to our family and especially for both her mom and dad!