When I was very pregnant with my second baby, I finally took the advice of a friend and hired some help in the house. If I had family anywhere nearby me, this would be unnecessary for sure. At first, I really just wanted help cleaning places I couldn't get to...literally, my body wouldn't fit. But eventually I realized I needed some extra help just getting everyday things done. So, we hired a woman based on the referral of the neighbor’s house cleaner. She came into our lives at the perfect time and helped me in more ways than I would have thought possible.
Ester, with her very little English and I, with my extremely broken Spanish would talk...and not about the weather. She was very open and after we learned to trust each other, she shared many details about herself, her family and her travels to the United States. She was not legal, as it turns out. This is something that many have issue with, as I fully understand.
I, on the other hand, have very complicated feelings about this. Ester, at that point in time, had not seen her three children back in El Salvador for five years. As she told me this, I cried. In a separate conversation, she gave me details of the terrifying three months it took her to get to the U.S. Starvation, dehydration, fear, scrapes, bruises, broken bones all included. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult life must be for a mother, a very loving mother, to feel she needs to leave her children to actually help them. How desperate must someone be?
Ester was in our lives for a handful of years and it went beyond cleaning the house. She helped take care of my children and myself in the absence of my own mother. I actually talked to her by phone from my mother’s funeral, a woman Ester had met several times, to let her know she had passed. Ester really has had an impact on me.
About two years ago, a friend was sharing information on Compassion International. My heart was immediately drawn in.Thinking immediately of Ester, I asked her “Could I sponsor a child in El Salvador?” “Yes! Absolutely!” She replied to me.
When I found out what Compassion does in Jesus’ name and how many poverty stricken children they help worldwide, our family signed up immediately. We were actually able to choose between three sets of information of children sent to us, all of whom needed sponsorship. Within seconds I knew right away which one was speaking to me. I asked my then 5 year old what she thought and she picked the same child I did. We talked it over with daddy and Bryan was the boy.
He is now 12. He lives in El Salvador with his mother and two siblings. He loves soccer, drawing, going to school and riding his bike. Those are all things he has been able to share with us in his letters over the years. With our sponsorship, we help Bryan go to school, get food, water and supplies. He also gets to learn about God, something else he tells me he likes as well.
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| Bryan draws a picture on the back of every letter. |
In my dreamworld, I would love to visit Bryan in El Salvador and give him a hug...and maybe have him laugh at my broken Spanish. It’s also in the back of my mind to seek out Esters children while I’m there....and hug them too..for her and for me. It's now been 10 years since Ester has physically seen her children...the computer helps her see them online. Their mother brought El Salvador to our family...and I do think God brought her to me.
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