House #10

The story of House #10 is an inspiring one, and one that is very full! I say this because the family of House #10 is made up of a mother, 12 children, and 4 grandchildren!

Maria, the mother of the family, met her husband Juan 28 years ago at a harvest where they were both working. She remembers living through the civil war from when she was 12 to when she was 25. She remembers running and hiding under the beds whenever they heard gunshots.

Sadly Maria and Juan split a long time ago, and Juan left 9 years ago to go to another country to work, most likely Guatemala. He sends money occasionally, but not very often, which is especially scary, since she has always taken care of the children and never really had any work experience.

Surprisingly, when we asked her about the struggles she’s had since her husband left, we were surprised to hear her answer that she had had none! Her children, the oldest of whom would have been 19 when he left, had taken care of all of her needs and she felt completely free of struggle. This was one of the greatest moments of our experience at this house, hearing how a close family can push through struggles by relying on God and each other.

Of the family at House #10, 4 children and 1 grandchild are attending school; most of the older children had to drop out in order to work. One of the children in school is named William, and he is 17. He hopes to go to college and become a pediatrician because he loves kids. Louis Antonio, who at 24 is the oldest son of the family, wants to find a better job in order to further support the family. The family’s dream in general is to have more of their children going to school and learning to do better jobs.

All of the family are catholic, and when they can find a ride into town they will go to church, which is not often. Two of the daughters have children, although neither of them is married.

The names of all the children, in order of age, are Glenda Arrevalo, Iris Veronica, Louis Antonio, Olsbaldo Avisay, Erica Melissa, Jessalyn Leticia, William Bernavay, Jessica Elcarmen, Franklin Vladimir, Edith Bernice, Lenny Alex, and Ingrid Jahaida. The grandchildren, in order of age, are Arnaldo-adonai Arevalo, Daniella Jamileh, Adonai Andres and Anthony Olsbaldo.

by Erik Mohr and Jurgen Heinrichs