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I’m sitting in my office on the second floor of CEMIPRE,
listening to all that is going on around me. We just finished
lunch here…some 17 people…most blind, one gentleman in a
wheelchair, and miscellaneous sighted workers and volunteers
who come on Wednesdays to help.
Rodrigo, a blind man who travels about 1 hour to get here, is
helping to orient Tanya, a new young lady who is blind, to find
her way up the stairs and into the computer room where he will
begin class to teach her to use the computers which read out
loud what’s on the screen. John is in his office counseling
with a new person to find out exactly where they are in the
process of adjusting to their blindness.
The volunteers are in the kitchen washing dishes, Juan…the
student pastor…is in his office studying. I hear the sounds of
people moving into the living room to start the folklore
class…guitar strumming and being tuned to the keyboard,
laughter, and camaraderie as others whistle the tune they will
sing and people begin the clap, clap….clap, clap which is
typical with the “cueca” the national dance.
This group is preparing a program to receive a team from
Suffolk, Virginia which will be arriving August 14. They will
work on Carmen Gloria’s house in order to make it “livable”. Of
course, she and her husband and daughter have been living in it
for years, but most Americans wouldn’t dare. As you step up
into her living room, the floor “gives” and bows down…as you
walk, it bounces. You can see the great outdoors through the
cracks between the boards, and the cold this winter was
terrible! They had managed to remodel the kitchen and part of
the bathroom before her husband, Jaime, was laid off work
because he has two herniated discs in his lower back which
cause him excruciating pain. The roof leaks in the rain, but
they are happy because the leak in the bathroom is conveniently
situated over the toilet!
But, Carmen Gloria is a fireball for the Lord. This humble home
is pressed into use every Tuesday evening as a pastoral group
meets there. It’s amazing to see how the Lord is working in
families in her neighborhood. People who haven’t spoken in
years, are now greeting with the typical Chilean handshake and
kiss.
I can pick out the voices of many of the “regulars” talking. If
I didn’t know they were blind, I would assume they were just
like everyone else I know. It’s amazing how “normal” the
handicapped are…they joke and laugh, worry, cry, and rejoice
like you and I do. Unfortunately, most people don’t get close
enough to know them and tend to enclose them in a box reserved
for “different” people. They aren’t you know….they’re just the
same as you and I, except they have to overcome some extra
obstacles. They certainly shouldn’t be shunned…if anything,
they should be sought out to learn from! What a blessing these
people have become in my life.
Well, I just wanted you all to “feel” what a typical Wednesday
in CEMIPRE is like. Please be praying for us to see clearly
what the Lord would have us do from day to day. Sometimes we
feel overwhelmed, and then we see Him transform a life, and He
renews our energy. The folk lore group is in full voice….not
perfect…but WHAT A JOYFUL NOISE!!!
Cathy
Cathy Rug
8/1/2008
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