heritage of Jacob peru mission
The mother’s name is Claudia. She is by nature somewhat anti-social, or perhaps a better description would be highly introverted. This appears to be one of many reasons, (certainly there are other reasons), she has been rejected and kept at a distance by her family and by the village. Her six children (the oldest, a teenager, has a male partner and child, living elsewhere) have four different biological fathers, not one of whom has taken any responsibility for their children. None of the children have birth certificates, which is one evidence of Claudia’s inability to participate in society. Without a birth certificate, the children have no national identification card and cannot legally attend school or get public health care. Last year, MHJ began reaching out with food and legal help to get birth certificates. It then came to our attention that this family, a single mother and five children, are homeless, and would go from place to place until told to leave.
The rejection has left an obvious mental/emotional scar on Claudia, and I suppose it is inside of the children as well. Missionary organizations have identified the Peruvian culture as a “save-face” culture, and we have seen this to be especially true with extended family identity. The result is that Claudia’s family members who have homes have been the first to reject her, and the village community as well. This homelessness reached a crisis stage last week, and so we decided to offer our home in Sariapampa to Claudia and her children. There is one compassionate grandmother who is caring for the two older girls, for now, as apparently she has a place for them, and the capability of feeding them. Claudia and three of her children moved into our Sariapampa home last Friday.
This arrangement is considered to be temporary. Our MHJ leadership team has begun soliciting donations and physical labor help from area churches with the goal of building a small dwelling on MHJ land for this family. Claudia will hopefully begin helping us to work a plot of land and raise more animals. Today, I am going to town to buy a toy or two (get some smiles going) for these children who have nothing but a few clothes.
Thank you for walking alongside us in this work,
Jim