Yesterday, we met Agustin and Maria…
A concerned neighbor came by the coffee shop a couple of
days ago. She was concerned about the
living conditions of an elderly couple living near her street. They are both in their 90s and live without
any source of income.
This lovely lady was simply trying to get them one of our
Ecocinas, the efficiency wood-burning stoves.
She was right; it is a great solution for a few of their problems. So, we innocently agreed to visit the elderly
pair to investigate their situation. We
were not prepared for the despair.
Doña Maria and Don Agustin are not really a couple. More than a decade ago, he allowed her to
come and live in his home since she had nowhere to go. She helps take care of him. He has been in a wheel chair since childhood,
a victim of polio. She was well known on the streets as a seller
of cheese and cream. She is adorable. They both are…
Their roof does not really deserve the name. It probably only slows down most of the water
that enters every part of their home. There
are roots growing down from the dirt that has accumulated on the teja
roof. It feels like a cave. There are catholic relics hanging on the
walls along with the spider webs and trash bags. Their floor is so wet and dirty that I am not
sure if it is cement or simply the ground.
Their cooking fire was cold.
Dona Maria tried to convince me that she had cooked something during the
day, but the evidence betrayed her. I
saw no evidence to suggest that they had eaten.
So, here’s the thing, I thought that I recognized his face,
with his overwhelming beard. His twisted
hands made me think of something that I had seen before. During the conversation with his neighbor, I
realized that I had seen his face on an emotional video that someone posted a
year ago. He was THE Don Agustin, the
guy who is making a helicopter out of throw-aways.
Later in the day, my friend, Noel, who grew up in that neighborhood,
told me that everyone in that barrio had learned to ride a bike because Don
Agustin had made a wooden bicycle several decades ago. He also remembers earlier attempts at the
helicopter.
I am convinced that we have to do something. We must improve their living situations,
their health and welfare. Certainly, a
community can pour a concrete floor and put on a new roof...provide some food and care. The compassion of Christ must move us….
Check out the documentary made about Don Agustin:
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