Just Imagine!

    Just for a moment imagine you live in dire poverty with no health care, few job opportunities, and no public education for your children beyond sixth grade. Imagine you live on one side of a river, perhaps the Androscoggin, perhaps in Lewiston, while on the other side of the river, in Auburn there are all our present day opportunities. Imagine that when you try to cross the bridge to take advantage of those opportunities, you are stopped by the legal authorities. Then you try all other legal means to cross over to live where you can provide so much more for your family, but there is no legal way to do it. Wouldn't you then search for another way across that river?
     This situation parallels the situation along much of the Mexican/Texas border where my husband, David, and I have spent the past 3 winters. We have become very sympathetic to the plight of the illegal immigrants who have succeeded in crossing so they could care better for their families. Most are law-abiding citizens (except for the illegal crossing part) who are very hard-working, caring parents, sharing what little they have with their friends and family. We are at an RV park that has been involved for several years in helping the plight of many low income Hispanics, both legal and illegal residents.
     This past winter I organized 30 volunteers from our park to help a Hispanic family rebuild their small house. The house burned just before Christmas, leaving homeless an extended family of 13. Jose was an unemployed farm worker, and Anna, his wife, and 4 children age 3-9, had $2000 with which to rebuild on their lot. Jose learned carpentry skills as the volunteers worked with him to rebuild the small house, 13 feet by 20 feet, consisting of 2 rooms with electricity. Jose hopes to add on to it later, as money permits. The family cooks outdoors and relies on neighbors for plumbing. As the house neared completion, Jose and Anna were so grateful for the labor and much donated material provided by the volunteers, that they worked all day in their outdoor kitchen to make a festival meal of tamales for all the volunteers and spouses. At the dinner Jose thanked us profusely and said he and his family felt like we all were his family, and that he was planning to continue to learn the building trade so he could find employment.
     I visited the house again shortly after it was completed. I was introduced to Jose's sister and her newborn baby. I was able to gather through Jose's 9 year old daughter, who translated the gaps in my beginning Spanish, that the sister and her husband and 4 children were living in one room and Jose and his family were living in the other. The grandparents live in an 8' x 10' garden shed in the yard. They were all grateful to have shelter. I was touched that Jose and Anna were sharing their abundance, their small new home.
     I do not know, nor do I care, if these folks are legal or illegal. They are people in need. Jesus would care for them.

Kathy Whittier