The Absence of Light

I’m away babysitting my 12-month-old grandson. It has been a delightful week of seeing the world from a child’s perspective. All was well until the house lost power. Within moments I went from enjoying a cozy night in Wisconsin to wondering how I was going to find a flashlight in an unfamiliar household. My phone was trickling down, clouds obscured any skylight and I lost my sense of direction without light.

Ashley, age 8, lives in this scenario every day when the sun goes down in Guatemala. When our FFF team visited her home on October 4th, we were disoriented by the dark interior of the one-room house. While our team tried to keep ourselves upright on the slanted wet and muddy floor, Ashley’s grandmother lit the single candle the family uses as a light source. As Ashley’s face became visible, I didn’t see fear. I saw resignation.

Despite her youth, this Mayan child had learned that the obstacles of deep poverty were impossible to overcome. Many generations before her had tried. When the basic need for interior light was not available; when the floor consisted of slick mud; and her grandmother had uncontrolled diabetes from lack of medication, dreams for a better future were not an option. The monthly cost of electricity in rural Guatemala is equal to a week of wages, earned working in the fields. For families on this economic spectrum, food will always come before lighting.

FFF now delivers food to Ashley’s family monthly. We treat her grandmother’s diabetes and sponsor Ashley for school. The smallest donation we gave the family earlier this month may be the most treasured. The solar lights FFF https://www.finding-freedom-through-friendship.org/ donated on our trip were gratefully received. After the power outage in Wisconsin, I can understand why.

Providing a solar lantern for a home without electricity is less expensive than taking your friend out for dinner. Two years of the gift of interior light for a rural Guatemalan family can be donated for only $40; an inexpensive and life-changing way to assist a family for the holidays.

Want to give the gift of light this holiday season? https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/2005149