Gloria with Lourdes and her son Charles and the new wheel chair
This was a busy, happy day. While Bob and I and the office elders were walking about a block away to have a rental contract notarized, four wheel chairs were delivered. They are really here! I was so excited that I called the two people whose telephone numbers I have and they said they would come over in the afternoon. And, they did. When the first one came, Estoy, and Elder Knaphus – bought in one wheel chair, I realized we had been given the wrong sizes. We had three children’s chairs and one for an adult. We gave Estoy the adult one and he was so thrilled. He had an old wheelchair, torn and falling apart, and it had no rests for his feet, so he kept one foot curled up on his lap and the other resting on the edge of the wheel support – very uncomfortable looking. Both he and his brother had polio as children and are both crippled in the legs. His brother can walk – with a ‘stick’. Both brothers have jobs working in a factory that makes fire extinguishers. Estoy is paid 2000 pesos – about $40 a month. Minimum wage would be about $6500 pesos a month. Now that Estoy has a good wheel chair he says they have promised him more work. It was a great blessing to be able to help him.
We called the freighter who had delivered the chairs and he said he would come right over, but did not arrive before an 89 year old woman was brought in by her son to get her wheel chair. She can walk very slowly with someone pulling on her arm and her using a three pronged cane. When she has to go some place far, the family sits her on a chair and the men carry her and the chair! I felt so bad to see her hobble into the office and not have a chair for her. But, she and her son were very patient and said to call them when the right sizes (supposed to be on Tuesday) arrive, and they will come back. The freighter did arrive and said he would make everything right tomorrow morning.
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