Being Part of a Miracle
Gayle Yarnall, center, with members of Caring Hearts Mexico
On December 17th, Adam Shea and I were driving back from 2 appointments in Portland Maine and I was feeling like it had been a particularly hard week. It was Friday afternoon and the weekend was close at hand but maybe not quite close enough to feel completely there. My cell phone rang and I began a conversation with a person who was about to totally change my attitude and maybe even my life.
Harold was calling from an organization called Caring Hearts Mexico. He had been calling several places to find someone who would help him select technology for a brand new center for the blind that they were building in San Louis Mexico just south of Yuma. I mean really building from the ground up.
I was completely fascinated and by the end of our half hour conversation, Harold asked me if I would come down with the technology and help the blind people get started in learning it.
I am not sure where I should go from here. I think I will try to briefly explain Caring Hearts Mexico although I can't be all that quick. Several years ago, Harold was working in Arizona and he and a friend would spend weekends in Mexico helping people who had very close to nothing. In the process of many trips they ran across an orphanage that was about to close and there was no place for the children to go. Harold and his friends decided to keep this orphanage running and it is still going strong and much improved from when they first found it. This is now the center of all their projects providing space for anyone or any group inspired to do a mission project in the area.
Caring Hearts Mexico has built many buildings and serves a wide range of people. You can go to www.caringheartsmexico.com to learn more about them.
The rest of the group was headed down on January 14th; they were coming from Pittsburg and the Tampa area. I was scheduled to arrive on the 17th. Harold and I selected a range of products from a CCTV to several games. Perkins donated 3 classic Perkins Braillers, several slates and styluses and a box of slightly used hand held magnifiers. Other organizations helped by discounting products. Everything was shipped and delivered and set up when I arrived.
I have to admit that I waited until the last minute to tell most people, including my family, that I was going to spend a week just south of the Mexican border with people I never met. When I did tell them I made it clear I did not want to hear anything about how maybe I should be afraid. I just knew this was something I needed to do and everyone turned out to be very supportive.
When I arrived at the Yuma airport, not much of an airport, there was no one to meet me. The flight was a few minutes early but I will admit that my heart skipped a beat. Then there they were Ken and Harold and after lots of hugs we were all good friends. Harold and I had probably exchanged 100 emails and a dozen phone calls but I did feel better when I knew they were real people. We were in the van and we were off.
I was amazed to find out there were 47 people building the center. I had two people to help me with the technology piece. One woman, Virginia, is an employee of Caring Hearts and speaks both Spanish and English. She helped me when I was working with the students and the other woman, Kathy, was down there to work on the building. The three of us worked well together and along with 5 blind people we spent over 3 days learning how to use the devices and getting to know each other. I could probably write a book if I wanted to tell all the wonderful warm stories that came out of that week.
On Friday the 21st, we had a wonderful event to open the center. Thirty blind people will be the first to be served in this wonderful new, fully equipped facility. There were dishes in the brand new cabinets in the brand new kitchen. There were sheets on the brand new beds in the apartment where Linvania, the new blind director will live. There were curtains on the windows and of course, wonderful devices set up on new shelves and desks.
I am truly blessed to have things like this happen in my life. I was just a tiny cog in the wheel that made magic happen. It is wonderful how we can change lives when we set our minds to it and our lives are enhanced in the process.
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