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June Book Group
A few weeks ago, the first WOV Summer Book Group met on Kathy Chan’s lovely patio to discuss The Other Side by Juan Pablo Villalobos. As the sun started to lower, we found ourselves in the shade with a cool wind. Pretty soon blankets were requested, and we enjoyed fresh cherries and keeping warm under the blankets. What a great group of women to come together and wrestle with very tough issues in our world!
What drew us to this book were the short stories about young teens, around 14 and 15 years old, dreaming of crossing the border:
- To leave their country because of horrific violence in gang-controlled communities
- To leave their country to join a father or mother who had already come to the US to work
- To leave their country because they are left with a grandparent or other relatives
- To leave their country because these family members are killed by gangs because they can’t pay their additional “tax” demanded by the gangs
- To leave their country because they have grown desperate and see no hope in staying. They would rather die trying to get out than stay.
As the book progresses, we read about Nicole and Kevin, who are children from Guatemala just starting their journey to the US border. They received help to get there by a man in a truck. There were many children who needed help, and they wondered why they were selected. "They were dirty, their clothes pretty ragged, but they didn't have that look of utter bleakness like many children who have realized they have no future. There was still hope in their faces."
The situation could look depressing, but with World Vision there is hope! We can come together with vulnerable communities and bring hope to Central America. This is where our Christian Discipleship project comes in. Raising Children with Tenderness is working in Central America. The project works in partnership with churches to reach entire families in the community. These people want to stay in their country. They don’t want to leave!
When we support this project it makes a difference for generations to come!
Our Vision for every child, life in all its fullness.
Our Prayer for every heart, the will to make it so.
I hope you will join us for the July Book Group on July 13th! See details below.
Have a wonderful summer!
Ann Zelenka
Co-Chair, Columbia Willamette Chapter, Women of Vision
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