Here highlights of the past week:

• Four containers arrived in Lima, Peru; and one in Costa Rica.
• We received a grant for $200,000, of which $150,000 is restricted fro salary and infrastructure support!The foundation of this fantastic gift wishes to remain anonymous.

This story comes from Surco, a section of Lima, Peru, where I visited last week:

Some of you may remember my story of when we met Kimberly in October, 2003. Having received our wheelchair gift, she turned to her mother and said “Mom, do you know what this means? It means I can go to school now, like my brother and sister!”

Our partner Camino de Vida Church in Lima has keep close tabs on Kimberly and her family since then. She did try to go to school. Classmates made fun of her, being physically handicapped and in a wheelchair made Kimberly their focus of abuse. That was tough for Kimberly, really tough, but it didn’t keep her down. When her older sister gets home from school, she teaches Kimberly what she learned. Kimberly has become an avid reader, reading newspapers, magazines, anything she can get her hands on.

This trip I brought Kimberly the complete Harry Potter series and a children’s Bible, all in Spanish. Kimberly was so happy. I also brought her a necklace with a cross. I asked her if she has dreams. She said yes, and then tears stared to flow. She said she dreams that some day she will be able to walk. Then she struggled her way out of her wheelchair, and with great effort got herself erect, while leaning on a counter of her grandmother’s store. I lost control of my emotions then, as I admitted I too have that same dream.But here is the good news. Last week I mentioned that Camino de Vida is starting a physical therapy center for wheelchair recipients. I heard this week they are also arranging for a mobile physical therapy van, so they can get to Kimberly and countless others that have no means to get to the center. With her determination, faith and the support from the Camino de Vida, Kimberly’s dream and my dream may come true.