When little Angelina accidentally pulled a pot of boiling water onto herself it seemed to be part of a pattern, a pattern of one hardship after another. Her family’s story is a familiar one in the mountains of Guatemala. Her mom was doing her best to care for her children while her dad was earning three dollars a day working in the field to feed them. Her mom’s brother was shot and killed on the streets of a nearby town so his wife and children needed to move in with the rest of the family. Considering the horrible, crowded conditions that already existed in their home made of mud and tin, this was impossible. So a local ministry contacted Buy One Build One and the building of a new home was planned.

 

That building was put on hold when Angelina suffered third degree burns on fifty percent of her body and the family spent those long days and nights at the hospital taking care of her. As if that wasn’t enough, the Guatemala family services decided to make an example of the family by threatening to take the children away if her mom and dad didn’t “show evidence of taking better care of their children.” This is a common example of the corruption in the Guatemalan government.

 

The family was able to return home after Angelina’s burns healed. The home was then built. The judge paid the family a visit, saw the new home and walked away satisfied that Angelina’s mom and dad were doing their best to take care of their family. Here stands a family that remains together thanks to people who care.

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