Macao - Unforgettable

Our trip to a small village of Macao was one that I will never forget.  We had our bus packed with a trailer on the back.  Driving down a dirt road that was very narrow, it was clear that this was a very poor community with houses on one side of the road that were shacks of cinder block or sheets of tin nailed together with cement floors.  Windows and doors were open where I could see mattresses on the floor with mosquito nets in place.  Clothes were blowing on fences or wherever they might hang out to dry. Trash was everywhere, in the fields, on the roads, and in the yards. Skinny dogs walked around looking for water. 

There was an occasional brightly colored home with a beautiful yard but mostly they were best described as shacks.  People waved to us and came out of their homes and yards following our bus to the school. 

We had followed 2 Rotarians that have taken on this project to help them build a school that will meet the standards of the government so they can get some funding from the government.  When I got out of the bus, it was as if the whole community had come to greet us.  The little girls were in their Sunday best, boys trying to behave as they curiously looked at us, pregnant teenagers holding small children, elderly relatives carrying children, livestock wondering closely by. 

We carried our supplies into the school that is presently there.  It is a room with a cement floor that is 10 by 20 feet with corrugated tin walls.  There is one window and door.  I think that there must have been 70 people in that room.  The children, parents, and others all crowded in to see us, and sat still while we handed out candy and arm bracelets and took lots of pictures of beautiful faces……

The teacher was introduced to us.  She had been a maid at a local resort and decided that someone needed to do something for the children in her community….someone needed to teach them to read and write.  So she quit her job and is teaching young kids in the morning and older children in the afternoon. 

As I heard the Rotarian tell us all of this, my eyes became cloudy.  I had no idea that I would become that emotional or that I might be wiping tears.  I prayed for that angel that quit her job to try to make a difference in her community and that our donations might continue to inspire her.  I also praised God for what I have and for blessing me with so many gifts. 

Contributed by Suzanne Loveland, Shenandoah County