Perla's Vision

 Perla is a 7 year old girl who has lived with poverty and lack for all the days of her short life. She has never known a flushing toilet. She has traveled on dangerous roads, none that are straight, many are dominated by ruts, sharp twists and many, many large, sharp and very rugged rocks embedded in those very meager roads. When it rains heavily, Her very modest mountainside home faces the real risk of flash flooding. She and her neighbors know of people who have been washed away to their deaths in flash floods.

She attends school in a sparse well-equipped school at the top of the mountain she lives on. She is getting what is available to the people of her highly destitute community --- an elementary school education. Yes, We have some extremely poor fellow countryman - but they do have more- as a rule- than 5 or 6 years of education readily provided to them!

Perla is a very intelligent and engaging child. She is one of the children of El Florido She is a proud older sister- she has a 5 year old brother named Julian. One of The Grace Community Missions team lent her camera- a digital camera- to Perla on our second work day in El Florido - Saturday, July 9th. Perla enjoyed  having this tool and ran around- beaming- with a look of excited delight on her face as she took pictures on that day.

 What took all of the adults, Americans and Mexicans alike- were the talent- the high-level talent that Perla demonstrated. She chose interesting angles, she caught facial expressions, she captured and framed action skillfully and deftly. She proudly showed her photographs to many people and the reaction that they got was the reaction of celebrating a talented and gifted child gaining notice. I'm very certain that Perla saw herself far differently than she had ever seen herself before on that marvelous July Saturday. The heavily blowing wings and the ruggedness of El Florido on that morning and afternoon  were set aside by the blossoming of this young girl's ability and spirit!

 I saw Perla's vision on that day through her amazing and incredible photography. Yet, I also pray that what she experienced on that Saturday can open the door to a vision of a tremendous future full of possibilities for young Perla!

  - Johnny -