A New Start At Christmas

A Peruvian woman has little but her spirit of hope.

Article and photo by Sr. Patricia McDermott

It was Christmas Eve when I stood with Theodora outside her rented, broken-down shack in Peru. It had a dirt floor with no windows, electricity, water or sewage.

The roof, made of rotten matted straw and torn pieces of plastic, flapped in the wind. A smell of urine, or perhaps dogs and mice, greeted us as we walked in. There was no door: just a piece of old wood that barred up half the entrance.

A neighbor had offered her this shack for low rent, but how was she going to make a start in this “home” for her family?

Maybe Theodora was feeling like Mary when she reached the stable for the birth of Jesus. Had Mary said to herself, “How can I bring my child into this world?”

I was overwhelmed by it all, and I thought of Mary and Joseph. They knew the feeling of helplessness—of wanting the best for their baby, but there was “no room at the inn.” So, the stable was the place for Jesus to be born. 

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Theodora with her baby, Patricia.
Theodora had just been evicted from her previous residence for being behind in her rent. She had hospital and medical bills, her husband had left her, and now she was alone with three small children: John, age 5; Yvonne, 2; and Patricia, 6 months.

Theodora needed hospital treatment, but did not have the money. She had been hemorrhaging for six months, weakening her frail yet courageous body. Her own problems she puts on hold for the sake of the children.

“So often,” she told me through tears, “there simply isn’t anything to eat. I cannot provide milk for my baby. I give her water, but it does not satisfy her hunger.

The doctors have told me that Yvonne needs a special diet because of her thyroid condition that has left her weak and unable to swallow. But how can I give her a special diet when there is no food? John gets so hungry and asks for food, but when there is none, I simply have to try to cradle him to sleep.”

Meanwhile, it was time to clean up the shack so Theodora and her children could sleep there that night. She had one old bed, one blanket and a few clothes. There was no stove, television, cupboard or toys for the children, so it wasn’t difficult to move her few things to her new home.

Some of the women from the Mother of Mercy Women’s House came to help her. They, too, know poverty and its harsh reality. With this solidarity, Theodora has hope as she starts to rebuild her life.

Recently we received a donation marked “for a family in need.” With their money, we were able to buy a door for the shack and new pieces of matted straw to replace the roof.

Now the shack has been disinfected and is transformed from when we first saw it through the loving solidarity of women nearby and a donor from afar.

Theodora is no longer alone. “God is good to me,” she said. She asked me, “Will you bless this house to give thanks to God for all that has happened so we can make a fresh start?”

As I thought of the first Christmas, Theodora, whose name means “God-bearer,” was showing the spirit of hope that comes when we remember that God is with us today and always.

Sr. Patricia McDermott is an Australian Sister of Mercy who has worked with Columban missionaries in Peru since 1996.