The Gift of the Magi

Sometimes you read a story that touches your heart and simply compels you to act. That is what happened when I read about Pablo Acuña who was born with a limb deformity that left him with no arms and no legs. Despite being abandoned by his wife, he (along with his mother - who is now 94 years old) raised two little girls from babies to adulthood. What’s more is that he is a deeply loving human being who approaches each day with gratitude and optimism, this despite having a challenging condition and being very poor, in a very poor country. You can read more about Pablo here: Wheelbarrow Dad Story.

I contacted the reporter who wrote the story on Pablo and his family. She put me in touch with his daughter Elida via WhatsApp. I learned how much Pablo yearned to have his own home. In a country like Paraguay, homes can stay in the same family for many years. Like in the US, home ownership represents security and stability, but since multiple generations often live together, it offers an opportunity for future generations to rise up to the middle-class. At 63 years old, Pablo wished that he could own his own home where he lives in San Pedro del Parana, Paraguay with his mother, his daughter (Elida), and Elida’s two young sons.

When I told Pablo that we wanted to raise approximately $12,000 USD to purchase a home for him and his family, he could scarcely believe it. I offered no guarantee, other than I would try to share his story and see what we could do. He hadn’t asked for charity or for a house, but he was certainly worthy of it.

Living in Africa, I am acutely aware of the many people in need around the world. Perhaps a house seems extravagant with so many people who have such acute needs. Why Pablo, why a house, why now? I don’t know. What I do know is that every now and again the universe reaches out and says "this one, now." That is what happened with us. An American family doing mission work in East Africa starting a fundraiser for a family in Paraguay. I doesn’t make much sense, except that it did.

It took several months and some very generous donors in Paraguay as well as California, USA to help raise the total amount needed for the purchase. GoFundMe doesn’t work in Paraguay so funds were sent to me directly. Some donors don’t like GoFundMe, so they wired funds directly to our bank account. Some people we knew, most we did not. Needless to say, there was a lot of trust involved to make this happen.

Speaking of trust, the bank in Paraguay didn’t want to release the transferred funds to Pablo. There was no policy we were violating. It was simple discrimination. Pablo is poor and disabled. Why would someone send “him” money to buy a home? This type of prejudice is something I see in Tanzania and I’ve seen many times in the US as well. It is the perception that people are somehow “less than.” Fortunately, after some considerable documentation and correspondence, they finally gave Pablo his money.

I think what inspires me most about Pablo is that he doesn’t let his physical disability or his economic class define him. He didn’t let the tragedy of his wife leaving him define him either. He sees his life as a gift from God and he lives everyday like that. He can’t really travel, he can’t walk, but he does get to choose how he wants to “be” in the world. And he has chosen to be kind, optimistic, grateful, and faithful. I am grateful to know Pablo and his family and I’m grateful they now have a home. As we approach Christmas, I don’t think I could’ve imagined a better gift for everyone involved. Thank you all and may God bless Pablo Acuña.