By Israel Matthews —
Eleven-year-old Linda was rescued off the streets by her cousin from another village.
Cousin Myrna was able to take her in because of her affiliation with Operation Blessing.
Linda’s demise began because of extreme poverty in a remote village in Honduras. Her parents left her to fend for herself and she found shelter in an old abandoned house, where she slept.
“When I slept at that house, I used to hear some very scary noises. Then I would become very afraid,” she told Operation Blessing. “I wanted sunrise to come quickly.”
During the day, the little street urchin begged for food, and sometimes people gave her tortillas with nothing on them to stave off starvation. Other times she went hungry.
“Some people gave me something to eat,” she said. “Other people just looked away.”
Because of the poverty in the rural area, Linda lacked a birth certificate and wasn’t allowed to enroll in school.
“I wanted to learn to write my name, read, study and do homework,” Linda says.
Eventually an older cousin from a nearby village heard the plight of little Linda and came to find her. Myrna had just received micro financing to start an empanada business, which brought a modest income.
This allowed her to take in Linda.
“When I found Linda, she was dirty and malnourished,” Myrna recounted. “Her head was covered with lice.”
With Myrna, Linda had a bed, food and a family. Operation Blessing also worked to get her a birth certificate and enrolled her in a school.
“I’m not afraid of anything anymore,” Linda declared. “I’m so happy.”
Israel Matthews studies at the Lighthouse Christian Academy in Santa Monica.
