World Vision writer and photographer Laura Reinhardt writes today about a father in Honduras whose faith brought him back to his family.
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Francisco Rodriguez took any work he could find, usually
construction. He had to leave his family to find day jobs in the nearby
town of La Esperanza, in western Honduras.
“Sometimes he would work and only make enough money for the day, so
it was really, really a difficult life,” says his wife, Carmen Arriaga.
Struggling to survive in Honduras’s Yamaranguila region, this family
of eight faced other challenges, too. When Francisco couldn’t find work,
he often stayed in town drinking. Carmen and her daughters never knew
whether he would come home drunk or with money; if it turned out to be
the former, they never knew what was going to happen.
Sometimes Carmen locked him out of the house. She knew it would make him angry, but she was angry, too.
In 2003, Carmen was pregnant with the last of the couple’s six
children. Because she always came to her appointments alone, her doctor
thought she was a single mother. When Francisco finally went with her,
the doctor reprimanded him and asked him if he attended church,
wondering why his faith wasn’t influencing his behavior.
Francisco did go to Mass, but only to keep the seat warm. Still, the doctor’s words got him thinking.
That year, World Vision invited Francisco to participate in
agricultural training.
Francisco owned land, but it lay fallow because Francisco had to travel
to La Esperanza for work so often. But with World Vision’s training,
Francisco was soon equipped to grow crops, and he embraced the new
opportunity to support his family — an opportunity that kept him away
from the city and all of its temptations.
Participating in World Vision’s work, Francisco began to see how
faith in Christ motivated the staff. As a result, Francisco’s own faith began to grow.
Also that year, Father Lucio arrived to serve in Francisco’s
community. Dividing his parish into smaller groups, he hoped to
strengthen the communities. Inspired by Father Lucio’s teaching,
Francisco began to attend church regularly.
As Francisco’s relationship with Father Lucio grew, the priest asked
Francisco to be in charge of one of the community groups. Francisco
agreed, but wondered whether he could handle that responsibility.
Through that leadership role, Carmen remembers that her husband “was touched by God, so he could change.”
In April 2012, World Vision introduced Channels of Hope in
Yamaranguila — a multi-faceted program that encourages Christians to
understand their role as followers of Christ. The program is designed to
help them to combat deeply-held cultural beliefs that have a negative
impact on their communities, including HIV and AIDS stigma and gender
inequality.
As Francisco attended the program’s training, he became more open to
Carmen’s participation. “Now there is no longer any chauvinism,” he
says. “It’s the church that has changed us and shown us that men and
woman are worth exactly the same in the eyes of the Lord.”
Francisco with his family. (Photo: Laura Reinhardt/World Vision)
Carmen has blossomed and grown more confident. “It’s been a
transformation that is incredible, and every day I thank God because
this has totally changed every step I take,” says Carmen. “World Vision
has been like a right arm for us.”
Today, as part of World Vision’s focus on maternal and child
health,
Carmen is leading a support group for pregnant women and new mothers.
She speaks confidently, providing community members with health
information she learned through World Vision.
Carmen is often out working with women in the community. On these
days, Francisco prepares dinner for his children, something he never
would have dreamed of doing just a few years ago.
Their only son was born just as Francisco’s life began to change. He
attends many of the spiritual trainings with his father. “I think that
he is learning all this, and that is what will make a better man out of
him,” Francisco says.
The whole Rodriguez family works together in the fields. Francisco
looks at his fields of corn, radishes, and beans and says, “I’m really
thrilled about this, because when you work together it really motivates
you to continue to grow. All this is a result of the training that we
have received.”
The man who used to disappear and keep his family on edge now works
and prays with his family. He even makes time to play with his children.
A single tear of joy slips from Carmen’s eye as she acknowledges the amazing transformation that has taken place in her family.
“I’m just happy,” Francisco says, “having a life that I have with my
wife, with the daughters, and doing what we’re doing. There are many
people who are tired of life, but we aren’t. We all have the drive to
continue developing and to continue forth. And so, we’re very happy and
satisfied.”
Child sponsorship is the cornerstone of World Vision’s approach
to community development. Join us! Reflect God’s love to a child in
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