No child should ever have to endure the negligence Maria faced early in life. There was really no malicious abuse, she was simply left to her own devices from the time she was about five years old. Her mother had given birth to a new baby and only having room in her emotions for one, Maria was pushed aside. Maria spent much of her time on the street late into the night and quickly learned how to forage and fend for herself as well as establish herself amongst the riffraff of the low income neighborhood where she lived. When she would arrive home at 2 or 3 a.m., her mother not capable of controlling her would beat Maria out of frustration, emotionally crippling her with each blow, but then Maria did what she did just to get attention even if it was the negative kind.

Local authorities removed her from her mother's care and sent her to Morning Star over a year ago. Since then Maria has begun to learn to trust, curb her erratic behavior and respect loving authority. She has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior and at 10 years old, although she'd is behind a couple of grades in school she does very well in the Strong Tower 2nd grade class. She was recently put on the adoption list by the government agency the handles all adoptions in Peru and we pray the Lord will lead the right family to give her a future that will eventually opaque her past.