One of my favorite people in the Bay Islands is Mr. Truman. At 65, he lives alone in a peaceful, one-room wooden hut on a hill overlooking the beautiful Caribbean Sea. The small fishing village in St. Helene where Mr. Truman lives still has no running water or electricity. The people there live by the rhythm of the rising and setting sun. Families fish for their own meals and to eke out a living – Mr. Truman included – even after going blind in one eye several years ago.
Whenever we visit St. Helene, we always stop by to see Mr. Truman. His white hair and beard make him very distinguished looking, and we genuinely enjoy his calm demeanor and his strong hugs. Unless he’s fishing, he can always be found on his front door step visiting with neighbors and friends, having a smoke, slicing almonds…or reading. Mr. Truman is a voracious reader and asks us to bring books whenever we visit. He particularly enjoys and requests Christian books, but reads anything and everything.
In January 2016, we held our first Luci Light distribution in St. Helene. The response was overwhelming! Families immediately told us how they benefited by using their lights: to walk about safely at night, to cook dinner by instead of using dangerous candles, and certainly for children to study by. But Mr. Truman thanks us for the lights because it has allowed him to do what he loves – read – well into the dark nights.
These days when we visit Mr. Truman, he’s still on his front porch step, and his Luci Light can always be seen a few feet away from him, sitting out in the sun under the almond tree next to his house, charging up for the night ahead. It’s weathered from usage and the salty air, but it still works! “What are you reading tonight, Mr. Truman?” we ask. It’s always something deep and inspiring.
He is so thankful for his Luci Light which has impacted his life in so many ways: he cooks by it, gets around the village at night with it, uses it to fish at night, but he’s most thankful for how it extends his reading time. I love that about Mr. Truman!
Someone’s $10 donation helped us give Mr. Truman this life-changing gift of renewable light. Won’t you join us to do the same?
Brenda Dachner
November 2018
About Light Up Life:
Through our partnership with MPowerd, our Light Up Life program provides sustainable, solar-powered Luci Lights to families and individuals with little to no electricity across the Bay Islands. These lights provide a safer solution than candles for islanders who are left in the dark after the sun sets. Any gift big or small makes a huge difference. Give here today to help us reach our goal of $10,000 by Giving Tuesday, November 27!