During the time that I spent with the children at the orphanage in Mexicali Mexico I was finishing my journalism project when I meet a very interesting man by the name of Valdez, his life was truly a miraculous story of success. In our interview Valdez shared his story for how he became an orphan nearly twenty-eight years with his sister Juanita.
Valdez and Juanita were found alone and abandoned in a junk yard. Valdez had polio and was unable to walk or stand. At the age of five, and his sister Juanita age six were brought to the junk yard and left with the trash. The mission found Valdez and Juanita scared and covered in filth holding on to each other while they were sitting on piles of garbage.
The mission brought the children to the orphanage where they began a new life. Valdez received his education through mission’s school at the orphanage, while his sister Juanita was adopted by a loving family in their community. Over the years Valdez began to discover his natural God given talent with an interesting twist. He was able to form scrap metal from broken bicycle parts and old broken chairs found in the junk yard, and welded various parts together forming unique wheelchairs designed for helping other handicapped children.
Valdez's creations were nothing less than master pieces. Valdez's unique perspective on life was to make something out of nothing. And he could thumb through what most people would consider garbage from a salvage yard to find potential treasure for his master pieces. Al the proceeds collected from Valdez work supports his ministry for helping handicapped children with special needs.
Valdez ability to create something out of nothing was very unique, and I've never seen anything like it. His attitude was pleasantly different than most people that I had interviewed, he was a very sincerely humble and an honest man of integrity. Valdez told me that he liked to look beyond what is naturally seen my man, and see potential in what he was creating. Isn't this how God views us, his creation.
Valdez reminds me of a story found in {Exodus 35:30-33} Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the spirit of God, with skill, abilities and knowledge in all kinds of crafts making artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, cutting and set stones, to work in wood and engaging in all types of artistic craftsmanship.
