Afternoons with Beati (Betty)

Her name is Beatris. She is 14 years old and she cannot read or write. She giggles all the time, mumbles a lot , makes up words and her Spanish isn’t very good. Sometimes she needs a heck of a lot of attention, sometimes she just needs a hug, and all the time she surprises me.

I started teaching her how to read and write last week. (Yes, I am teaching her Spanish. Don’t worry family, spelling in Spanish is way easier … I promise I won’t teach her how to spell in English.)

When I told Tino that I was doing lessons with Beati, he started laughing and asked me slyly if I was being punished for something. 

After learning the alphebet and our vowels, we started thinking of words that started with each letter of the alphebet. I had a hard time knowing if the words Beati said existed or not. Like I said, she gets confused. I tried to use the words she thought of, the words that I was sure existed, as much as possible.  The kinds of words she came up with cracked me up. P- the word for boobs in Spanish starts with P. Good. C- a word for a dance move that I don’t know starts with C.. Ok, good Beati.

After a week we started reading two-syllable words, but Beati was pronouncing her R’s with an accent that sounded like she was from Argentina, and not from Cochabamba. I was curious as to why she was doing this, so I asked her where she was from. With a very straight face she said “China.”

Beati, like all the girls, loves Justin Beiber. After class is over, we usually dance to Baby. She’s got some crazy moves. I started crying I was laughing so hard yesterday.
This girl is definitely dealing with a lot of delayed development. But she is here now, she is learning and she will be just fine. And I hope as she grows that her dance moves don't change.

I’ve gotten some good questions from this girl, and as you read this, please pray for her to continue to heal and understand more everyday:

Questions from Beati-

If I go to church drunk, will God punish me?

Who is God?

Are the men in your country good? Here they are bad.

What is love?

Who loves me then?

What does sexual mean?

And then there is –

When do you have  your time of the month when you are crazy?

What does “blU on de denz flo” mean?... blood on the dance floor… thanks popculture

Would you marry Micheal Jackson?

Don’t you think I would look good fat?

I’m from China, where are you from?

And finally, the other day Beati showed me a drawing she did of Jesus. I had to pretend to cough because, well, I couldn't help but laugh! This may seem insensitive, but it was the most unique picture of Jesus I have ever seen, and it caught me so offguard…

He has twirly eyebrows, extremely long eyelashes, pursed lips, quite the hairdo… Oh Beati. As the other girls in the house say "there are not words."

I love this girl. And I guess in all practicality, she is showing me a new side of Jesus.