When Dalton looks out of the window above his bed, the first thing he sees is the steel plant that employs most of the adults in Antonio Pereira, Brazil. The plant constantly belches smoke into a permanently gray sky. While millions of dollars filter through the plant each year, few families in Antonio Pereira make more than U.S.$4 a day. Although 9-year-old Dalton knows little of finances, he often hears the adults in his neighborhood complaining in loud voices that they "can't see the color of money."
Many nights those loud voices carry into Dalton's home as his alcoholic father argues with his mother. Dalton retreats to the room he shares with his brother, wishing he had a door to close instead of the thin sheet that hangs beside his bed.
A Hidden Treasure
But then Dalton remembers his treasure. He reaches in the back of a scarred wooden cabinet until his fingers find a box. Dalton opens it carefully and reaches inside, careful not to damage the worn pieces of paper.
Nestled inside that box is Dalton's treasure — pages and pages of letters from his Compassion sponsor. He spreads out the colorful cards and photographs, and for a moment forgets the anger on the other side of the curtain. Then he carefully places each piece of paper back in the box, tucking it underneath a pile of clothes.
A Fearful Future
"I keep everything that my sponsor sends me," says Dalton, "because when I grow up and have my own house and family I will take the letters with me and will show them to everyone. When I grow up I won't have a sponsor anymore, but the letters — I will have them forever."
Dalton doesn't take for granted his life at the Centro Educacional de Antonio Pereira Student Center, southeast of Belo Horizonte. Dalton entered the program when he was 5 years old, and for the first several months he rebelled against the structure and rules of the student center. However, the words of love from project staff and his sponsor soon penetrated Dalton's tough exterior to reveal a kind little boy desperate for affection.
"I received Jesus into my heart when I was six years old," says Dalton. "I learned about Jesus at the project and one day I opened my heart to him. … Before, I didn't like to obey my mother, but now I do, because Jesus is helping me to be obedient."
"…curious to know this God who can change lives."
Dalton's mother, Solange, couldn't believe the change in Dalton. "What caught my attention was his behavior," says Solange. "He became sweet and obedient, so I became curious to know this God who can change lives."
Solange began attending church with Dalton and his two siblings, and she soon accepted Jesus. She now dreams of a special future for her children.
"My dream is that each one of my kids be a blessing and help other children as they have been helped. I have been praying for the project. I hope it's there forever."
