The Splendor of a Tear: Hope House Peru

Faith is dwindling but it's not dead as long as the question remains, 'What now?

On a downward spiral with a broken heart and a deep sense of hopelessness, one woman's desperate search for purpose unfolds in the most unexpected way.

Bridget's decision to work in a steamy jungle hospital in Ecuador changes everything. The conditions are primitive, yet, in this place of poverty and sickness, faith is rekindled.

Before returning home, Bridget visits a sponsored child in neighbouring Peru. Confronted by the plight of young, abandoned street kids she feels compelled do something. A phone call from an unknown Pastor leads to an intriguing seven-year journey working with the street children of Lima.

Whilst raising funds in Sydney for one year Bridget works to support herself at the Red Cross blood bank. There, a chance meeting with Greg leads to successful fund raising which in turn provides for the construction of a girls' refuge in Peru. Along the way, a strong connection develops into romance but the wheels are already in motion for Bridget to return to Peru. Greg decides to get on board with the project by planning to join Bridget within a few months.

On arrival to the isolated outskirts of Lima where the newly constructed refuge had been built, Bridget encountered the most appalling conditions in a house constructed of shoddy materials with no electricity or running water.

Within a short time, Bridget discovered something even more sinister. Several of the girls began to confide in Bridget and the silence was broken. The shocking abuse of a trusted pastor was out. On Greg's arrival to Peru, Greg affirmed that the decision to expose the situation was unquestionable. In due course, the pastor was arrested and imprisoned.

The media sensationalised the story to the max, both in the papers and on national television. This predominately Catholic country revelled in the scandal of an evangelical pastor turned bad.

Unexpectedly, at the height of the frenzy, the authorities offered Bridget and Greg an opportunity to take full control of the overcrowded refuge. Together they faced multiple setbacks but somehow, in spite of the challenges, they worked out how to manage twenty-six wild girls and how to achieve accreditation with the authorities. At the same time, they were able to arrange a fairy-tale wedding where all the girls became bridesmaid princesses for a day.

Just when all was going well however, Bridget and Greg were abducted by desperate men while attending an APEC conference in Arequipa. Their understanding of the essence of life and love tempered the brutality of their captors and eventually, they were set free.

'The Splendour of a Tear', a memoir told with humour and pathos, is about people and children dealing with difficult challenges; it captures the reader's attention as it invites him/her to see life from a different perspective and to discover hope even in the darkest moments. Get it now.