Helmi’s family faced poverty in Fernheim, Paraguay. While digging a well, Helmi’s father fell in; after 5 years of nursing his injuries, he died. The village helped Helmi’s mother with her farm and 6 children. In 1949, her mother married WWII refugee David, a good father. They had 2 more children. At 14, Helmi accepted Jesus as Saviour. She fell in love with Peter at 16. They were separated for a year after her family moved to Uruguay. A year later, they were engaged. They began their family in Montevideo, Uruguay, then returned to Fernheim. They started with very little. The family immigrated to Canada in 1970, arriving in St. Catharines, Ont., with 2 suitcases and a travel debt. Helmi took their 3 children with her to pick fruit. Later, she found work at a sheet metal manufacturer. At Scott Street Church, she sang in the choir for 20 years until surgery affected her vocal cords. At 55, Helmi was diagnosed with Pick’s disease, which made it difficult to speak and to hear those she knew as friends and family. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren brought her joy.
