Abuelo Fortino
Trinidad Fortino Olarte Morales grew up in a large family with twelve siblings in Veracruz, Mexico. He only ever worked two types of jobs in his life, construction and farm labor. His time in construction gave him valuable skills for building and repairing his home over the years, and his work in the fields developed in him a love for agriculture. Fortino prides himself on being a hard worker his whole life but his fondest memories are of his days off when he would go dancing. He loved dancing to anything with a tropical beat.
At 64 years old Fortino’s dance moves are no longer what they used to be, but his gardening skills have brought a variety of vegetables to Casa del Abuelo since he arrived in February 2018. Even though he has a bad back and uses a walker to get around the property, he shuffles around slowly, happily tending to his garden. He enjoys the work as well as sharing the crops with the other abuelos. He shared that being at Casa del Abuelo has brought him spiritual wellness and a lot of joy.
Fortino never married, never had kids of his own. So when he talks about his family, he is referring to his six living siblings that are still in Veracruz. He dreams of going back someday to visit them. He asked that you join him in prayer for his brothers and sisters to be well and for him to be able to see them again. When asked if there was anything else he wanted to share in his story he said this, “When you are young you think old people are crazy, but I recommend you listen to them and take their advice.”
Update
Fortino was reunited with his sister in December, 2022. A supporter of Casa del Abuelo paid for the trip and escorted Fortino all the way to Veracruz. Fortino is happy to be among family again, living out the rest of the days the Lord grants him. He still keeps in touch with Angelica and Pastor Nicolas.
Adopt an Abuelo
Casa del Abuelo cares for more than 20 abuelos at a time. They operate entirely on donations to cover expenses for water, propane, gas, food, transportation, and medicine. For $50 a month you can help provide these essential items for an abuelo.
