A few weeks ago I spoke with my parents about the boys next
door.
I talked with her about their living conditions, their
clothes, their lifestyle, and their smiles. I told her about Doddy, who has
polio. Daniel, who is still recovering from being hit by a motorcycle a few
months ago, and Emmanuel who lives down the road, but comes to play with the
boys almost every day. They wear the same outfits when they come to the church
service at the center each week. Daniel’s is a men’s sea-foam green suit that
he practically drowns in.
But it’s a suit, and he’s handsome J
Doddy and Daniel’s mother is blind, but manages to get
around their area very well. She knows exactly where the piles of rocks are,
where the clotheslines hang, and where the giant hole is next to their house.
She knows where the home starts, and where everything she has built up, stands. Their home has been made with hard work, pride, love, and by God's strength.
The boys play, all day, every day. They are either helping
their mother, visiting/helping out at the center, or playing between walls of
what was supposed to be a home but was never finished. It almost looks like a
little maze made of stone, with dirt and gravel covering the ground. A few of
us started to worry about what the boys would do as they turn from kids to
teenagers, and teenagers to adults. No education, no basis for building a
healthy life, and certainly no money.
We can fundraise and bring items to people endlessly…..there
are always people wanting to help. But what happens when the supplies runs out?
What happens when the supplies runs out and the boys don’t know how to acquire
more, other than asking someone else to do it for them? What happens as they
get older and still don’t have a job, or any idea of how to move forward?
Education. Education, Education.
I mentioned that I had explained the circumstance to my
parents….my amazing, wonderful, courageous parents. They share the same
philosophy that TEACHING and EDUCATING is truly the most important way to give.
When the opportunity came to help the boys, they jumped. No hesitation, not
really even time to think about it.
I had the privilege of being present today when Pastor
Daniel explained to the three boys and the mother that they would be starting
school on Monday. A public school just up the road is allowing the boys to
enroll in the middle of the school year, which is very rare amongst schools
here, and my parents have decided to pay for their schooling. I had the
incredible opportunity to see the looks on these boys faces as they were fitted
for their uniforms.
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| Daniel stated that he was so happy because he did not have to feel sad anymore when he would see other kids head to school in the morning. |
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Doddy said that he would try very very hard to do well, and that
he wanted to make my parents and his mother proud.
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| And Emmanuel…sweet sweet Emmanuel. He just put his head down, eyes filling up with tears, and said, “I tell God tanke”. |
Daniel and Doddy’s mother stated that she has been so
worried about the boys, and how they would eventually care for themselves. She
stated that she felt that the gift of education is more than she herself has
ever provided for the boys. I assured her that nothing replaces family, and the hard work she has put in to creating a wonderful life for them, but
that she can rest assured that they would have the opportunity to grow and
learn in a school setting.
I am truly honored to have such amazing parents, and be
under the faithful hand of a loving God. They have not only been the rock for
this entire move, but they continue to amaze and surprise me with their
willingness to step forward and be a helping hand. I am so proud to call them
my parents, and I am beyond excited for these boys to be able to start their
educational journey.
Here are some pictures from today……it was truly beautiful. I
am realizing that I cannot fully put this experience in to words…..because it
felt SO full. It was rich in every way. It was a humbling experience that
stopped me in my tracks, and forced me to absolutely realize God’s grace,
sovereignty, power, and overwhelming love for EACH and EVERY one of His children.
We just have to say ‘okay’.
