At about 10:00 this evening we got a knock on our door. The village police had found a two year old naked and alone at the gas station about a block from our house. Our neighbor, who had been out working on his car had told them we had small children. After talking to the police for about a minute my wife snuck into our babies room and got them a diaper and pajamas. About an hour later the police knocked on our door again to return the pajamas, the boy's parents had been found & he was returned home safely.
Here I am an hour later running the journey of this little boy over in my head. He crossed a major road in the dark and found his way to the gas station. The whole event was so surreal and unbelievable. How does a 2 year old escape the house and walk two blocks...
It seems so crazy, and at the same time I remember watching these children, some even younger than two show up at the carepoints while we were in Swazi. These kids had not walked two blocks, they had walked miles. This was not an anomaly, this was daily life.
This should not be the norm. We should live in a world where a vulnerable child would shock us on every level; yet there are millions of orphans in an area of Southern Africa about the size of Texas. These children live life alone and stripped of every identity of childhood.
This is not a rarity to knock on every door of the neighborhood, this is daily life. I hurt for the torment of this mom, only a few doors down... I hurt for the Swazi moms who know the future of their children of their children's daily walk for food after AIDS claims their life.
2 comments:
I get teary just watching those "Feed the Children" commercials. :) I'm right there with ya! We are just now getting to know our adoptive sons, but I already know my heart would be ripped out if anything ever happened to them. God bless you and your family in your desire to serve the children of the world.
And this is why i want for you to go even though I might cry a lot for a while and miss your family. I would rather you be there using the gifts that God gave you to love those orphans, than staying here feeling shriveled and unsatisfied with how you serve God. I MIGHT even drive you to the airport. Susie
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