Truth demands respect and perseverance in her pursuit; she is not for the casual suitor.
What realities lay behind the eager expressions, the energetic joy at games, the lively banter I observe in these delightful kids I have come to love these last two weeks?
Impacting a small community
Daily, they came decently dressed with the girls’ hair intricately braided. As I watched the same shirts and pants, skirts and tops and headscarves return every day, and observed them enjoying their snacks during their midday break, I realized how important the Center of Hope program was for them. These were their best, often their only, clothes.
It doesn’t stop there; the whole community economy improves. The teachers and helpers have work; the snack vendors boost their sales.
I wanted to understand more of these interconnections, so this week I was glad to tag along on the team’s home visits to deliver food and share prayer and encouragement.
Dickensian Slum
It was straight from a Dickensian slum: Illegally narrow alleyways; unlit uneven staircases; rubbish strewn randomly.
The worst was 7 floors up through a black hole; we used flashlights, as the steps were sloped and broken. A scattering of sandals announced the door to a 3 room flat holding 14 people from 3 families.
The largest group was headed by an aging, stooped pastor and his wife, her smile a vacant mask. She was sick “in her head, for years”, he explained, adding her brother died last week in Sudan. Who could reach her in the depths of her nightmares?
Then I saw it: A simple homemade plaque in Arabic above our heads, the only decoration. “What does it say?”, I asked. It was the very memory passage we were drilling the kids all week:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength, and your neighbour as yourself.”
Our program helper in the red shirt came along and had disappeared; he lived here. Suddenly he re-appeared, cradling a tiny newborn, contentedly yawning in her father’s arms and instantly melting my heart. His wife settled beside me, while I enjoyed a cuddle with her daughter; I was done in on the spot, my heart overflowing.
This family is in dire need of our help.
By Janet Breen, Canada
