I look down at my feet for a dry piece of land to step on. I put my foot down and it sinks into the wet mud. Whoops!
Every morning, a teammate and I work at a creche (daycare) on a farm neighboring the school the rest of our team is serving at. The school specializes in special needs kids, mostly ones with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (alcoholism is a major problem on the farms). This particular day, it's pouring down rain and the tractor tracks have created massive puddles through the farms. The thought of the students walking through the mud interrupts my own complaints as I realize I have a dry set of clothes and a shower awaiting me. They barely have enough shelter to keep them from the downpour, let alone the resources to stay warm.
The kids at the creche were sick all last week. With their runny noses, wet coughs, and grimy hands, they climb all over us and play with our hair. They are frustrating at times-they don't respond well to "no" or "stop hitting her"- but they are not difficult to love. One particular girl, Keisha, has captured my heart. She is 7 months old and visibly suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. While the other kids are crawling or running around, she can barely sit up on her own. I can tell she's frustrated and wants to play, but her slow development prevents her from doing much at all. As she fell asleep in my arms today, hicupping as her crying ceases, I marveled at how beautiful of a creation she is. She is a creation of Christ, "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). My prayer is that she will grow up carrying this truth in her heart. No matter what the world tells her, I pray that she will never forget who her creator is and His hands make beautiful things.
Like I said, loving these kids are easy. The hard part is having the same heart towards their parents.
Women who drink while they are pregnant.
Men who hit their wives in front of their children. Men who hit their children.
Women who abandon their children.
Men who rape and molest theirs.
We went to a soup kitchen last week and met many of the parents, including Keisha's mother. A part of me judges them and another part of me hurts for them. These kids deserve a life so much better than they are living. But so do their parents. We are all one in Christ: all God's children, all God's creation. There is not room for my judgement. What they are doing to their kids was done to them when they were growing up. It's a sick cycle.
The school is working tirelessly to break the cycle and give this generation (and the ones to come) a different future. But most importantly, they are actively offering the students the love of Christ. The pastor's wife said to us in a meeting, "our students may not understand something as concrete as 1 + 1, but give them a Bible verse and they will remember it forever."
It's been a blessing to be a part of this ministry. I invite you to join me in prayers for these children (their homes, their future, their walk in faith) and prayers for the school (strength for the teachers, sustainable improvements for the future, blessing for their hard work and passionate hearts).
