Unfair Start

How do I even start this blog post? What can I even say to describe to you what I have seen and how I feel? I feel full of grief and sadness because I have seen a child who is so severely malnourished that he can’t even walk. He is almost 6 years old. A year and a half older than my youngest child, yet he is only about 1/3 her size. I walked into his house shortly after he arrived because I usually like to take a picture of the children soon after they arrive. I was shocked at his size and had to ask the house mothers again about his age because he was so tiny.

His mother could not or would not care for him any longer, so she dropped him off with her sister and disappeared. Her sister did not know how to care for him, lacked the resources to care for him, or just did not care and left him to starve. I do not know how he got to the hospital but thankfully he did and DSW decided to place him here at Beautiful Gate.

My head knows that this is the best place for him and that he can become well and grow healthy and happy, but my heart is aching for the life he had to endure for the first 5 years of his life. I am unable to separate my mother heart from situations like this and it is so hard to imagine his fear, his pain, his unfulfilled desire to be loved, and all the other thoughts and feelings he has endured in his life.

We took Mercy and our volunteers along with a few staff and we circled around him and prayed for him. As I prayed for his healing, peace from painful memories, protection from life- long health complications, and many more things, tears began to roll down my cheeks. He is so young and innocent and this is such an unfair start to life.

I am putting this picture in so you can see the severity of his lack of nutrition and care. According to American standards, Mercy is an average child of average height and weight and she is one and a half years younger than him! Please pray for him with us because he needs God’s healing and loving arms around him.