Imagine

Today I want you to imagine with me so that maybe you could really get a feel for life in Lesotho, not just Lesotho really, it happens in many countries around the world unfortunately. Imagine that you are walking to work or to the grocery store or wherever it is you really need to get to this morning. You do not have a car because they are just too expensive so you are walking. You are close to a ditch near the side of your walking path and you hear the distinct cries of an infant. You look into the ditch and there you find a 2 day old baby girl wrapped up in blankets, abandoned, alone, scared and hungry. You decided that today you will have to be late to your destination because you have to get to the nearest police station to drop off this precious child. Thank you for not just passing by because many may have come before you and would have because a baby's life is just not important to some. This was the first baby that was brought to us on Tuesday this week.
This next one is not really child appropriate so if your kids are readers and are next to you, you may want to ask them to step away for a few minutes. Imagine that you are a young girl living in the mountains and you are walking alone somewhere, maybe to the store to get things for your parents, maybe you are walking home from school. Suddenly you are ambushed by a group of men who rape you and weeks later you find out that you are pregnant. What should you do? I found out that in this culture it is acceptable for girls to have abortions even though it is illegal and many girls who would not have an abortion, would strangle the child as soon as it is born because of the way the child was conceived. But you do not choose either of those options. You carry this child until you are full term, give birth to the child and then immediately (without even seeing the child) sign over the rights for the child to be adopted. That is how we got our second newborn baby on Tuesday.
I do not know the circumstances that led the first mother to abandon her child, but the second mother holds a special place in my heart. I cannot imagine 9 months of torture, knowing that you are carrying a child that was caused by the most painful day of your life. A constant reminder everyday of your trauma, yet she did what was best for the child. She was selfless and compassionate enough to know that the child did no wrong in this circumstance and she choose to give this child a good life. It actually brings tears to my eyes when I think of her sacrifice for her son's life. Well done young lady, well done and may the Lord be gracious to you and heal you from the pain in your body and in your heart!