“Let
the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the
kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14
Two days out from leaving on the world
race, I was praying with my mentor and she gave me this word from the
Lord: “Do not ignore the children.” I needed to hear it because it was exactly what I was
doing. My prayers had been centered completely on the women He would
lead deeper into His heart. I had forgotten about His children. His
word opened me to anything He would do this year. And yet I could
never have prepared for her.
Three weeks into the trip I’ve fallen
in love. Her name is Carol. She is two years old and gorgeous. The
first time I picked her up, my heart instantaneously broke with love
for her. All I wanted to do was hold her and sing words of love over
her. She is not like any other child. She is beautifully unique,
fearfully and wonderfully made. And yet she is voiceless, forgotten
by the world.
Carol is mute. She hasn’t spoken a
word yet and as it looks like now, she never will though she tries. She
can’t walk either. It costs 800 soles (or about $275) for her to get
a brain scan and find out if she has an infection in her brain or if
she’ll ever walk again. It costs 500 soles (or about $175) for her
to have a surgery that is necessary if she has any chance of getting
better. And here is the family, their lives having been disrupted
five months ago by the earthquake that left them with nothing, unable
to do anything for this precious little girl.
Her mom works in Lima, three hours away
to make enough money to feed her child Pediasure, one of the only
things Carol can keep down. She is cared for by her aunt and sees
her mom every week or two. Her mom works for her child’s livelihood
and every day she doesn’t, she loses money to feed her child. What
do you do? If she works for food, she gives up time with her child.
If she sits with her child, she loses money to feed her. It is
heartbreaking.
All I can think is that this is not the
way it should be. A mother should not have to chose between
providing these two most basic necessities in a child’s life of love
and food. They should not be mutually exclusive. This family should
not have to sit in ignorance over if their child has a brain
infection or will ever walk again.
In the midst of all of this, what I do
know in the deepest part of my being is that He cares. I feel it
groan within. Jesus is here. He has not forgotten. And not only
that, but He is working. I’m believing in His healing over her. I
believe He wants her to dance and sing for Him.
So this is her story. And it’s not over yet. She is not just
a name or a face; she is His beloved and she needs help. Below is
a link to the earthquake relief fund for the people here in Peru.
https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=peru07
If you feel led, every penny you donate will go to this girl and
tangibly helping her to know His love and receive His healing. After donating on the website, quickly send me a message on this site so I can make sure it goes directly to Carol.
I can’t wait to update you on all that God does. I have three weeks
left here and every day I can I will be at their house praying
over this child who has captured my heart.
