The children I taught in Cambodia are all being adopted by the couples that run and organize BYKOTA House. TJ and Tarah will soon carry the Benz name while Abby and Lily are a part of the Bergen family. Even at young ages of 3-6, these children each have a heart-breaking story before they came to know the families that now call them “ours.”
TJ was found on the streets at the young age of 2. He was found eating garbage and fending for himself. Scrapes and bruises covered his body as it appeared that he may have been pushed out of a moving vehicle.
Tarah’s mother was only 14 when she was raped and became pregnant. She wanted to hide the pregnancy from her village to spare herself undeserved shame. Her desire was to deliver the baby rather than abort her. She found help at a local organization.
Abby and Lily are biological sisters. Their father was an alcoholic, so their mother was forced to work hard to support the family. The girls had no choice but to care for themselves while their mother was away. Abby fell on a stick one day and severely damaged the retina of her right eye. Lack of medical attention caused her eye to become completely blind. As their father’s addiction progressed, he threatened to sell his daughters to support his addiction. Their mother contacted BYKOTA House to save the lives of her very young daughters.
Today the impact of their stories hit me as I watched them read books and play with blocks. Each of them was on a path of despair and destruction, without their choosing. Abby and Lily may have been sold to sex traffickers or organ harvesters and who knows what the future would have looked like for TJ and Tarah. These children had no hope or future… until someone stepped in to redeem them. Adoption paved a way for these innocent children to have a hope and a future.
Now instead of serving customers, roaming the streets, or even being found dead these children have families that love them. They can enjoy things like playing with blocks and reading books. Oh, how they love books!!!
The beauty of their stories is this is how God cares for us. We, being found on paths of despair and destruction, have an opportunity to be redeemed through His Son. God finds us in the darkness and reveals His plan of redemption through Jesus. We can then be “adopted” into His family. In Him we are given new plans, His plans for our future.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
I hope as you read these horror stories that are the reality of so many people around the world, that you see the beauty in the mess. The Lord cares for the least of these. He cares for the ones that no one else gives attention to. He has a plan for each of them… and He has a plan for you!
Be blessed!
