This past month I saw a lot of things. I played with many children, held several babies, and shared the Gospel with a lot people. But there was one little boy in particular who forever impacted my heart.
His name is Jonathan.
I remember the first moment I saw him. It was our first Sunday at church. I saw him dancing with all the kids at the front during worship. The boy knows how the dance for a 4 year old. I was immediately drawn to him from the first time I saw him.
The first time I tried to approach him he was really shy and embarrassed. Unlike the other kids, he was hesitant to let me touch him. After a few days of reaching out to him, he finally warmed up to me and let me hold him.
I noticed that he always wore the same clothes every day. About once a week, he would come play without a shirt. After a couple days, he would show up again with the same shirt, except it was clean.
I was curious about his story and his family. I wanted to know more about him, but he didn’t speak a word of English. I asked some of the people in the community about Jonathan and his family, but no one really knew. After the translators questioned Jonathan, I found out he has more siblings. I asked if I could come to his home and meet his family. They said yes, so my teammate and I went with our sweet friend and translator, Sophia.
Jonathan and his 7 year old brother, Daniel, led us on foot to their home. They held hands as they walked together and it was the most precious thing in the world.
When we got to their home, we walked inside to a small room about the size of a medium storage shed. There was enough room for a twin size bed, a small table, and two love seats. There was no kitchen or bathroom. It was a small room that housed five people. This was Jonathan’s home. He has never known anything else.
I learned that Jonathan comes from a broken home. His parents got divorced and all four kids live with their mom. The oldest child is named Sharon. She is 13 years old and stays home from school to cook, clean, and take care of her younger siblings while their mom works all day.
The second brother is named Joshua and he is 12 years old. He is blind, but he was not born blind. When he was sent to go live with his father and step mother, his step mother put a curse on his eyes and blew fire and ashes into his eyes, causing him to go blind. He stays home from school because his mom cannot afford to pay for him to go to a special school.
The third child is Daniel (7 years old) who watches over Jonathan during the day when they go out and play in the streets. Neither Daniel nor Jonathan go to school because their mom cannot afford to pay for their school fees.
We did not get to meet the mom when we went to see their home because she was at work, but we invited their family to our ministry host’s home the next night. My teammate and I were able to buy clothes and shoes for Jonathan and his siblings. When they came the next night, we gave them the clothes and met his mother.
She shared her pain with us and told us how hard it is to be a single mother with four kids. Her story was heart breaking. I wished that I could do more to help them, but I couldn’t. I felt helpless.
Jonathan is a 4 year old boy who has never known anything other than poverty and playing barefoot on the streets with old tires. This is his life. When I look at him, I see a precious child who is loved by God.
Even if there is nothing I can do to help right now, I know that what I can do is LOVE. When I held Jonathan in my arms, I felt the love of God. I don’t know if I will ever see Jonathan again, but I do know that I will never forget him and I will always love him.
**Fundraising Update: I AM FULLY FUNDED! Thank you so much to all my supporters. I am overwhelmed and I can’t fully express my gratitude. I am confident that when God calls, God provides. Any donations you make from now on will go towards the support of Adventures in Missions (AIM). If you would like to continue to support specific racers, some of my teammates are still in need of funds. You can support them directly through their blogs on the left hand side of this page. Sending all my love from Africa!!
