I have never walked out of a movie
theater in the middle of the movie. I want to see how it ends. And,
unless the movie was just too sad or your convictions did not match
up with what the movie was showing, you have stayed too. We want to
know how things end. Even better if they end happy.
But what happens when things stop in
the middle?
On Friday I had to say goodbye to 3
children who have really touched my heart in more ways then one.
They do not have a pretty story. Not one. My team leader, who has
also been tremendously touched by these children wrote this poem
about them:
She is
two years old.
eyes are delicate almonds.
smile is a treasure chest of pearls;
lips, pink silk.
cheeks are large red roses;
dimples, deep pots of honey.
laughter is a contagious,
of glee.
name means “God is gracious”.
she is sexually abused by an older brother.
neglected by a tired mother.
the threats of an abusive,
father hang over her head.
hair is a matted nest;
head, a bed for lice.
feet are shoes caked in the mire of poverty;
clothes, stained, tattered, and worn.
cry is a heart breaking, desperate plea.
two years old.
She is
five years old.
eyes are large brown chestnuts.
lips are bright sea coral; her mouth, a music box of playful chants.
skin is bronze; her face, sweetly kissed by the sun.
sensitive as a dove and cautious as a doe.
doesn’t feel safe at home.
sexually assaulted by her older brother and his friends.
neglected; left to play care-taker for her little sister.
fearful of her father’s temper and quick back hand.
limbs are wasted, thin little sticks; her feet, rough sandpaper.
lips contort into a frown; her musical playfulness turns to weeping.
stubborn attitude and iron will make her heart impenetrable.
five years old.
He is
12 years old.
his eyes lay a stolen childhood.
mouth is a bucket of laughter; his lips, a crooked, playful grin.
skin is smooth brown leather; his fingers, slender reeds.
as playful as a pup, but he is as sly as a fox.
doesn’t realize he’s only a boy and not yet a man.
seeks pleasure at the expense of his sisters.
forced to beg for money in the streets.
learning violence at the hands of his father.
back is bloody from his father’s belt and his mother’s stick.
shining eyes grow dull; his laughter ceases.
longer a boy; not yet sure how to be a man.
12 years old.
We are leaving the way we met them. In
the slums. With the father and mother. The social work system in
Cambodia is a crap shoot and justices’ name is rarely heard of, and
never bellowed for the children in this kingdom. I have wept over
these children. I have panicked over the future of these children.
I have wanted to sweep them up on some days and just start running
away. Far away from things that cause them harm.
One of my dearest friends sent me an
e-mail this week about James 1:27.
“Pure and genuine religion in the
sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their
distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.“
Basically its about trusting God.
Trusting him enough to love on the children through you, and then,
after your time is up, letting him love on them and protect them.
The last part really hit home for me when she brought it to my
attention about how can we hear their stories and NOT be corrupted by
the evil in the world unless we are totally and completely relying on
the Father? We need to not let the world corrupt us to the point of
not trusting in the Lord. He cares for these kids more than I do,
and I had to get to the point with him where I have gone, “Alright
God, this is your job, not mine anymore, you knew I would be here for
only a month and Kristen and I brought awareness to the situation,
now you finish it up.”
My prayer for them is that they will
experience victory in their lives. Victory from everything that is
holding them back, holding them down. I love all three of their
little voices, their hilarious attitudes, their hearts and smiles.
Please be in prayer with me for them. The middle of this chapter in
their lives may not look at all okay right now, however, I believe
that they can all have happily ever afters.
