The moment I stepped into the compound, there was a large group of people playing some sort of duck, duck, goose kind of game. When I scanned around and past the big group I saw a teenage looking person sitting on a swing, all by himself. There was a ball pit with another younger looking child all by himself as well. The friendly ball pit was literally a cage. A McDonald’s type ball pit made of chain link fence. And the further I looked around, the more I saw. Kids strapped into wooden chairs on wheels, and children with no pants on running freely down the dirt path.
We were ushered into a room where there were no other adults present. A back room where many children waited for someone to come to.
The door way was a steel gate. Just like the ones we use back home in pig barns, no exageration. The room smelled like a damp, musky aroma. There were kids once again strapped into these wooden chairs in the middle of the room. Kids were laying on the floor in literally a pile. Most of them had no co-ordination or strength in their legs to stand up, so they dragged themselves toward us as we came in. There were many beds with children lying in them and almost motionless. This was because they were tied to the bed frame by short rags. Most of them had one or two feet tied in, others had all 4 limbs tied to the bed frame. What the heck was this?
I understand restraining people so they don’t hurt themselves and others, but these kids lay there motionless. Completely helpless. And even if they could move, they didn’t have the co-ordination to go anywhere. This saddened me.
In that room we started to just love on the kids. We gave them some sort of high fives, tickled them, held their hands, let them pinch us, and just praying over all of them for God to show His love through us. That’s all we could do. ust love on them. The most basic, selfless act of service…hold them!
My eye caught this one little guy we’ll call Perserverence. He had almost no strength in his legs. He crawled along the floor just to move from one place to the next. He doesn’t speak, only gargles and moans. And he tends to drool once in awhile as well. Oh, and he has a grip of kitten that fell into a pool. He doesn’t let go!
As soon as I went over to Perserverence, he grabbed onto me and pulled himself up until he was standing. He needed my assistance to keep his balance and so I just stood there holding his precious hands. And what do you know, he wanted to go for a walk. So we walked. And walked. And walked. We walked around the room about 4 times. After 15 minutes of walking, he sat down for a moment. And I mean a moment before he wanted up again and we made our way to one of those wooden chairs on wheels I was talking about earlier. And then we pushed that chair (with another kid in it of course) for another 15 minutes. My man Perserverence was breaking a sweat I tell ya. He was working hard. He was walking like he had just recieved legs for the first time. The whole time I was cheering him on as best as I could. We were doing this together. He had all the control, he was leading me. All I could do was pray for him. All I could do was love him.
When I reflect back on this time with Perserverence I am convinced he has not walked like that before. There’s no way looking at how the staff and volunteers were interacting with the kids that they gave him that much attention. I’m sure this was one of the first times Perserverence has walked that much. He just wouldn’t quit. Even after we fed the children he wanted another go. But I had to leave. In life’s little miracle’s like Perseverence, all we have to do is to take the initiative and love. I learned that even in the most severe circumstances, God will speak through the many things he has available. We often pity those different than us, the lame, the handicapped, those “less fortunate”. Have you ever tried to get to know one? Have you ever spent time with a person who can’t control their whole body? They NEED you just as much as you NEED them. Like myself, you may just learn a thing or two! God created them. God created you. What makes us so different? Until this morning it was an idea that I had in my head. After meeting Perserverence, my heart moved to a new place of love for others and a deeper understanding of the Lord. Ever thought what the Lord thought of you compared to Christ? Isn’t he the example we should be chasing?
I’m sure the Lord often sees me as helpless, lost, confused, and often going in the wrong direction. But does that stop him form loving me? Of course not! He loves me unconditionally. He loves me for who I am. Often I’m way too confident in myself and not trusting in Him. Like Perserverence reaching out for my hands and wanting to run, I too need to God with the same amount of faith, trust, and move through the challenges that are in front of me with PERSERVERENCE!!
