There is always one child that just breaks my heart to say
goodbye to. This is Srey Na. She is seven years old and quite a trip to be
around. Everyday when I arrive at the
orphanage she runs over to me with a huge grin on her face and throws her arms
around me. Then she proceeds to push away and threaten all the other kids
trying to hold my hand and get my attention. I always correct her and reach out to the other kids, while she tries to
make me feel guilty with her sad eyes. It is the same drama everyday with this one, but I love her!
Earlier this week Srey Na became
unusually jealous of the other kids. She stood in the corner of the room with
her arms crossed and a big frown on her face. She shot me a look of death whenever
she could catch my eye. I was busy,
tired, and not really in the mood to deal with a seven year old’s
attitude. I was trying so hard to make
the VBS program work, and to make all the kids feel equally loved, and her
little 
attitude was really getting to me. She knew she could always stand next to me and hold my hand, but I
couldn’t give her my undivided attention in a room with 30 kids. She should know that she doesn’t have to
fight for my attention.
Or, maybe she does. I was so caught up in what I was doing
that I forgot for a moment that this seven year old girl has to constantly fight.
It’s not hard to be overlooked when you are living in an orphanage that houses
90 children with AIDS. She doesn’t have
a mother. I’m sure she will fight for
any chance to catch a glimpse of what a mother’s love feels like… to know what
it feels like to have someone else look out for your needs, and to not have to
fight for love and affection.
As if that wasn’t enough of a reality shock for me,
yesterday was even harder to deal with. The bubbly, feisty little seven year old that I was use to was suddenly not
the same child. I barely recognized her as
I approached the front steps of the orphanage and saw her sitting there with
her head in her hands and tears rolling down her cheeks. Her hair was chopped off, she had multiple
blisters all over her body, head,
and face, and her entire face was puffed out
and looked infected. It was then that I
realized I was completely helpless to help her. Not only is she parentless, but
she has AIDS. Any illness or infection
is extremely dangerous for her. I had to
fight back the tears and overwhelming emotions…. I needed to get through the
next couple of hours. Only one question
kept running through my mind! Why aren’t
we fighting for our children? How do we fight for them? Adoption, sponsorship,
foster care….what are our options? My
mom always says that children are a gift from God. Ok…well, what about these children? Are they a gift that we have overlooked? Yes, orphans in Cambodia are our children too! ….I guess I’m starting to find my calling in
life.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless
is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
