Meet Apey.
Apey is the 3yr old child from South Africa that stole my heart. He was malnourished, violent, and smelled worse than any child I came across all year. Since I have been back in America people keep asking about my "trip" and this little one is always mentioned.
In South Africa we worked with a community center where kids would come and play after school each day. Once a week we would feed 80 of them soup for only $10.
We were in one of the most violent and drug-ridden townships in Capetown. So it was to no surprise when these children were violent with us.
The first time I met Apey, he looked me in the eye and then gave me the finger. As you can imagine, it caught me off guard. The next thing he did was kick me, followed by punching me in the stomach. It was a very warm welcome to ministry.
For some reason, my heart went out to him. I would go home and pray for him daily.
The first week our relationship was a bit rocky to say the least. By the third or fourth day he had quit punching me, but he was spitting on me.
Then one day, my eyes widen just thinking about it, he went to the bathroom and came out laughing. He showed me the brown all over his shirt and showed me how he wiped with his hand and then wiped on his shirt. Barf.
It broke my heart. The one pair of clothes he had was covered in crap, literally.
By the end of the month, all 20lbs of this little man had stolen my heart. I witnessed so much change in him in just 3 short weeks.
He was running and hugging me every day. He was apologizing if he did anything wrong. And he was wiping with toilet paper.
I wanted to bring him back with me but I knew he had a family. Although, I could tell he wasn't cared for properly I knew my time with his was up. Now my role in his life is to pray for him.
Anyways, 2 weeks have passed since I have seen him and I still want to run and give him a hug. I miss him, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to be in his life.
Hopefully tomorrow I can write about my plans while back in America. Anyways, just wanted all of you to meet Apey, the child I will never forget.
