Last month I prayed for God to show me how to love.
This month God gave me Tema.
Tema attends the preschool I serve at.
She was getting punished the first time I really noticed her.
The teacher had gotten mad at her for having her shoes off in class. She punished Tema by hitting her palm with a stick. Tema started crying. After a little while she stopped, then started again. This went on the whole morning. During their bathroom break I knew I had to make it a point to show her extra love. I waited for her to come back to the building and offered her a hug. She collapsed in my arms and broke down crying again. I carried her back to the classroom wishing I could just sneak her away for the rest of the day.
The class was writing their numbers in their workbooks for the rest of the class. I pulled up a chair next to Tema’s desk and encouraged her to relax and keep working. I knew that if she stopped for too long that the teacher would get angery and punish her again. She held my hand after she wrote a few letters and put her pencil down. During her frequent breaks she would rest her head on my hand then try to move closer to put her head in my lap. It took every ounce of me to tell her she had to keep working or else she would get struck again. While she had her head on my hand I realized that her head was burning up and it occured to me that she had been grabbing her ear and saying, “ouch” all morning. This little girl was sick and crying and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. My heart was breaking. I tried talking to the teacher about it but all she said was that Tema lived with her grandparents, sometimes went to carepoints, and probably wouldn’t be taken to the clinic over the weekend.
The past 3 hours so many thoughts had gone through my head.
Why did the teacher have to hit her for just a simple problem?
Was it this way in all of the preschools and classrooms?
Can I tell someone about how she punishes the kids?
Why does this girl keep crying?
I love her smile.
Is something happening in her home life?
Does someone take care of her at home?
Is she loved?
She is so beautiful.
Can I take her to the doctor?
Can I find someone to take her to the doctor?
How will I pay for her doctors visit?
My heart hurts so badly for her.
I want to take her home with me.
Why do I feel such a strong connection to her?
I don’t even know this girl but I want to take care of her–forever.
How difficult would it be to get her back to the U.S.?
It would be so worth it.
Who do I talk to, to start this process?
Am I willing to leave the race to take her home?
100% yes. I would give up anything for that girl.
ALL while praying to God for healing. Physical and mental healing for this sweet girl.
I still don’t know what happened that weekend. She might have gone to the doctor or she might have continued to cry all weekend. I hope someone was there to hold her and comfort her. I would have been there in a second if I would have been allowed to.
Tema is shy and doesn’t say much but she understands a little bit of english. I hope by the end of the month I can communicate how smart she is. How loved she is. And how important she is.
I pray that God holds her in His hands and gives her the most beautiful life. I wish nothing but blessing and love for her.
I pray God keeps showing me how to deeply and truly love another person. How to love Him. I pray I feel sorrow when I say every goodbye but have hope knowing I will see that person in Heaven. I trust you Lord, with my life and Tema’s.
Since that Friday, Tema and I have become best friends. We spend as much time holding hands, taking selfies, and laughing together as possible. I am in denial about that fact that I only have a few more days with her but I am going to make the best of our time together and show her so much love.
