I finally got my sweet little African boy!
This month in Rwanda we are working with Pastor Innocent and his wife, Venancia. Their ministry is sponsorship for poor and orphaned children who don’t have a way to go to school. The government schools are full, so the only option these poor families have is to pay for private school . Private schools are expensive, so you can imagine how many children actually go to school. Not many. The Pastor and his wife started a nursery school at their church with one teacher. It’s not a real school, but it gives the children an opportunity to learn. It costs 300 francs/month, which is about 50 cents. Christia’s family couldn’t even afford 50 cents a month.
I first met Christia at church one Sunday morning. He was sitting in the dirt playing with dirty water. He sat with me all through church (3 hours for a 4 year old is pretty good!) fascinated with the light on my watch. His smile melts my heart.
I asked the Pastor about his story. If he was one of the children who needed sponsored, then I knew he was the one God brought my way. It turned out that Christia comes from a really poor family. He has two older sisters, and the eldest attends the government school. His dad gets drunk all the time and doesn’t get home until very late at night. His mother is a Christian. She is hardly ever home until midnight or so.
Christia with his two older sisters.
Tonight broke my heart. It was around 7:00pm and the Pastor took me and a few girls to visit Christia. I wanted to meet his mother because she knew I was sponsoring Christia for school. We walk up to the house, which is basically one small room and see his older sister cooking a small pot of beans. She is only 10 years old. It’s pitch black outside and they don’t have electricity in their little house. The small pot of beans she made for her family of 5 cannot be eaten until her father gets home (usually around 2 in the morning). So those 3 beautiful children don’t get to eat dinner until extremely late if they even get to eat at all. Their mother wasn't home either.
So here is little 4 year old Christia, with a huge smile on his face amongst all of this. I honestly wonder how often he feels loved. Does he get that at home? He’s long asleep before his parents get home at night. Do they tuck him in a kiss him goodnight like my parents did?
It literally broke my heart to leave him sitting there in the dark with an empty belly while I went back to the house with a buffet of food.
As we left, Pastor said, “He is your son now, so you get to spend a day with him.” My son? Haha I didn't really know what I got myself into, but I am blessed to be able to be a part of this precious child’s life.
So we took him into town for the first time in his life. He didn’t know what a toilet was and backed away when he saw it. He was frightened by water coming out of the sink and the dryer for his hands. But he LOVED his first ice cream ever. And he loudly pointed out every single “Mizungu” (white person) everywhere we went! 🙂 He even peed a puddle in the store. But i loved every minute with him.
His cute little outfit for our afternoon in town.
I’m really going to miss that little punk. He has come to our house a few more times for lunch. I know that he knows I love him now. He cries every time I leave him. I pray i get to come back to visit him.
Hanging at his house.
Ready for his first day of school!
We have fun chilling in church!
He even came to my bday party! 🙂
