Kristen Paulick is a World Racer serving in the Philippines. She shares the heartbreaking story of a young, blind, girl who has been abandoned by her family and how it wrenches her heart. These kind of experiences are what motivate current racers towards greater action.
The precious angel sitting on my dear
friend’s lap is Sara (her name has been changed to protect her). She is
12. Over a year ago her father left her mother for another woman. Her
mother then found a job working in the home of a woman living far enough
away that she stayed at the woman’s house instead of commuting. Sara’s
younger siblings went to live with her father and step-mother, but not
Sara.
friend’s lap is Sara (her name has been changed to protect her). She is
12. Over a year ago her father left her mother for another woman. Her
mother then found a job working in the home of a woman living far enough
away that she stayed at the woman’s house instead of commuting. Sara’s
younger siblings went to live with her father and step-mother, but not
Sara.
The day this picture was taken I was
visiting the village where my friends had been doing ministry this month
in the Philippines. As Charlotte went to tend to the children during
the group’s church service, Sara was passed to me and I had the
privilege of holding Sara the rest of the night. We sang songs and she
loved to be hugged and cuddled. She just wanted to be held close. She
craved affection and touch. Soon I would learn why. . .
visiting the village where my friends had been doing ministry this month
in the Philippines. As Charlotte went to tend to the children during
the group’s church service, Sara was passed to me and I had the
privilege of holding Sara the rest of the night. We sang songs and she
loved to be hugged and cuddled. She just wanted to be held close. She
craved affection and touch. Soon I would learn why. . .
After the church service Matt, the
group’s leader, came and lifted Sara from my arms. She started to
whimper and cry. She grasped for my neck. She knew it was time to go
“home” and she didn’t want to go. As I followed Matt down the dirt path,
I would soon realize the nightmare of Sara’s hellish reality. Sara is
blind and severely malnourished, which has limited her mobility. As a
result of her disability she is considered “hard to care for” so when
her mother and father split, instead of going to live with either
parent, she was placed in a 12ft by 16ft room in the village, ALONE. It
was nothing more than a chicken coup that she was made to share with two
roosters. When Matt’s team first came to the village, they found Sara
lying naked on a large wooden plank- the only “furniture” in the tiny
space. Because of her disability Sara is not able to get herself to the
bathroom without help so she was left to “just go” and it was easier
with less mess if she was not clothed. As a result of lying in the
filth, her beautiful tan skin started growing a fungus which has gone
uncared for, for more than a year. Sometimes food would be left for her
but with no one to help her eat, it is hard to determine how much food
Sara receives and how much the roosters eat. She has been left in these
conditions for more than a year with little to no human contact or
interaction. When her mother would visit the village she would seldom
come to see Sara. Her mother had not spoken to her for about a year.
Dark. Alone. No human touch or love for a year until Matt’s group came!
And the limited human interaction she had received was unwarranted by an
uncle who forced himself upon her shortly after she was initially left
there. Villagers claimed not to know what was happening. Everyone turned
a blind eye.
group’s leader, came and lifted Sara from my arms. She started to
whimper and cry. She grasped for my neck. She knew it was time to go
“home” and she didn’t want to go. As I followed Matt down the dirt path,
I would soon realize the nightmare of Sara’s hellish reality. Sara is
blind and severely malnourished, which has limited her mobility. As a
result of her disability she is considered “hard to care for” so when
her mother and father split, instead of going to live with either
parent, she was placed in a 12ft by 16ft room in the village, ALONE. It
was nothing more than a chicken coup that she was made to share with two
roosters. When Matt’s team first came to the village, they found Sara
lying naked on a large wooden plank- the only “furniture” in the tiny
space. Because of her disability Sara is not able to get herself to the
bathroom without help so she was left to “just go” and it was easier
with less mess if she was not clothed. As a result of lying in the
filth, her beautiful tan skin started growing a fungus which has gone
uncared for, for more than a year. Sometimes food would be left for her
but with no one to help her eat, it is hard to determine how much food
Sara receives and how much the roosters eat. She has been left in these
conditions for more than a year with little to no human contact or
interaction. When her mother would visit the village she would seldom
come to see Sara. Her mother had not spoken to her for about a year.
Dark. Alone. No human touch or love for a year until Matt’s group came!
And the limited human interaction she had received was unwarranted by an
uncle who forced himself upon her shortly after she was initially left
there. Villagers claimed not to know what was happening. Everyone turned
a blind eye.
As Matt lowered her onto the wooden
plank on which she existed and closed the door to her tiny, dark, lonely
cell something welled up inside me that I could not contain. WE WERE
REALLY GOING TO LEAVE HER THERE ALONE AND WALK AWAY! My eyes flooded
over with tears, I choked. I turned on my heels and briskly walked a
safe distance away as sobs began to wail from deep within me.
plank on which she existed and closed the door to her tiny, dark, lonely
cell something welled up inside me that I could not contain. WE WERE
REALLY GOING TO LEAVE HER THERE ALONE AND WALK AWAY! My eyes flooded
over with tears, I choked. I turned on my heels and briskly walked a
safe distance away as sobs began to wail from deep within me.
not okay. NOT OKAY. NEVER OK. NEVER OKAY FOR A SMALL CHILD TO
BE TREATED AS LESS THAN HUMAN BECAUSE OF A DISABILITY SHE WAS BORN
WITH!
BE TREATED AS LESS THAN HUMAN BECAUSE OF A DISABILITY SHE WAS BORN
WITH!
THIS IS NOT OKAY!
GOD,
DO YOU HEAR ME! THIS IS NOT OKAY!!
DO YOU HEAR ME! THIS IS NOT OKAY!!
I hear you, Kristen. I am
also grieving. What did I tell you earlier? I am moving. . . . I have
sent Matt’s team. I have sent you. Are you not the church? Is not the
church the solution? I am moving. Trust me.
also grieving. What did I tell you earlier? I am moving. . . . I have
sent Matt’s team. I have sent you. Are you not the church? Is not the
church the solution? I am moving. Trust me.
A few days went by before we returned and this is what we found.
Matt’s team from N squaddid a great job of raising awareness in the community for Sara’s situation.
They got the government and a social worker involved in Sara’s case. While
waiting for the social worker to get rolling, Matt’s team focused
on freeing Sara from all the spiritual strongholds and demons that were
attached to her. A group of N squad girls went to pray over her one day. At
first, Sara was smiles and singing because she was happy they were there, but
as they continued to pray her demeanor changed. She started crying and lashing
out- spirits were being broken off. She was being set free. Free specifically
from spirits of abandonment, fear, bitterness, anger, and perversion.
Afterwards she calmed down and a peace fell over the chicken coup. Susie from N
squad asked Sara how she felt, she said she felt happy and she said she knew
Jesus was there with her. She found forgiveness for her family and her uncle
that day.
GOD RESCUED SARA OUT OF
HER SITUATION COMPLETELY! Last week when Matt’s team went into the village they
found Sara sitting on a bench in a new guardian’s home surrounded by her mother
and sister. Sara was singing. She was all smiles. The social worker arranged
for Sara, her mother, and her little sister to live with this guardian in order
to ensure she received proper care. Sara was so happy to be reconciled back to
her family. Through the social
worker, Sara has received medical attention regarding her skin disorder.
Medication has been provided and the diseased places are healing!
HER SITUATION COMPLETELY! Last week when Matt’s team went into the village they
found Sara sitting on a bench in a new guardian’s home surrounded by her mother
and sister. Sara was singing. She was all smiles. The social worker arranged
for Sara, her mother, and her little sister to live with this guardian in order
to ensure she received proper care. Sara was so happy to be reconciled back to
her family. Through the social
worker, Sara has received medical attention regarding her skin disorder.
Medication has been provided and the diseased places are healing!
Her mother has quit her
job in order to be closer to Sara and the social worker is helping her find
other options close to home. God brought Sara and her mother and sister
to church this past Sunday, during the offering portion of the service Sara was
carried up on stage and placed in a chair where she began to sing a song in
Tagalog. The Words translated mean, “God is good so so good. God is good
to me.”
job in order to be closer to Sara and the social worker is helping her find
other options close to home. God brought Sara and her mother and sister
to church this past Sunday, during the offering portion of the service Sara was
carried up on stage and placed in a chair where she began to sing a song in
Tagalog. The Words translated mean, “God is good so so good. God is good
to me.”
The
truly powerful portion of this story is that while Sara has endured so much
injustice, she is still able to sing, to laugh, to receive affection, to hug,
to smile, to embrace people, and most of all to sing and to say, God is good.
That is Kingdom.
truly powerful portion of this story is that while Sara has endured so much
injustice, she is still able to sing, to laugh, to receive affection, to hug,
to smile, to embrace people, and most of all to sing and to say, God is good.
That is Kingdom.
