She came to us with arms waving frantically, telling us that she was fed up with her grand-daughter and ready to leave her at an orphange. The girl repeatedly bit at her arms and often cussed-out her grandparents while running out on the road. She had been at our VBS (children's church) that morning but now she had run away again. Her grandmother was at her wit's end, worried that the police would arrest her and her husband if they picked up the girl on the road again.
We offered to look for her and a few minutes later, returned to our ministry house with the girl and her grandmother. I can't imagine the horror this young girl has experienced in her 10 years -being thrown out by her mother and rejected by her step-father -to the point where he cut up her face numerous times, leaving deep gashes on her cheeks, lip, and ears.
Allie's face was expressionless and eyes blank but as we prayed for her, even her eyes changed, becoming bright and focused and the best part was when she slowly turned her mouth into a smile. Beautiful, though crooked because of the scars.
The next day her grandmother reported that Allie was different – and we encouraged grandma to speak words of life and blessing to her grand-daughter -to help her know that she is not abandoned and rejected but incredibly special and loved.
Aleesha hugged us all the day we left and clung to me sobbing. I don't think she had ever felt so valued before we came.
So, we ran a VBS in a village near the Suriname border last week and we had evening service every night and lots of people came -but if Allie had been the only one to show up, she would've been worth it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Hello there, I just read your blog about your time in Jamaica. I am a Canadian working with a Christian Youth and Community group called Fusion in the communities of Majesty Gardens, Trench Town and Spanish Town. A friend of mine named Patrick Dillon (he has a lazy eye) from Majesty Gardens is involved with YWAM, I wonder if you may have met him. We run a basketball program in Majesty along with other programs and we were there yesterday playing basketball and hanging out. Normally I work with Fusion in Vancouver, around Hastings and Nanaimo. If you'd like you can check out my blogspot at http://dfmackenzie.blogspot.com/ which includes a short clip of some kids in Majesty in a stilts competition at a Fusion Festival last year. Keep up the good work, Dave Mackenzie
Post a Comment