“How many children are at the project we’re going to,” I asked the Compassion worker as we finished up lunch.
“One hundred ninety-nine,” she answered. What an odd number. She must have noticed my confused look.
“They lost a child last month.”
I wished with everything that “lost a child” literally meant lost a child. As in just misplaced for a few days. She would be back soon. But I knew that wasn’t the case.
“What happened to her,” someone else at the table asked. I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I couldn’t acknowledge what “lost” really meant.
The worker explained that the little girl was sick, that she had suffered from anemia. Anemia? I didn’t even know that was life-threatening. I guess in my world, where iron pills and iron-rich foods can be picked up on every corner, it’s not. But here, in Togo, the reality was quite different. I knew that from the misshapen and distended belly buttons I had seen all morning. From the hair that had turned a dusty brown from lack of nutrients.
I hate that for so many children, we’re too late to save their lives. But I find peace in knowing that for the time that little girl was with Compassion, she knew love. I know that someone there told her that Jesus loved her. I know that someone there prayed for her—prayed for her healing, then prayed for her family’s comfort. I know that a sponsor loved her, and mourned her loss.
And I also know that are 199 children in that little girl’s community who are alive.
199 children who are cared for.
199 children who are prayed for.
199 children who were found.
But tonight, I will mourn the one who was lost.
We can continue to pray for the rest of 199 children they’re. I miss talking to you.
Thank you, Brandy. That was beautiful.
Poignant, thought-provoking story telling, Brandy. Thanks for sharing your insight.
I followed the Compassion blog link here. We just started sponsoring a child in Togo 2 months ago. I so wonder if you will or have met her! That would be so cool!
I also followed the Compassion blog link to this site. and I agree that that was a beautiful post. I didn’t realize that this is a possibility even at Compassion sites. It makes me that much more committed to praying for my sponsored child.
May 17 2009
How grateful I ma that there is an organization like Comassion. Where I have an opportunity
in my miniscule way to help one child to go to schoo, to learn to lean on JEsus , to be of help in my
little way. thank you Lea I. Wilson