The Feet of the Suffering

One image that I have not been able to erase from my mind this entire week is the feet of one of our orphans who are registered for child sponsorship.  I looked at them on Sunday morning before the start of our Children's Church Service, but now-almost a week later-I still see them vividly in my mind.  I had called the girl from the group because she appeared as if she wasn't feeling well.  When she came up to see me, I glanced down at her feet.  They had many open wounds on them, even between her toes.  I asked my friend and coworker Peter what had caused them.  He told me "jiggers," which are parasitic larvae of mites that enter the skin of humans, animals, etc. The jiggers need to be removed soon after they enter or they continue to lay eggs.  As a result of having to dig into the skin, wounds can be created in the places where the jiggers have been cut out.  It was obvious that this girl had many jiggers that had entered her feet, but it also appeared like some of her wounds had become infected.  I cannot imagine the discomfort she must have been experiencing.  I felt pain just looking at her feet.  

As I looked at her feet, I thought about how much this little girl must be suffering, and the flame in my heart to relieve the suffering of children once again ignited.  I thought about the lack of care she must be receiving, and I prayed "God, please help me to be able to do something for these children.  There must be more that I can do.  Providing school supplies is not enough..."  I thought about her innocence...I thought about her empty childhood... I thought about her sorrow...I know that her guardian(s) may not purposely neglect this little girl.  They may just be too old and tired to have the energy to provide the care that is needed.  (One of the preventative measures for jiggers invading your house is to pour water on the dirt floor every day or smear cow manure on it.)  I have personally visited some of the children's homes and met their guardians.  I know that some of them are physically incapable of caring for the children with whom they have been entrusted. 

It breaks my heart to think about the life this little girl must be living.  Throughout the week I have been contemplating how the physical wounds in her feet also reveal something about the unseen emotional and psychological wounds in her life.  I have been thinking about what these orphans and vulnerable children must endure day after day.  I have been praying, "God please help me to find a way to improve their living conditions and bring hope in the midst of their suffering." 

Please keep praying for me and this ministry at large.  There are so many needs around us, but finding and implementing solutions is not simple.  It is much easier to see the detrimental effects of the problem than it is to diagnose and solve it.  We need the wisdom and strength of the Lord.  I know that Jesus is the only solution to Africa's suffering.  I am aware that my mission would be unattainable if I were pursuing it on my own,.  I am fully determined to follow God and follow His heart so that I might leave an impact on this world.  I know that God will help me "change a life" and "change a nation" one day at a time because He has called me here.