Here is one of the testimonies given on Sunday night. More to come!
Jesus says in Matthew 25 that if you feed, clothe, comfort, the least of these then you do it for Jesus Himself. Certainly the orphans in Zeway, some of the most vulnerable children of the world – those who take care of themselves and their siblings-- fit into Jesus’ example of the least of these. So when we met with these children, we sensed a presence of Jesus and the Spirit that is rare in our lifestyles here.
I want to tell you of my encounter with Jesus the day I visited and comforted Melkete Henok.
We had visited 5 children already in Zeway. It had certainly not become normal yet, standing in an Ethiopian neighborhood surrounded by children with bare feet and smiles, clothed in rags and curiosity, but at least we had learned what questions to ask, how to greet children, and what was appropriate to say.
This small neighborhood was built of mud and grass square buildings with thatch roofs, and dry, dry, shrubs surrounding them. Dusty children came out everywhere to see us roll out of the LandCruisers. Smiling, playful children who were a little jumpy if we made any sudden moves.
Melkete and her sister was who we had come to see. Melkete is 14 years old, taking care of her 9 year old sister. Both of her parents have died. Melkete greeted each of us with full hugs and warm Amharic words. We followed her and her social worker into her humble home. Her home was the size of a bathroom for U.S. standards. It had mud floors and mud walls. This home was unique for the Zeway orphans because Melkete and her sister had inherited it from her family and it was theirs to own.
She had a twin foam pad to share with her sister. It was a foam pad that the funds from Grace had purchased for her. There were thick blankets neatly tucked under the foam pad. I don’t remember anything else in the room.
Melkete at the age of 14 cooked and cleaned and maintained the house. She also cared for her 9 year old sister. She attended school. She found time to play games with other children in the neighborhood. She bore the weight of all the household and family burdens at the age of 14 and she still kept the joy of a child who likes to play and laugh.
In addition to all this, she bore another burden that obviously weighed heavy on her. It would have weighed heavy on any adult in that community. We asked her what we could pray for, for her and she told us humbly that she owed government taxes for her home. She said that they were a one time payment of 3,000 birr or about $270. The government would take away her home if these taxes were not paid.
My first thought to hearing how much she owed was the vulnerability of a child carrying this burden. Did she have the amount correct? Was the person who told this information a credible representative of the government? Was someone trying to steal from her? Who knows the answers to all these questions? Who will go with her to handle this?
My next thought was “this amount will be paid in full”
At this time the social worker confirmed the amount, but did not know any details. We would talk more to the social worker at a later time about it.
I looked at Melkete, then, in closing to our meeting, and felt compelled to tell her that she was doing well. That she was doing everything she needed and she should continue to work hard, go to school and care for her sister. I told her that in Jeremiah 29:11, God promises us all a future and a hope and that she should continue to seek God for hope in her life.
She looked me in the eyes and gave a mournful, guttural cry and dropped her head in her hands. She cried. A deep sobbing cry. I went and held her and cried. We all did. Matt, Ariel, Tom, Jake and I cried., the social workers cried. Her sister cried. Everyone in the room cried for a long time saying nothing.
As I held her, the injustice of it all made me weep, but in anger. I wanted to tell her over and over, even if in English which she could not understand, that her $270 debt was paid in full. It was done. It would no longer be. I wanted to tell her that where 3-4 Americans travel together there is at least $270. There was $270 in the room at that moment in our pockets.
But I did not say this to her. I felt led by the Spirit to withhold these words.
I wanted to give money to this young girl and think her problem was fixed. I wanted to mark her need off the checklist. I wanted to use American dollars like a band-aid for her ailment, her wound.
What I really needed to do was to look past the wound and see the wounded. I needed to see her real need not just the symptom. I needed to pray to the Heavenly Father of this fatherless child a prayer for something that would not come easily with money.
And while I was holding this sobbing child, rather than whispering to Melkete, we’ll pay the debt, I whispered a prayer to our Heavenly Father. I prayed for a guardian. I prayed for a family. I prayed that she and her sister would be taken care of by a loving, caring family. I prayed that she get what most children have and what all children need.
It takes a Heavenly Father to provide this, not just well-meaning American dollars.
You all know how this story ends. Melkete’s debt was paid in full. Partly by the generosity of the Attic Junior class who had raised money for a thank you gift, but instead gave it to Ariel and Rachel telling them to use it for something in Zeway. That something was wonderful.
You also can guess that this story ends with Melkete still alone in her small hut with her sister going through all the daily life routines of existence.
Her burden is certainly lightened and you can see in her face, joy as she plays with us during one of the FH playtimes. Fewer physical pressures are undoubtedly important to keep at a minimum for these most vulnerable children.
But my prayer is still this; A loving Christian family to take in Melkete and her sister as their own. It’s hard not to go to a place like Zeway and wonder if you are that family. But we all walked away firmly believing that it is the Zeway body of believers who can truly come together to provide families for the orphans. It is the Zeway Saints who can stand in the gap for these children daily and share their burden, their culture and their lives. Families for these orphans is something only the Holy Father can make happen.
My dollars need to be used for the kingdom of God undoubtedly, but they should not be used in the place of fervent prayer to God to defend this child and take away her loneliness.
Zafu is 10 and Meserech is 17. Meserech lost her leg in a fire accident. They try to attend school, but Meserech has only made it to the 7th grade. They live on a food ration intended for one child -- but Zafu doesn't know that. Meserech is standing in the gap for Zafu, setting aside her own hunger to protect his childhood innocence. When we asked how he was doing, Zafu responded that everything was great, blissfully unaware of the sacrifice his big sister is making for him.
