So today was definitely a heart wrenching day at Smile. Let me first start by saying that improvements are being made at Smile and it is going great. We have set up a tent specifically for babies so that they don’t have to sit and lay on the hard cement anymore. We keep them off to themselves and Evelyn (the long term missionary) has set up 6 babies on a special feeding program because they are the most vulnerable children. One child that I have always loved and grown close with is Nyka. She looks to be about maybe 6 months but she is 16 months old. During my entire time here I have never once seen Nyka smile and do you know we had her laughing today! I was so happy I was almost in tears. She is so weak, so when I say she was laughing it was more like a lot of smiles and she just wiggles her tongue a lot because she can’t talk. She was the cutest thing and I wish I had photos to share with you all, but I captured it on film so I’ll post them when I get back to the states. That had actually been a goal or a desire of mine; to see Nyka smile and not only did she do that but she SMILED! That right there will stay with me forever and it made this entire trip that much more meaningful. When we first got here she could barely lift her head up and now we have her laughing. I am getting choked up just thinking about it. Soooo that was the best part of the day and here comes the hardest part of the day…….
There is an orphanage near by called Awindjo House and the owner, Ken, has asked that Nyka come and stay with him so that we can get her back to health. We had to get permission from Nyka’s parents first. On Tuesday I was under the tent holding Nyka and Joyce (a worker at Smile) saw Nyka’s mother. She called her over because the mother was walking by as if she had no children at all, and she has 3. All of her children were under the tent with me so Joyce made her come in and visit with her them. We asked if she knew where her children slept at night and she said no. Her husband had beat her in the past and took her children away from her, so she gave up fighting for them and moved on, got another man and is not involved in their life. Nyka’s father moves around and he just drops the children at their grandmothers whenever he feels like it so they are always getting tossed around. Joyce asked her to come back today (Thursday) to talk to Pastor Ruth so we can get her some better care. By 11:00am her mother showed up and I learned that her name is Esther. While we waited for Pastor Ruth to come Esther went to the clinic because she is having health issues with her breasts. She may have cancer or some type of growth but it is definitely not healthy. Eventually Pastor Ruth showed up and Esther told her she had no say over her children so they went and got the father. I was eating lunch and was not aware that the father was here. After I finished eating I went to see Nyka and she turned ill. She had no more smiles, she was vomiting, and had diarrhea and she has a slight fever. My joy quickly turned to sadness and I was worried. Today was the first day Evelyn gave the children vitamins so I was afraid they affected Nyko in a bad way and it was true. We were focused on getting her hydrated again because she was losing so many fluids. As this was going on Pastor Ruth was having a meeting with Nyka’s parents. Within one hour they had consented to give away their child. Paulo (Nyka’s older brother/care taker about 6 years old) was sitting there and I asked him if the man coming out of the office was his papa and he rose up quickly, got the biggest smile on his face and shouted “PAPA!” But his father just kept walking and never once came over to greet his children as he left the property. That was the first heartbreaker. The second was when Esther grabbed her things and left, she did not say goodbye to anyone, and I later found out that she had gone home to get some clothing. She would be going to the hospital with Nyka and the parents at Awindjo House. I was happy that Nyka was getting the proper care she deserved and its what I have been praying for but as soon as she leaves the hospital she will be a child at Awindjo. I realized I would not be seeing her anymore and the thought of it made me sad, and then I was full of confused emotions. I was angry with her parents for deciding in ONE hour that they could give up their child. There was no remorse on their face and I was angry at them and I got so sad as if Nyka was my child and she was being taken away from me. It was hard but I held it together the best I could. I am so happy that she will be taken care of but I don’t think Paulo or the other sister Heepa Anilla understood what was going on. After some time passed Esther had returned with clothing. She began dressing Nyka and I couldn’t believe the outfit she had brought to put her in. It was the skirt that I made for Nyka and gave to her at Christmas. I had never seen it again after that day and when she put it on her I said to Esther “I made that skirt” and she looked at me and said “I know” It was the craziest moment ever because I don’t know how she knew but the way she said it made me know she knew. It was in that moment that I was less angry with the mother. I realized that she has already grieved the loss of her children once, and now she is giving them up again but this time it is for the good and she went and got her best clothing to send her child off. I can’t express the emotion I felt and I was shedding some tears but it was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever watched, witnessed and felt. I have had my heartbreaking moments in life but I would never wish to have to go through something like giving up a child once, let alone for a second time. I can’t imagine how that feels and I thank God that Esther was willing to do it because I know it wasn’t easy. As she left she climbed into the car and Heepa Anilla cried after her. I went and got her and just held her because not only had her mother left her; she lost a sibling today. Paulo had run off to get water and I don’t think he even realized what had just happened. They will forever be in my prayers and I pray that they get to see their sister again because they love her unconditionally. The three of them were inseparable and Paulo took care of Nyka’s every need. Rarely ever did he get to play with children his own age. I pray that from here on out things begin to get better for Paulo and Heepa Anilla because they have been through enough heartache and I also pray that the right decision was made to sent Nyka to Awindjo House. Pleas keep these children in your prayers and that Nyka restores to full health. I know this was a sad blog to read today but I hope that it has touched you in a way that helps you to remember the forgotten children. In this culture, children are at the bottom of the list and this trip has opened my heart far greater than ever before for the forgotten children. Thank you for your prayers and support. God Bless
Oh! I forgot one bit of good news. We had not seen Moses so instead of waiting for him to come we went and found him and his mother. She has agreed to let us take him to the hospital. He looks to be about 6 months but she has informed us that he is 3 ½ years old. I couldn’t believe it when I heard it, but he has TB which had kept him from growing but we were so happy to have him back!
