A Mother's Touch

            The temperature of the day seemed to be 110 degrees in the shade. Animals could be found under the trees and the people of the town did not stray far from the comfort of their shaded hammocks. But the heat of the day did not stop us from driving through the little town of La Palmerita to spend time with our Nicaraguan friends and hold a few Bible studies.  

While Virginia was out inviting children to an afternoon of activities and games, she found out that Yeral was running a high fever and one of the ladies made it sound as if he was seriously ill.

Celebrating Johana's birthday

Now Yeral was the middle son of Johana, a young mother and a sweet friend, who had been a member of La Palmerita Mennonite Church, but had strayed away and was living with a young man. We were told that Johana had left on Saturday the 12th, and left Wilbur-11 and Yeral-10 in La Palmerita. She told them she would return on Sunday the 13th. However on Tuesday, she still had not returned.

After our classes, we decided to go see if we could find Yeral. We found him in the neighbor’s black plastic shack. When Virginia called his name, he responded by calling my name. We found him in the back corner on a cot. He was running a fever and seemed a little delirious. After talking it over, we decided to ask him if he wanted to go to our house. Without any hesitation, he said “yes.” He told us that he had a headache and fever when he came home from school, so he had walked to the clinic. They had given him some pills but he still had a fever.

Sound asleep in the hammock

When we arrived at home, his fever was 102° - 103°, so we gave him a Tylenol and some juice. We brought him over to our house as Randy’s were headed to Managua. It took him a while to relax and so we asked him if he wanted to listen to some music. He was out in 10 minutes. He slept for several hours and he still had a fever when he woke up. We gave him an Ibuprofen. When he woke up at 9:00pm, he seemed much more himself and was hungry. We prepared some supper and then he went off to bed. He had no fever the following morning, so Randy took him back to La Palmerita so he could go to school. Wilbur told us that he did not go to school, because he started running a fever again. Johana returned sometime Wednesday afternoon, but did not come to the evening service.

As I took time that day to take care of Yeral, my heart cried out. How could a mother abandon her children like this? How could she leave these young ones to fend for themselves while she was out, "enjoying" the pleasures of this world? A verse from Isaiah came to me: 

"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." Isaiah 49:15 KJV

But as I mothered to this young individual, a sense was awakened within in me - that of a mothering sense. Taking care of him, as if he were my own child. Being by him and making sure he was feeling better. Scripture came to mind as I spent time with Yeral:

Juancito, Yeral, Wilbur

"Leave your fatherless children; I will [do what is necessary to] preserve them alive. And let [those who have been made] your widows trust and confide in Me." Jeremiah 49:11 AMP

Though I was not his mother, I could take care of him as only a mother could: by pouring my love out to him, showing him that he meant the world to me and I cared about him. In thinking of the love that one shows to their children, whether biological or "adopted" children, I was reminded of the love that God has towards us:

"For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life." John 3:16 AMP

You may not be a mother yet, but as a female, God has blessed you with "mother" instincts. You are all born with the gifts of compassion, nurture, care, love, feelings. These gifts allow us to reach out and touch another's life. As a young girl, embrace these gifts. They may fill you with hurt, place burdens on your heart, allow to rejoice, question "why", spend sleepless nights praying. These are gifts that God has blessed you with as a woman. 

Be a woman! Be a mother! Touch someone's life! Be burdened to pray as only a mother can!

PS. This was a true experience that happened in February 2011 while I was serving in Nicaragua. As of today, I still have contact with this young man and his mother. She calls me from time to time to talk to me. On Wednesday May 28th, my sister and I have plans to travel to Nicaragua to visit my friends there. Pray for us as we spend time there that God might be glorified.

life isn't always

Last night as the 1st official day of January I did some writing (surprise, surprise). Well that's only 'cause I had to, as I've entered another one of those writing things.

So anyway after writing a really depressing scene I went on the JanNoWriMo site to look and see if any of the members on there might want to friend me (now that sounds really bad, but having other writers as friends makes a world of a difference).

So I found this girl called Autumn then I looked on her writing blog just to get more of an idea of who she was. Then I got a shock. She's been dead for five years. Suicide. But to my horror my eyes kept reading. Here is just one of her pieces.

One of the things that really hurt me is that none of the posts have comments, like it was her pouring out her heart screaming for help. And oh how I wanted to help, but I came 5 years too late. I couldn't stop thinking about it, I couldn't get to sleep knowing that there are other people out there like that. People who think that suicide is relief. People who don't believe in happiness. And that is so so so sad so terrible. And I am only just realizing how blessed I am--I haven't lost someone that I really love; two great grandmothers don't really count as I barely knew them.

And as you can see in the poem she was very talented, but she never got to use her gift beyond her 16 years. She never knew the peace and hope that Daddy/God brings. That fact that she wasn't saved tears me to pieces and it is my dearest hope that she met God somehow and that she is finally in true real love but I know that cannot be.

What this taught me is that the beautiful looking world outside the window is really shaded--really, really shaded, deep with shadows and only tiny glimmers of light. We who know there is love desperately need to show the people, the hearts, the lives that are dying that are being destoried. It is not okay that a child should have to stay every night in a house where the keepers despise her.

"Lord, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'm not scared 'cause you're holding my breath. I only fear that I don't have enough time left to tell the world that there is no time left..."
--Group 1 Crew, Forgive Me

To all the Ivvy's out there, may you find the God of Love, the One and Only, Who cares greatly about you.

-Tiffany-

first posted on Unfathomed Depths.