Suffer the little children…

I want to tell you a story. It is one that I feel very compelled to share, but have been reluctant to do so for fear that it will be misinterpreted… but of late, I there is an urgency to it, so I am going to waylay my fears and dive in.

Recently several friends left our Middle Eastern city and visited a nearby Somali refugee camp to offer help with basic living necessities and medical care. While there, they met a mother with a young boy about 7, and twin girls, about 4. They quickly discerned that these children were much more severally malnourished than other refugee children, and it was all too apparent that these precious ones also carried the tall tale signs of physical abuse. The medical team after no small effort convinced their mother to let the children go with them to receive advanced medical care and brought them back to our city.

The twins little girls are the size of toddlers, but Aaden, their older brother was so much smaller and horribly thinner, that everyone is very concerned for his survival. It was quickly discovered that he had an esophageal stricture and a severe hiatal hernia which caused him to vomit whenever food he did receive. They took him to surgery, but during the operation his esophagus was perforated. He is preparing for another surgery – at a much better hospital, in two weeks. Complicating his recovery, Aden’s front teeth are almost completely rotted off and for a 7 to 8-year-old, these are his permanent teeth.

For the last about three months these precious babies have been receiving constant care and love from two of the families here and the children are just starting to fill out a bit and to grow again, but they have a long journey ahead. But this is the problem, one of the families had to leave. There are no other families here to continue caring for the children. Muslim culture does not permit adoption as an option and the few orphanages available in our region have refused to take them in, even the Catholic home run by the Nuns.

Legally, Sharia law provides birth mothers with custody rights despite the abuse and maltreatment they received and still, she refuses to sign them over to an orphanage. And to make matters worse, there is no “available” father to intervene.

Moreover, Somali’s are hated and despised by the indigenous people, so Aaden and his sisters are running out of options. This is the most heartbreaking thing I can imagine and I feel utterly helpless to provide a viable solution. Will you please pray for Aaden especially and for Joy and Hope? Only God can change this situation… Passionate, fervent, and constant prayer on their behalf will motivate people to change so that God can do what He does best, rescue little children, such as these.

Of all the things I have seen and experienced here, this is the one that keeps me awake and pleading in intercession. Will you join me?