When we arrived back in Togo at the first of the year we had some new neighbors. They had children, but these children were different than the children you see around Kara. It appeared to me that these kids were from the village; in other words, not street smart. For example they were not to sure about our truck and they were not too sure about this white lady that kept going by their house.
As time went on I got to know them a little better and began to interact with them at Bible hour with the neighborhood kids. At first I found it very hard to connect with the kids; they were dirty and a little awkward, but I continued to try. Two weeks ago during Bible hour with the kids one of the little boys was sitting close to my feet. I noticed he became very excited about a person walking by, who turned out to be his mom. He waved to her and as she walked away his face told how he felt about this woman: he adored her. I looked at him and asked him if that was his mom and he said yes and asked him if he loved her and he got the biggest grin on his face and said "yes, I do." I know this probably does not sound like much to most readers, but it is very rare to see love like that come from a 7 year old boy for a mother in Togo. I am not saying it does not happen, but I have never seen it.
I asked my friend Yvette about this little boy and his mother, and she began to tell me a story about an amazing act of love.
A man was abandoned by his wife and left with 5 kids. He was not able to take care of all these children by himself so he began talking to a woman who lived in Kara (our city). He finally told her he had a child, and she began talking to him about bringing the child to her so she can take care of it. He agreed to do this, but on the day that he was supposed to bring one child to her he brought all five! She was shocked and surprised to see five and not one. Her compassion kicked in. She saw how dirty and how poorly dressed they were, so she immediately started bathing them and taking care of them.
The man and woman were married and they now live next to us. I was told more info about this woman that made me thank God for the heart that He has given her. The husband does not help financially at all; he basically is out of the picture.
Because of the situation, the step mother of these children needs to provide their food and clothes. So she works. She is a wonderful hair stylist, which is a blessing for her. Not the kind we think of in a nice shop or booth. This is outside of her home with a wooden chair placed on the dirt and she stands and does ladies hair all day to put food in these childrens' mouths and clothes on their backs. This amazes me. This lady loves these children like they are her own. I was told that the one boy that I was telling you about earlier sits by her, and if she needs anything he runs and gets it for her. He anxiously waits for her to speak to him and he eats it up.
This act of love I see in this lady is such a great example for all of us. I thank God for this love He has placed in her heart for these children.
