Moses

Our boy Moses, looking healthier and most certainly happier!

This week, I wanted to talk about Moses, a boy that we rescued in July of this year.  This boy is a joy and a miracle.

When we first met Moses, it was on our first trip to an oceanside village called Kpitchakope.  I've mentioned it before because this village is where NINE of our newly rescued children came from.

When we met Moses, he was outside of this old woman's hut as she was berating him for not bringing in enough fish.  John identified him right away as a boy that was in need of some intense care.  We had the woman take him to his families home, and we were led to the home of his grandfather.  The grandfather told us that he had only recently been brought back from the lake to come and fish for a family in the village there. 

His condition was very poor, his clothes soaked in the salt that comes from oceanside lagoon fishing.  His body was covered in sores from the continual exposure to the salt, his belly swollen from the worms that haunt those that don't get proper nutrition.

The second time we met Moses, we found his "mother", or the woman who was taking care of him.  We found out the real story that time.  Moses had been bought from his parents by this woman's husband so that he could bring in fish for her so that she could care for her four children.  When we confronted the woman, beautiful in her face, but behind her eyes, a darkness that reached deep inside, she was all of the sudden angry and offended by our very presence and yelled at us to leave the situation alone.  But, John got right back in her face, telling her that she needed to put Moses in school, or he would bring the police the next time we came.

The third time we met Moses was at the clinic that we held in their community when my Mom, Aunt Peggy, Cheryl Preston, and Nurse Linda traveled through.  The mom came with her children, very pregnant, but no Moses in sight.  He had been sent to the lagoon to fish.  So, we told her that we would treat her and her children when she brought Moses to us.  When she brought him, we found her in even worse condition than before, and adamant that she had enrolled him in school (when we knew the truth that nothing like that had yet happened.

Finally, when he was rescued, John drove into their community on a school day and saw Moses in the lagoon.  He called him to the car and had him dress and then brought him directly to the chief, demanding his release into our custody.  His "mother" literally tried to take him away from us multiple times, but God was good and we were able to take him with us upon the approval of the chief.

Moses has made a great recovery since arriving at CORM.  His sores have healed and while he still has some issues with his skin and rashes, it is much better than when he first arrived.  He is in second grade and for the first time in his life, he is learning how to read and write and count and speak in English.

He is a gentle boy, but can also play hard!  He sneaks over to our house on a regular basis, just to sit in our big black comfy chair and get a few hugs along the way.

Moses is the picture of a miracle and the picture of healing. 

God is all about "the one".  We are so glad that God chose Moses to be a part of our family.