Eva, Part II

Simone carefully pulled out the worms out
of Eva's feet today.  She cried because it
hurt as they were quite large.

Eva found new hope today. Read the
story below.

Though we have very busy schedules, Brooke and I have committed to see Eva every day to feed her, comfort her, pray with her, and just love her.  She has had a heart that has been broken beyond measure.  She is the product of betrayal from an unsafe and untrustworthy world. She refused to eat, take her medicine, take a bath or have her wounds cleaned. She had given up her will to live.

At first people said she was deaf because she wouldn't respond.  She wasn't deaf.  She just had selective hearing.  We could see that she was quite intelligent.  She meticulously copied Brooke's coloring technique with her new coloring book and crayons. Hiding within this diseased and emaciated body lived a 10-year-old girl with spirit. It was a relief to discover it one afternoon and a glimmer of hope that she might pull out of her depression.  I had brought homemade pizza for her lunch.  A treat for any 10-year-old but especially for one who was suffering from starvation. I put everything on the pizza I could think of to add vitamins and protein. I watched in disbelief as she took a bite, and then carefully, like any other 10-year-old, picked out the green olives and threw them on the ground.  Her large eyes caught mine and flashed me a huge grin. Even though her world had been so out of control, this was one thing she could control.  No green olives.  I laughed with her and gave her a hug. 

Though we have heard several versions of Eva's life history through different sources, we have come to realize that every bit of information she has given us is true.  Every person in her life has abandoned her through death or choice. It is difficult to explain to a child that has experienced such immense suffering that there is One who loves her.  Where do you begin to build that bridge?  At first, when we talked about Jesus, she would turn away.  Her wall seemed impenetrable.  What she did start to respond to was our consistency in returning.  She would gingerly get out of bed, and in spite of her pain, walk outside the hospital and wait for us on the cement.  One of the mothers attending her sick child told us that she cried one day when we were late.

We noticed today that she had finally let the nurses clean and re-bandage her wound on her leg.  She readily accepted her ARV meds. She agreed to a bath so we were able to give her a new blue dress - a size 7 though it still hung loosely around her protruding frame. We told her she looked like a princess; after all, little 10-year-olds like to be a princess. She nodded her head though perhaps not so sure what a princess really looked like.

Then as Brooke held her close, I once again explained how much God really loves her and what His Son suffered to demonstrate that love. We could tell she was completely attentive.  When we asked her if she would like Jesus in her heart, she nodded her head with determination.  So Simone cited the prayer of salvation and the most precious little voice clearly and carefully repeated everything he said.  And to add to the miracle of the moment, we heard the voice of a mother of a sick child in the next bed repeat the prayer right along with Eva.

We don't know what God has in mind for little Eva.  She is so very sick. But we are thankful for the opportunity to be here for her and for those that pray and support this ministry.  There are so many more Eva's in Africa and so many more that need God's grace and love.