More
times than I can count throughout the day, my thoughts are drawn to the stark
contrast between life here and life in America. Whether I am stopped at a
"robot" (Zambia's word for "stoplight") and am approached
by a child clothed in filthy rags begging on the street, or at the grocery
store and notice the difference between my basket full of a large variety of
foods and the Zambian woman's next to me containing only 4 loaves of bread, or
even trying to make small talk conversation with a Zambian in the slums and
realizing how often my American brain wants to bring up the topic of food (what
did you have for dinner last night, what is your favorite restaurant, what is
your favorite food?).
But
one of the most impactful, and devastating ways this hits me is when Rylee
interacts with the children we serve here. Watching her play, and share God's
love with these kids always strikes a place deep in my heart. I can't see these
precious interactions and not think about the way their lives have been
COMPLETELY different from one another. Her home has been full of love - she has
been treasured and has received pretty much everything she could ever
desire...while these children often find themselves in circumstances that would
best be described as a living nightmare.
There
is a particular child here that Rylee has really become attached to. Her name
is Concelia. Rylee
and Concelia are both 4 years old, and became fast friends the moment they met.
They always embrace when they see each other, and generally end up holding
hands and making their way to the playground. 
Almost every time I watch them go
off together, I am reminded that like many of the children we come across
through our work here, Concelia has walked through a darkness no child deserves
-- and her story was discovered at Camp LIFE 2012.
'You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly
mortals will never again strike terror.'
Here is her story...
In a sea of a thousand
Zambian faces, 2 stood out. Like many children in Zambia, Precious was carrying
her younger sister, Concelia, on her back. At the young age of 7 years old,
Precious had taken on the role of caretaker for little sister – and it took
only a short amount of time to understand why.
Concelia had been so
brutally raped at the age of three that she wasn’t able to stand due to the
pain. As the story of her horrific young life unfolded, we found that multiple
men had taken Concelia and used her for their pleasure – leaving her severely
hurt, damaged and wounded in every way imaginable.
When Precious was chosen
to attend Camp LIFE, she had no choice but to bring her little sister along.
The fear of leaving her at home, by herself, was too much to bear. During the
week of Camp LIFE, Precious revealed that the girls are double orphans – their
father had already passed on and their mother is mentally ill and her
whereabouts are unknown. The two girls were living with their elderly
grandmother, who was not able to take care of them.
At only 7-years-old,
Precious was carrying a burden no child should. So that she could spend just 5
days experiencing the joy of being a kid, our staff took on the responsibility
of caring for Concelia each day. We comforted, held, and played games with her
– trying in every moment to lift the darkness that filled her eyes. Even though
she couldn’t talk about her pain, we could see it weighing on her each day –
she had seen and experienced the terror at an unthinkably early age.
I have met many children
with these horrendous backgrounds, but somehow it hurts more deeply reflecting
on Concelia's story because of how close in age she is with my own daughter. It
hits so much closer to home, because even the mere thought of this being
Rylee's story is pushed out immediately. My brain can't even try to put my
sweet girl in those shoes. But as I watch them play together, and I imagine how
drastically Concelia's life has been changed...and I watch her laughing with
Rylee, I can see the Lord's work at transformation in her life. It is a
blessing beyond words to witness as the Lord uses Rylee's innocence and
unconditional love to restore a childhood that rightly belongs to Concelia. To
see two girls run, jump, swing, and slide on the playground at the Tree of Life
Children's Village. 
It's easy on some days
to think, it's all too much...my heart can't keep breaking like this. But stories of hope and healing (like Concelia's) help to reassure me when the task seems too
large. God faithfully reminds me of the story of the man on the beach with the
starfish....and as I get to know these kids in deeper ways, I have become so
aware of the many starfish in my midst. He is faithful to encourage me with
their stories of redemption, and the difference my family is making in each of
their lives. Even the things that seem small (like spending an hour at the
playground), He uses and multiplies in ways that I may never see. The privilege of bringing that
kind of "normal" to children that never dreamed they would experience such simple
and carefree joy - not much is better! 