Some days I see and hear things that make me jump for joy, while other days I want to curl up and cry, so great is the heartache. This is the privilege and responsibility of directing a
non-profit that rescues orphans in East Africa. The story of Lucky the Bear was one of those ‘Jump for Joy’ sort of stories. Afterwards, I reflected on what the boy did. Still…there are no words that can capture what I felt. God is in the business of connecting the dots: connecting deep needs with compassionate people who will tell others, and then connecting those people with others who end up generously filling the needs. It’s a marvelous circle.
I love going to garage sales and online to Craigslist to shop for needs in Africa. Some things are always on
‘The List’: black school shoes, graphing calculators, luggage, Bibles, and learning games/toys. Last July, I was looking for clothes for an infant boy and a little girl to take to Tanzania because we knew of two newly orphaned children in need of Kulea’s care.
I found dresses on
CraigsList and arranged to meet a lady in Manchester, NH. Prior to meeting her, I explained who I was taking them to. She told the story to her son and daughter that night. Her children wanted to send the orphans a toy; the little girl (age 6) surveyed her many toys and chose a Little Mermaid doll. The little boy (age 8) stood in his room with his mom and looked at everything he owned. Then…he made up his mind. He walked straight to his bed and picked up his stuffed, white teddy bear, named Lucky. His mother knew that this was his most prized possession and wondered how the boy would sleep without Lucky. She said, “Are you absolutely sure you want to give Lucky to these children in Africa?” He said, “I have all these things and a home. They have nothing – not even parents. It’s okay, I can give him, because I want to give the best.”
I couldn’t get those words out of my head – to sacrifice so much at such a young age and to a child he would never see? The parallels to God’s own sacrifice were overwhelming. That boy had never met baby Musa or 6 year old Habiba, yet chose to give away his most prized possession. Wow! End of story? You may think so, but now Lucky needed a ride to Tanzania to be placed in a little girl’s arms, a girl who owned no toy and only a few tattered pieces of clothing. I packed him in my carry-on
and off we went to Tanzania via
Delta &
KLM.
Once there, I would have given anything to have that little boy with me to watch what happened next.
When we arrived at the humble dirt and stick home of the elderly widow caring for Habiba and Musa, I asked to see Habiba. We told her through a translator a story of a little boy about her age living all the way around the world in America. We said that he learned that her mother and father had died and he was sad for her. He decided to send his love to her by a gift – the very best thing he owned. Habiba listened to this story (translated to Swahili) with big, serious eyes. Then I opened the bag and pulled out Lucky the Bear
and suddenly the biggest smile came across her face. She held Lucky tightly and 30 minutes later as we left, she had not let go of him. Within a month, arrangements had been made to move Habiba into our first Kulea home. Thanks to a boy near Manchester, NH, Habiba felt great love and joy that day. Thanks to Kulea sponsors, we were able to add her into our full-time care sponsorship program. When you see a Teddy Bear, remember Lucky & the smiles of Habiba and Musa.
Be compassionate for the sorrows in the world. We cannot cure the world of its sorrow, but we can choose to share our love with one child in need. What would happen if we all chose to love like this?
