World Visioning

With all the excitement of the keyboard, I nearly forgot to update you all on the really cool day we had working with World Vision in a rural area outside Lusaka. We had met the Zambian Director of Operations at a small church we visited several weeks ago. Eric and he had a good initial conversation, and so scheduled a meeting to go into more detail about what it might look like for World Vision and Special Hope to do some work together here in Zambia. After a great meeting and a couple weeks passing, we got a phone call asking if we would assist one of their field teams in assessing several children who had disabilities in an area called Chongwe, east of the city. Of course, we eagerly agreed, and were picked up at 10:30 (standard Zambian time, half an hour late) this morning to join the team.

After a nice drive, chatting with the workers about dowries men have to pay for their brides (one woman in the car was given for 10 cows, which is pretty dang good here in Zambia), we arrived at the field office located just outside of a small village. We were ushered into a room, where 3 families were waiting for us with their 4 children.

I don't mean to pick favorites, but for the sake of time I will write about the highlight of our visit- a little boy named Ignatius who had Down syndrome. We recognized it right away with those cute almond eyes, small little ears, and sticky-out tongue that we love so much- he was just adorable. We began assessing him by asking the standard first questions we ask- about the birthing, about when the family first realized he was developing differently than other children, etc. His father told us that he was born normally, and the doctors told them he was 'fine, but sometimes children are born this way when their parents are old,' and then sent them on their way. Since then, the father told us, he has just been different than other kids and he's not sure why.

Eric and I (who were representing Special Hope for this trip) looked at each other with the realization that this father did not know his ten year-old son had Down syndrome. How could that be? He was a sponsored child with World Vision, for goodness sake- how could they not know that he had Down syndrome?

We spent the next half hour talking with this dad about his wonderfully made son- describing all the unique things about kids who have Down syndrome and how to best work with him to learn and understand. Although I am sure we completely overwhelmed this parent- I think there was also a glimpse of hope in his eyes; a sigh of relief to know that his son wasn't some mutant or weirdo- that there are actually lots of kids just like him.

With each beautiful child I get to meet, I feel more and more privilege to be a part of this crazy ministry. Pray with me, won't you, for Ignatius (first of all, pray that one day he might be able to say his own name, because with a name like Ignatius, it's gonna take a lot of work) and for his dad that they might feel loved and cared for today. Even more, that they might know that God has richly blessed them with a son unlike most- a son so uniquely created for the display of the glory of God.