Right now I sit looking out my front window watching my husband and 2 of our sons talk to Abraham. They are trying to convince him in his moment of desperation to run back to the streets that it’s not an option anymore in his life.
This has become a pattern that we may face possibly each day with our newest son. Sometimes we wonder if he does it to try to get his way and others we realize that the streets whisper all kinds of lies to him trying to drag him back to loneliness. Either way we are in for the long haul for this little life that HE has brought to us.
Abraham grew up in a city that is about a day’s travel away from where we currently live. He remembers being a worker for a family at the early age of 5. He assumes his parents died. When he worked for this family he saved up enough birr (money) to get to the Capital of Ethiopia which is where we are now Addis Ababa.
He began living on the streets between the ages of 5-6. This would be like my son Gavin living on the streets now having to fend for himself. Or your son or daughter that is in this age range trying to find a way to get food. Trying to stay warm at night and seemingly pretending that they are brave when really they are scared to death at every nook and sound they hear. The streets are a very DARK place to be at night. During the day they fool you as if they are friendly. In a city that has very few street lights the darkness remains a place that is capturing the very beings of young kids every day. This is why we are here and must do something about this.
Abraham was raped by a BIG boy when he was just 6 years old. He was sleeping and the boy approached him and woke him very aggressively. Pulling Abrahams pants down he completely hurt this precious boys soul for the rest of his life. He says he screamed and screamed yelling for help and no one would come and help him. The little boy was left alone in the darkness in pain physically hurting so bad he couldn’t move.
Trying to cover up the pain that this new life had brought him he began to huff very strong glue that smells of gasoline. It is illegal here for the mechanics to sale this to the kids yet some people will do anything to make some extra money. The very first time I laid eyes on him he had this oversized green coat on with his feet ashy grey colored due to having no shoes. He took his left hand up to his mouth and I watched him go into complete zombie mode after inhaling these fumes. My heart hurt so deeply for him because I saw so much of myself in him when I was his age in him.
In this instance God placed something on my heart where I knew this boy was going to be my son. So here we are today loving on him no matter the circumstances that come our way. It’s not an easy task and challenges us emotionally, physically and mentally.
We’ve gone to the streets looking for him once not being able to find him for 2 days. When we finally found him he was curled up in a fetal position scared, lonely and filthy. We are trying so hard to convince him that now he has a family and the streets are no longer his home. Yet the adversary is whispering other things. We have a lot of good days but then it happens; he wants to run. We cry together, we laugh together and we pray together.
Please pray that Abraham will come to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior it is only when this takes place that true life change will take place forever and ever. Pray that Abraham will understand that our kids don't belong in the streets anymore.
