As the sun rose to welcome a new day on September 28th 2017, young E. arose from his bed and began his daily routine. He heard the sound of the roosters in the background as a cool breeze wafted through the window and over his face. He was completely unaware that this was no ordinary day.

Housemother Eva came to him with a glimmer in her eye and a huge smile on her face that made him suspect something was about to happen. She cheerfully told him to put on his best clothes, because they were taking a trip to visit his family. E. had not seen his biological family since he was three months old and was left at a feeding center with life-threatening malnutrition. The surprising news made his heart skip a beat, but he had been well prepared by our psychologist for this visit. A flood of excitement and anxiety washed over him, as he struggled to control his thoughts and feelings.

Two hours of driving on rough mountain roads brought E. to the town of his birth. Over thirty family members received him with open arms and many tears. The baby who was once lost had now been found. His mother’s tearful embrace showed the depth of her love for her son, whom many had believed was dead.

After twelve years and countless questions, the pieces of E.’s life story finally began to fall into place. When he had been restored to health as a baby, he was unable to return to his birth family and was transferred to a city hundreds of miles away. His family, who live in extreme poverty with few resources, lost track of his whereabouts until the day he returned to their town as a young adolescent. The joyful celebration left E.’s head spinning as he processed the new pieces of his life and all he learned about his family.

God has a plan and a purpose for each of our children. Through an amazing sequence of events, the Lord gave SAMS missionary Mike Miller along with our social worker access to government files disclosing the whereabouts of E’s family. Due to his family’s continued state of extreme poverty, our social worker has recommended E. develop strong bonds with them from the safety of our children’s home until he completes his education. Our hope is that one day E. will return to his village as a capable Christian leader and make a positive impact that will bring new opportunities to his community.

It is our duty to prepare our children for the day when they will leave our home and enter the world. Part of that process is guiding them to discover who they are and where they come from. In E’s case, there was a happy family reunion. Unfortunately, for the majority of our children, their stories are so full of pain and their family members so dysfunctional that it will be a difficult process for them to assimilate the information. Initiating a relationship with some family members could be detrimental to the children. So as they develop, each child will be told more about their family on a timeframe our psychologist deems is appropriate. Within this safe and loving environment, they will be able to process and accept their difficult past. We trust God to redeem and restore their lives while he heals their hearts and allows us the privilege of shaping their future.

We give thanks to the Lord for your generosity. We have pledges of support totaling 70% of our 2018 budget. If you would like to help us care for orphaned and abandoned children, please click here.