Esther

Last week I attended a graduation celebration for one of our projects. This was a group of 50 churches who have been studying how to help their community - it includes a little bit of theology (what role does the church have in the community from a Biblical perspective) and some practical ways to make a difference. After the education sessions they write action plans and we walk beside them for a year as they begin to implement them and we also give them a little bit of seed money for these projects. We asked these groups to focus on at risk youth and compassionate care for the sick.

At the graduation ceremony there was a girl around the age of five running around. She came up to me and we played for a little bit. She had long brown hair, big brown eyes and an adorable smile (though she was lacking most of her teeth in the front on top and bottom). One of the staff later told me her story.

They told me she is living with her grandmother. Her father is an alcoholic and often beats her mother. When this would happen, the little girl would throw herself out the window to make it stop - I guess this was a distraction technique and I imagine that is how she lost her teeth because it didn't look like they'd fallen out naturally. She had done this many times and since they were on a top floor, she would get hurt. That isn't the worst of it.

This five year old girl was gang raped by 4-5 boys. The boys were only 10 and 11 years old. I could have cried. Esther did not have parents to protect her from this hurt. What happened to those boys that they would even come up with such a thing so young? The situation is absolutely tragic.

Please pray for Esther and her family. Pray for her future. Pray for healing for all of those involved. Pray for the grandma who is now raising a 5 year old in her old age. I never know what the right response is in situations like these.

The best thing I know to do is challenge the local church (made up of individuals like you and me) to invtervene in such difficult circumstances. Not to cast judgement, but to give hurting people a place to belong and hopefully find healing. If you are a church attender, there are likely hurting people in your congregation. Is your church a welcome place where they can find refuge and relationship?