From Weak to Strong
Written by Jessica Matthews, Director of Children's Ministries at the Village of Eden
"Come here. I want you to meet someone." I followed Dr. Brenda out of one of our church Sunday School rooms, weaving my way between patients. People were sitting everywhere, waiting to be seen at the free medical clinic we were conducting at the Village of Eden.
She led me into another room and walked up to a small, frail-looking girl that seemed to be about eight years old. She was very thin, even fragile. She sat with her head down, glancing up to catch a glimpse of us as we stood by her. You could see the fear on her face and in her body posture. Dr. Brenda introduced her, "This is Janet. I want her to come live with us at the Village of Eden."
She explained that Janet was 14 years old and suffered from a chronic disease and malnutrition. Her mother could not care for or give her the food and medical help she needed. Janet had also never attended school because of a lack of money for school fees and weakness due to her compromised health.
That conversation was in October 2014. Janet has been with us for the past eight years and has blossomed into a beautiful young woman. She is now 22 years old. Through Child Sponsorship, she has advanced to Primary 6 (the equivalent of 6th grade) and has learned the "Rs of school": reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Janet is a significant help to the housemothers at the Village of Eden Children's Home. She helps with the daily cooking, cleaning, and farming that is involved in the day-to-day activities of life in the village. She especially loves to help in the Baby Home and care for the infants.
Our hopes and prayers for Janet are that when she is ready to have a family and home of her own, she will be prepared to raise that family; that her time with us at the Village of Eden will have equipped her to be a godly woman, wife, and mother. We pray that she is an example in her village of how to raise a family that loves, fears, and serves the Lord.