I just returned from a walk around the village with little Bernard G. He's actually 8 years old but he is considerably smaller than his younger sister. Bernard's family is still alive but they have very severe challenges and simply cannot care for their children. While Bernard was still at home, his parents would dig a hole to keep him in the house while they were off looking for food. I don't know all the details, but he came to New Hope severely malnourished, unable to walk, and unable to talk. When the New Hope staff took him to the doctor, he was too frail to receive the vaccines he needed. The doctor told the New Hope staff to bring Bernard back after a week of good nutrition and if he were still alive then the doctor would feel safe about giving Bernard the medicines he needed. That was 3 years ago.
Cecilia, one of the staff members, was telling me about the day Bernard learned to walk about a year ago. He had been crawling with his hands for two years because his legs were not strong enough to walk. One day, as the other residents of New Hope were returning from school, Bernard was outside and pulled himself up on one of the fences. Suddenly, he began running towards the students who were returning. As Cecilia tells it, there was not a dry eye among the 130 people who live at New Hope.
On my first day here at New Hope, Bernard began making his first sounds "Baa baa". I just returned from a long walk around the village with him and, with much concentration, he is getting better at those sounds. He's a very interesting kid. He giggles and gurgles all the time and is always moving quickly.
Thinking about Bernard being left in a hole all day and also not being able to speak at age 8, Psalm 40 comes to mind:
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
When Bernard squeaks out a new sound, he and everyone around him celebrates with wild enthusiasm. He tries so hard and his seemingly small victories are actually quite significant. It reminds me of our feeble attempts to follow God. While most days are characterized by failure, He celebrates with each of our small victories along the way.
Hearing Bernard's story and spending these couple of days with him, I realize that there might not be any more noble and satisfying way to spend a life than to simply spend time loving people like Bernard.
I cannot stress enough how much your financial gift will help Bernard and the other children at New Hope. The people at New Hope may be the most generous people I've ever met. In just a few days, I've seen several people come with a need and New Hope never says "no". Bernard shares a bed with a boy named David in a building about the size of my garage that houses probably 30 boys. Imagine 30 young boys wetting the bed and what that smells like. It would be easy to say that New Hope should not allow these boys to live this way. But then you remember that without New Hope, Bernard would most likely not be alive today and that these conditions are a significant improvement for each child. And yes, the staff at New Hope is planning to improve the boys dorm. It will cost about $3,000. Please make a donation through SimpleSizeMe today. Your gift will go straight to Bernard and the other children at New Hope.
(p.s. - It takes about 30 minutes to upload a photo with this connection. I've got a lot of great photos and will post them as I am able)
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