The woman in the picture you see in this post is Nancy. She approached me at the distribution today and told me of her troubles in broken English. As she shifted her child around I could tell something was wrong with the baby. He was 21 months old and a twin. His twin sibling, who had been the healthy one, passed away at 9 months. Reagan, this baby she held in her arms was suffering from spina bifida and was paralyzed. She graciously let me hold her sweet child as Jennifer translated for me to learn more about her situation. No power for 2 months, her child would not eat, and her husband had left due to the embarrassment he felt for having a child with a disability.
Today that sweet child received a bed to lie on. No it’s not the medical care we have at our fingertips back home, it’s not the power that most of us forget some can’t flip a switch to get, and it wasn’t the proper nutrition for her child that we walk into a store and pick up each day…but it was a start. You could see the pain and hurt in her eyes. You could hear the worry in her voice, and you could feel the desperation of her heart. Nancy was just one story of desperation, sorrow, and sadness that would repeat itself throughout the day.
They deserve for their stories to be told. We all deserve our stories to be told. It only takes one person to listen to make a difference. I ask you to lift up Nancy and Reagan in prayer tonight and every night. And no, you don’t need to go halfway around the world to hear someone’s story. I’ll bet that there is someone very close to you that is just waiting for ears to listen and a heart to feel moved. I ask that you pray that you will hear someone’s story that needs to be told. Pray that you will look into their eyes and open your heart to feel empathy and compassion, and that you leave them better than when you found them.
Allyson Schwab, Sweet Sleep team member
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