He was lost and now is found…

Ahhh…the stories, the characters and our attempt at triumph over defeat.  It was only last fall when Alex and I began the search for a brother that had been missing…  he had left the village as a teenager without anyone knowing.  Mama was heartbroken for years.  What had happened to him?  Was he alive or dead?

On the long journey between Addis where the airport is and the village of Arjo in the countryside, we stopped at many small cities and asked if they had seen him.  A long shot.  Alex loved his brother and it was important we didn’t give up easily.  We prayed a lot and our hearts were heavy with the hope of reuniting mama with her son, brother with brother.  Miraculously, one time when we stopped and described him, someone thought they knew who we were talking and after some driving around and rabbit trails, we found him.  God helped us find the lost brother in a city we had never stopped in before.  Complete Joy.  We were on our way out of the country so we left just a few things with him, snapped some pictures for mama and took with us the hope of returning to see him for a visit.

We did just that.  In January we picked up “J” on our way home and shared with him a sweet reunion with his family and the village.  He stayed with us for the 40 days, helping us, connecting with everyone and teaching me so much about being an over comer, about forgiveness and love.

What’s unusual about J is that he is mostly deaf.  He can not hear any normal conversation.  Despite being extremely smart and capable, he was never given the opportunity to go to school.  He was never seen by a doctor to check the health of his hears or what possibilities there might be to “fix them”.  Even worse, even though some close family members loved him, others often treated J like he didn’t have any mental capability and was less than everyone else.

Despite his deep wounds and heartache, J loved anyway.  He gave the best smiles and he often reminded me, in his own sign language that he had created in the village, that even when it hurts, you have to give it to God.  It was surprisingly easy to “talk” with him and I often understood him well.  Really?  Living in a community where you are under appreciated at best, never given an opportunity to live to his fullest potential and still he smiles and makes us laugh!

J loves to “talk” on the video so I have a couple to share of him telling us stories…he would so be happy knowing you all want to “know” him.  In just the 40 day visit this time, I was able to teach him  hand sign for the alphabet, we practiced writing all of the letters (they use the same letters we do) and what was most incredible about this was that all of the other children watched him learn and for the first time were exposed to the idea that he and others who can not hear are smart…can learn and can add value.  I wrote with him and later watched him write his name for the first time.  FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.  It makes me sob even now as I write this…excuse me for a moment.  Deep breath.

I want to help J.  I want to know if his ears are healthy, if there is anything reasonable that could be done and/or if he would benefit from a hearing device.  I’m working on these possibilities for him.  What’s more is that I want these opportunities for others, especially other young children in our village.  I want the families to know that these children can still learn.  There is even a school in Nekempte just a couple hours away for little kids.  I want our medical college student to begin learning now ways to intervene with ear issues.  I am preparing in faith for this reality.

This is what I need for our hearing opportunities in the future.
1)  Ostoscope (to check in ears)
2)  Audiometer (to evaluate hearing and can operate on our solar)
3)  Small tools/supplies for cleaning
4) More training/suggestions on what to do with bleeding or sick ears
5) We are working on a solar or rechargeable hearing aids

Often time these ideas and dreams are birthed from what is needed in the village.  We have gone deep with a few families and about 36 kids and counting.  I am so thankful that each time there is a need, God provides and shows up.  If you have some connections that might help us with these needs for J or for the village, please message me.  Most of all, let J bless you with the gift of encouraging you to give your pain to God and learning to laugh and love in spite of the story you were given.  Make your own path and leave the pain behind.

Hugs,
Jen