This is the text of an email Suzy just sent to me and others... Thanks be to God Suzy listens to and follows God's marching orders. May I also do so ...
“DE TIMBO A TAMBO”
This is an hondurenismo which means something like “here, there and everywhere.” Today I brought home a 13-yr-old girl named Maria Olimpia who has been clearly “de timbo a tambo” for the past few years! Her mother died during the birth of the last child when Olimpia was two years old. After being passed around among relatives for awhile, the children (5, I think) ended up at Social Services, and then were assigned to a children’s home. Olimpia spent 11 years there. As she entered pre-adolescence, she began to hang around with some rebellious older girls. This part of the story is a bit unclear, but the center sent her back to Social Services, promising to come and get her “when she could behave better.” They never came to get her. L Last year in January (2012), Social Services and the Children’s Court assigned her to a center downtown, the one where Jasmin stays when she is trying get off drugs. It’s a center for ADULTS, and not just any adult: adults who have spent time on the streets, who are on drugs/alcohol, who have worked the streets, etc . It is hard core. When I met Olimpia there two weeks ago, my jaw dropped. What was this beautiful CHILD doing in this place??? I started asking questions. David Gradiz went to Social Services and asked questions. And so the cycle of evasion began. Having had some experience with this cycle, I began to pray. I became increasingly frustrated, and couldn’t sleep well knowing this child was in that place. This morning during my devotional time, the LORD clearly gave me marching orders: “Don’t wait any longer. Go get Olimpia.” So I went to Social Services first and told them I wanted to be Olimpia’s foster mom. They said that was fine, and that it would take at least three weeks to do the paperwork. “Can’t you give me a note today so that I can take her home in the meantime?” I asked so very sweetly. “Absolutely not,” I was told, “But if the center downtown wants to let you take her, that would be fine.” That sounded like permission to me. J
I called David and Evelyn and told them I was going downtown to get Olimpia. Evelyn told me to stop by the office and get a paper for the center to sign, saying they had released her to me. So I went to Dony’s office and we put together a paper, but when he was about to push the Print button, the electricity went off! He turned pale, and I just about died laughing. “I guess the Lord doesn’t need a paper,” I said, and took off again to look for Olimpia.
When I got to the center, I visited with Jasmin for awhile, and then asked if Olimpia was ready to go. She had not been told anything, but ran to get her three plastic bags of worldly belongings. I walked over to the office and asked if I needed to sign something. “No,” I was told. “How nice that you are taking her.”
Olimpia talked my ears off all the way through downtown, out to Casa Lamb where I picked up Elsa and her new guinea pig (today is her birthday!), and where Olimpia could be greeted by Amanda, and then all the way to our house. It wasn’t “typical teenaged chatter,” as she spilled out different things that had happened to her during her life. I have come to appreciate my dull life in Barnwell! Good heavens – the stuff these children endure! She had spaghetti, a peanut butter sandwich, chocolate milk, and ritz crackers for supper. She says they ONLY, EVER eat rice and beans at the safehouse downtown. I would have gnawed my knuckles off!
Pretty incredible, even for someone like me who has picked up lots of children from different places – and once again I can only say, “The LORD has His eye on the sparrow.” Let the healing begin!
And here is our other new family member: MooMoo! Elsa is over the moon. Me, too – I’m in love again with the Lord of lost 13-yr-olds and just-turned-10 lovebugs with guinea pigs. J
Celebrating Jesus,
Suzy
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.