“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them. For the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.” – Jesus, Matthew 19:14
Meet Fred, our six-year-old neighbor. Fred was born without a tibia in his right leg. Due to the complexity of surgery in Rwanda, his leg was removed from the knee down. His family’s poverty made it impossible to get a prosthetic. To add to Fred’s hardship, many Rwandans have a fear of those with disabilities. Fred has never had friends. He says of his community, “They call me names, run from me, beat me, and throw rocks at me.”
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| Click here to watch Fred's story |
Upon sharing Fred’s story with our boys, they immediately resonated. They, too, have known loneliness and rejection. They decided to befriend Fred and “show him how to make cars, draw, and build legos.” Benjamin even suggested we fix our old wheelchair so Fred could use it.
On Fred’s first play date, our boys had so much fun they invited him to a sleepover! He has spent every weekend since playing with his new friends. Fred’s mom recently called and said, “Fred never used to talk before, but now when he comes home from HFLM, he is like a radio! He wants us all to stop what we are doing and sit around him. Then he tells us everything about his time at HFLM from the second he arrived to the second he left. He said returning home is hard because it feels like he’s leaving heaven.”
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| Fred and his wheelchair. |
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| Fred with his new friends. |
Update on Sandrine: The road ahead is long, as Sandrine has suffered severe brain damage. She is not expected to regain her eyesight or the motor skills she previously possessed. We hope to see small improvements over the next months and continue to work with her family to find the best long-term solution.
