He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives; they are forgotten by travelers; they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
Job 28:4
Say nǐ hǎo to Ah-Yu.
She is an orphan. The best guess is that she has cerebral palsy; nobody at the orphanage knows with any certainty. Ah-Yu is my ‘Lineman’.
The Peizheng English teachers and I are at a local orphanage to spend time with the forgotten chosen.
These overlooked Chinese children, abandoned by parents, are deemed useless, wasteful. However, GOD saves them out of nowhere fields (birth mothers leave them there) and graciously puts them into orphanages. We serve these children of God with games of tag and hide and seek.
We bathe, dry and comfort the little ones in our arm with genuine hugs, kisses, clean blankets and plenty of love.
He called a little child to him and placed the child among them.
Matthew 18:2-6
And He said: “…whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
Ah-Yu is too young to realize her world. She is so quiet yet oh so restless.
Her tiny body is tense and wired. Cerebral Palsy tightens muscles which makes it difficult for her to relax the body. Her little-bitty fingers are so tightly curled into her palm, especially the thumbs, that is seems impossible to loosen her digits.
Oh, her head, too. Her neck cannot withstand the weight of her head.
When I cradle head and body in my arms Ah-Yu’s head at times bends
backward so far that I cringe. I do my best though. It seems to bother me more than her. As I gently carry her it becomes apparent that little Ah-Yu enjoys seeing life looking up and going backward.
She smiles. I weep.
As she tires I lay her down in crib. Ah-Yu’s body is still wired, active and awkwardly fidgeting. I hold her tiny hand and gaze into her eyes.
My weeping turns into a full-blown cry. I talk to God out loud.
My GOD, this is not fair. Why has she been forgotten?
Please GOD, give me the power to heal her and find her a home.
Of course, I cannot. I do, however, the best I can with my limited resources.
This resource is my smartphone loaded with music.
As little Ah-Yu jiggles, twists and turns in her crib I decide to play Glen Campbell’s beautiful ballad “Wichita Lineman”.
It works. She is beginning to sleep. Her tiny Chinese eyes become smaller as they hide behind lids. Twitching stops and soft snores replace the lyrics.
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line.
∞
My Dear GOD, sometimes song lyrics touch my heart
as much as Your word. Please watch over her. Keep her in Your fold.
Her life is limited, but yours limitless. Bring her into Your Kingdom.
Thank you GOD for giving me Your comfort so, I can give Ah-Yu mine.
Thank you for Glen Campbell, too.
Amen!
October 8, 2013 at 10:52 am CDT