I just started reading a book written by a Wycliff translator in the jungles of Papau New Ginea. In her first month living with the primitive tribe she witnessed a witch doctor pronounce an eleven year old boy dead. While this translator and her friend went to watch the burial they saw the boy moving as they lowered him into the grave. She cried out in english to the tribal chief, “He is alive, we can still save him! Let me help!”. The chief didn't understand her english but shooed her away from the burial. Her and her friend watched helplessly as the tribe buried the boy believing that his spirit had left him even though he was still moving. The emotional trauma caused them to fly to the nearest base to recover and deal with the realization that they were helpless to change the outcome of the boy's life. In time they returned and had years and years of ministry with this tribe, teaching them to read and write in their own language.
I read this story Sunday night before turning off my light and tucking in the mosquito net. As I drifted to sleep I heard Dan get up to check on a mysterious noise. Withing minutes I heard screaming and crying and people shouting in my house. I got up to find Sumaiya, our “foster child” and her distraught mother in my front room. Sumaiya had run away from her mom yet again and had almost gotten shot by our guard trying to come into our house. Her mother was in a frightened rage. We sat down and tried to piece together what had happened through a translator. This girl who we had tried to help by housing her for two weeks was now unwilling to live with her mother. She wanted to live with us forever. Dan and I looked on helplessly as her mother pulled her to her feet to take her home. The mother and translator basically had to drag Sumaiya by her arms to the street as Sumaiya screamed the whole way. My kids woke up wondering why Sumaiya was screaming. It was horrible. We went back to bed after they left but sleep wouldn't come. I felt like the Wycliff lady watching the death of a child she was helpless to save. Dan and I prayed for Sumaiya and her mom and finally went to sleep.
The next morning Sumaiya's mom was back asking us to let Sumaiya live with us permanently. The girl was refusing any other place to live. Even though she has numerous relatives in her stubbornness she wouldn't hear of going anyplace but with us. I struggled so greatly during this tranlsated exchange with her mom. A part of me wanted to pull Sumaiya on my lap and show her what a “normal” family should be. But another part of me knew that because she isn't an orphan and her mom stole her from her dad, we would have no legal ability to keep her. On top of that Sumaiya is a typical rebellious seven year old that I struggled with the two weeks she lived with us. I sighed in frustration at the situation we now found ourselves in.
Like the Wycliff translator I feel emotionally drained by this situation. Helpless to do anything for Sumaiya who herself is unwilling to quit running away when she gets mad. I want to tell her mom the same thing as the translator, “I can help her...I can save her.” Except it dawned on my today that I can't. There is nothing in my power apart from Christ that I can do to change Sumaiya's circumstances. She will most likely be returned to her father's village and be raised muslim, married at 14. Dan and I know that God allowed Sumaiya into our life for a reason. He didn't do it to frustrate us. We gave her love while we had her, what more could we do? The hard lesson is that we can't help everyone. There are kids all around our depressed neighborhood who need clothing, food, drinking water, school fees and most of all loving parents. I want to scream at my inablility to help sometimes. Yet like the Wycliff translator I can't abandon this culture or give up. We may be given years of fruitful ministry and service by God here in Uganda or He might send us home tomorrow. Our job is to serve faithfully either way. We will continue helping the “Sumaiyas” that God puts in our lives to the best of our ability and trust that God has it worked out. Please pray for our discouragement to be short lived and for Sumaiya to still see God's hand in her life.
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