And a Little Child Shall Lead Them

I have been reading a book by Immaculee Ilibagiza titled ‘Led By Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide'. This is her second book regarding her restoration and survival after the genocide in Rwanda during 1994. I also read her first book, “Left To Tell”, which was more about her survival in the midst of the genocide.

There are few books I read that touch me as deeply as these have. I feel I can relate to Immaculee in reference to her walk with God. I would love to sit and have a talk with her. I have never been through such a terrifying experience as she has, but I am familiar with a similar fear, loss, and pain as she has experienced. I know what it feels like to mourn and grieve over loss, and wonder if you will ever recover from it.

I also have much to be joyful and hopeful for, as God has been to me a light in the darkness beyond what I could have ever imagined. I have experienced God’s provision in ways that are truly remarkable. He truly is a father to the fatherless. Immaculee has experienced this as well.

From reading her story, it seems Immaculee has a special place in her heart for children, as I do. After the genocide she frequently visited The Home of Hope, which is an orphanage in Kigali run by the Missionaries of Charity, the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. As she was recovering from the trauma of the loss of her family, she would find solace in giving her time as she offered some hope and happiness to these children. I was so moved as I imagined these poor children suddenly orphaned as a result of the genocide.

In one particular chapter, Immaculee tells of her experience regarding a simple prayer she prayed and the answer she received. One day as she was walking to the orphanage, she took a moment to reflect on the many soldiers that were everywhere as the country recovered from this atrocity. In her heart she said a simple prayer to God: “What could we do with an army, Lord? What war could we fight with love instead of guns?” She states that in this particular instance her answer came quickly. She writes, “A light flashed in my mind”: If I had an army, I’d bring it here to fight for the orphans.

The answer she received says a lot obviously about where God’s heart is. It is a sober reminder that generally the mind and heart of men is not one with the mind and heart of God. I imagined the chaos of a country trying to recover from such a nightmare, and all the dealings going back and forth among men. And then I thought in the midst of all the chaos, God wants to fight for the children. His heart is in no small way, with the children.

There are those though, that respond to God’s call in this area and they should be honored. However, I bet if you ask those that do this sort of work in any capacity, they would say the honor comes is in being trusted by God to care for these little ones. The privilege is reward enough.

I hope to visit an orphanage some day and spend some quality time with the children. I work with children now as my employment, and each day I am amazed at these little ones.

I was caring for a little boy of 4 a few years ago, and God spoke to me through this child I believe. I knew there was something unique and special about him. He had a discipline problem though, and yet I was still able to reach him with some consistency and patience. He was not getting this from his parents, and so I did what I could when I was with him. (There are many “orphans” in the world, some living in the same home as their own parents.) He respected me first, and after this was established I was able to reach him in other ways. He showed a particular aptitude for spiritual things and would often ask me questions about God. I couldn't’t believe the questions that he would ask me sometimes.

One day I was sitting on the floor with him trying to focus while playing with him, but my thoughts were elsewhere. He could immediately sense this. Without taking his eyes off of his trucks he simply said to me, “Cheri, rest, …..rest.” “You need rest.”

As adults I believe we at times underestimate the dignity and worth of each child in the eyes of God. Just because they are young and have yet to mature into adulthood, doesn’t mean they have nothing to contribute to those that care for them and society at large. Some cultures seem to understand this more it seems than we do in the West. Children have an ability to transform any situation with their innocence and innate joy. As Isaiah 11:6 prophesied, "... and a little child shall lead them."

I would also like to mention the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation. This is her website: http://www.cncf.org/

Christina Noble has also written a book titled ‘Bridge Across My Sorrows’ that is deeply moving as well. This woman spent a good portion of her childhood as a street child in Dublin, Ireland. She managed to rise from her ashes as well, and God made something beautiful from her suffering. She eventually opened two orphanages in Vietnam and Mongolia.
Please remember to pray and contribute in some way to the children suffering injustice throughout the world.


















“It is no small thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.” Charles Dickens

Angel Story?

I love to hear the personal stories of other people. When I meet someone new , I like to ask a lot of questions once I'm feeling more comfortable in our acquaintance. I try to be careful because I don't want to cross a line so the person will not think I'm being nosy or have an ulterior motive.

Whenever I go to a bookstore, I am often drawn to the biographies of other people. I sometimes go directly to the photos that are usually included. As they say, a photo can be worth a thousand words. I can sit right on the floor with coffee carefully placed on the shelf next to me, and get lost for a couple of hours in someone else's journey.

I seem to be in a phase where I'm telling some of my own personal stories. When we share our experiences with others I believe it adds a whole new dimension to our personal connection with other people. It reminds us we are not alone in the world. 

I was moving from the Midwest part of the country back to the East Coast. I was driving as I had to bring my car with me obviously. Just as I was leaving Missouri, a blizzard started on the East Coast. We have not had a storm like this since, and it is known around here as the Blizzard of '96 I believe. I had to stop in Ohio, and ended up spending 3 nights there as it simply wasn't safe to drive.

When I learned the interstate was cleared and safe for driving, I reluctantly continued on the rest of my journey. I probably could have waited another day, but I just wanted to get home. As I started out in Ohio, I heard this awful noise coming from my car, but I had no idea what it was. I had done many long distance drives before, but this alarmed me in a way as I didn't want to be stranded. Because of the sort of noise it was, I was concerned it could be serious.

I drove over to the side of the highway to look at the car. A couple of times I attempted to start out again, but the same noise was still there. Finally I simply said, "Jesus help me."
I went over to the side of the highway again, and suddenly looking up, I noticed a blue van parked in front me. I didn't see this van previously anywhere, and I hadn't even seen it pull over.

Of course my natural instinct was to be very careful....as I had no idea what this was about yet. I actually attempted to pull out and drive two more times, and every time I did, this van would pull out with me. When I went back to the side of the highway, this van did as well.

Finally with both my car and this van parked again, someone got out of the van and started walking toward my car. Two men followed behind, both smoking cigarettes. I thought this detail was humorous, if in fact this was a supernatural situation unfolding. They were all dressed in blue mechanics uniforms. The man who left the van first politely leaned over and asked if he could help me, as I pulled my window down just a little so we could speak. The other two men stayed behind him but didn't say anything to me. It seemed they were waiting to take orders, and that's it. The man who spoke to me seemed to have some sort of authority which I thought was interesting.

I told him my problem and he immediately suspected there was ice in my brakes, and told me not to worry. I felt a little silly, but I had never encountered such a noise before, so I really didn't know. He said that just in case it was something else, he would lead me to the nearest service station if I would follow him. He also told me the name of the station and exactly where we were going. He made a point of telling me that we were not going off any main roads, and that I would very easily be able to get back on the main highway.

I started out following them, and it was just as he had said. When I got to my destination I looked for them to say goodbye or wave but I did not see this van anywhere.

I'll never know for sure if these men were indeed angels, but I will always wonder. I'm not one to really even look for interaction with angels, but I have never been able to get past an inner knowing if you will that, in this case, they might have been.

Whether they were or not, the swiftness in which a prayer for help was answered is a beautiful testimony alone.

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." [Hebrews 13:2]