Blessing's Story

Known Background

It was early October of 2009 in a nearby city where concerned citizens brought a woman into the police station after they had found her wandering around in the streets with a baby not more than 2 months old. The woman was unable to communicate and not able to feed or care for the baby in any way. The police immediately contacted social welfare and social welfare realized the woman was not mentally stable and unable to care for the child.  She was unable to answer the simplest of questions, including her own name. It was at this time that the baby was taken to a nearby hospital and the mother was placed under the care and supervision in the psychiatric ward of the hospital.  Shortly after, the mother left the hospital, her name and whereabouts unknown, even now almost 4 years later. The nameless child was sent to an orphanage in Ndola, Zambia where he has been to date.

He was given the name “Blessing” and all his documents with social welfare refer to him as “baby Blessing”. After speaking to the director of the orphanage and observing Blessing at the orphanage, I soon realized that he had trust issues with visitors. This of course wasn’t much of a surprise to me being that pretty much everyone in his life thus far has been transient. I remember thinking how the idea of family, love and a sense of belonging must be such an unknown concept. The thought of that broke my heart. I wondered how he must feel as he sees other children have family visit them or take them away from this place. I knew that even at the age of 3, he must have been starting to question his identity and even sense of belonging. The place where he stays is more of a transitional home but unlike many of the children he had no one to claim him. And out of all the children in the home, he is the only one that doesn’t have any known family and the only one available for adoption. 

As I began to visit more often we quickly formed a bond. It happened much quicker that I expected and it was a powerful thing, hard to even explain in words. In the beginning he was very possessive of me and didn’t want to share my affections with any other. He use to cry uncontrollably when I left the orphanage and that would break my heart. No matter how many times I told him I’m coming back, he didn’t believe me.  He would cling to my neck or leg until one of the workers pulled him off me. Uhhhh!! The agony of those moments for us both was nearly unbearable. How I wanted to just take him with me…. Home….where he belonged. How I wanted to comfort and reassure him, but it was impossible. Days, weeks and months went on and he finally realized that I was not one of the visitors just passing through. He realized that I was coming to see him, that I loved him and that somehow we belonged to each other. When I visit now, as soon as he knows I have arrived he runs with all his might for me, laughing it pure delight and excitement that I have come for him again. I lift him into my arms and he buries his head into me, squeezing me tight and then looks into my eyes with the biggest smile and then hugs me even harder as if he is realizing I am not just a figment of his imagination.  Now, my heart just longs for the day when we are forever together. When I can shower him with hugs and kisses, every moment of every day. The day when he finally realizes that he has a forever family where he is loved and belongs. I am amazed to see how God has been working in this whole process. How he has been preparing us both for that day and how he has orchestrated events so perfectly. It would be easy to look at the “hiccups” and disappointments I have walked through, even in this process but I know that God is intimately involved and his timing is best. According to social welfare, Blessing should be with me next week. I am so excited to see what God has in store but I am also scared.  I am sailing in what is uncharted territory for me but the One at the helm knows where he is taking me and I can rest in the fact that even if I face rough seas, He will get me through to a place where he has destined me to go, a place of paradise…and the journey is necessary in order to reach the port of call. Lord help me, I need you now it what seems like more than ever. Help me keep my eyes on you and trust you in all things.  Thank you for blessing me with this little “Blessing”.  Our story has just begun!!