AMBER ALERT

When Ian and I landed in the US a couple of weeks ago we picked up a US “burner” phone - a pay-as-you go phone that allowed our kids and our US office to reach us while on American soil.  Within a few hours of activating the phone we received and “Amber Alert” ( https://www.amberalert.gov).  Suddenly our hearts sank and we got that sick feeling in our stomachs.  Who’s child has been gone missing?  Where is the child?  What is happening to that child now?

I remember when Chloe was 3-years-old and we were at Disney World there was a very loooooong five minutes that we couldn’t find her, which seemed like an eternity.  While trying not to panic, the worst fear(s) that I have ever experienced  erupted over my whole body like a volcano.  When we found her (not 15-feet away), I wept with relief and swore to never let her out of my sight again.

The reason I tell you this is that I am struggling with events that happened in Swaziland this past week.  Within three days, we received three baby boys.  One (estimated) 11-month-old was found by police crawling on the side of the road. One (estimated) 3-month-old was left in a “mushroom daycare” (see blog http://janinemaxwell.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-is-mushroom-daycare-you-might-not.html) and the third child (15-months-old) was found being cared for by his 5-year-old brother – their mother had been long gone. 

What happened to “Where is my child”???  HELP!  SOMEONE HELP ME FIND MY BABY!?

Child's face is blocked as the mother is still being sought by police. Those chubby cheeks are from malnutrition, not fat.

But no, three babies left alone in three different locations within three days. 

I am not writing in judgment of the mothers who abandoned theses babies, but I just can’t seem to reconcile it in my head and heart knowing the feeling that I felt in Georgia upon receiving the “Amber alert” for a child unknown to me personally.  What has to have happened to a woman to lose her motherly instinct to protect her child at all costs? What has to have happened to have a mother think that leaving her 11-month-old on the side of the road is better than keeping him with her?  We often hear it said that the moral fabric of Swazi society has unraveled, but this seems to be at a different level of darkness.

Thankfully El Roi, the God who sees, saw these three and rescued them from possible human predators, dogs, snakes, exposure, hunger and death.  Each of them has been placed with us through the Social Welfare department and each one has begun their individual journey to health and healing. 

And now, these children are our responsibility,  a total of 170 children, under the age of 7.  How did that happen?   Every now and then I look at Ian and say, “What were we thinking?”  And he reminds me that this was God’s plan, not our plan.  That is an understatement, and the truth.

It costs approximately $225/month for each and every child we care for. That is $2,700/year.  We have 81 full time staff caring for our children including day shift, night shift, cooks, cleaners and Supervisors.  We can’t do this without the support of people like you. Maybe today is the day that you will help support one of these three little boys who have been left by their own mothers.  Will you help us provide them with love, food, clothing and all the care they need?

Please help in the US.

Pleas help in Canada.

 

Live from Morocco … we are having a wonderful holiday, but missing our children today.

Janine

PS - we named the little guy in the photo "Zacchaeus". He is the one found on the side of the road. Many of you will know of another Zacchaeus who was found on the side of the road, and saved.