Meet Esther!
Esther is a
sweetheart, soft spoken and with a gentle soul! She is very compassionate &
is the first to offer comfort when someone is hurt or upset. She loves the
color purple, jump roping and dancing with her sister Brenda! She is a good
helper around the house; her favorite things are helping with the dishes and
folding laundry! She is very inquisitive and loves going to our local school;
she is learning her numbers, shapes and colors now and loves to share what she
is learning with our family here! She has a beautiful heart and brings so much
joy to our family here at Rafiki!
History
Esther was abandoned
by her mother when she was really young & her father could no longer care
for both her & her older sister, Brenda (who is also with us here at
Rafiki!). Esther’s father was an alcoholic & he knew that he could no
longer care for them. She was neglected, severely malnourished, living in
poverty & dependent on her older sister at just 3 years old when she came
to us. When we first met Esther and her sister Brenda, they had only
each other to rely on. She was one of over 3 million destitute,
orphaned children living in the streets and slums of Uganda. But Esther is NO longer one of these children because she is now part of our
Rafiki family where she receives all the love and care she needs and deserves! 
Funky Facts!
Favorite… Color: Purple Animal: Hippo
Food:
Chicken and Rice
Game:
Jump Rope Activity:
Nature Walks
Volunteer Corner
Esther’s smile captivates me. The little space
in between her two front teeth, the almost dimples in her cheeks that stretch to
accommodate the big mischievous grin, the sweet laugh that bubbles forth all
make my heart stumble… It’s become our thing - she comes into the room, climbs
into my lap and pulls my face down to leave a sweet kiss there on my cheek and
then as my heart stumbles I lean in to snuggle into her neck while she giggles
and squirms.
It was just a
small thing, I would lean in and kiss her cheek while she would look up with a
question in her big brown eyes wondering why I found her sweet cheeks so
tempting. I remember the first time she pulled my face down to plant a kiss on
my cheek before I made the first move, my was heart stuttering and I was a
little teary eyed and baffled as she leaned back with a huge grin on her face
and then turned her cheek for me to leave a kiss there. It spoke of her complete
trust that I would stop what I was doing, accept her precious gift and make the
simple and yet vital gesture to kiss her check in return.
To have a child that
has a painful, broken past sink into my lap or reach up and grab my cheeks or come
stand next to me so that she can pull my arms around her and lean into my side
or as the tears slide down her cheeks to have her whisper in my ear that she
misses her father that has passed away from HIV/AIDS is all a glimpse of redemption
– her’s and my own. To see her physical and emotional trust in me, to know that she knows she can come to me with her joys (a picture she made for
me or a cool bug she found) and in the hurts (a skinned knee or the grief of a
lost parent) is hugely humbling and terribly beautiful.
I wonder how
often He “kisses my cheek”, blesses me, answers a prayer or looks on me with
deep joy and I just turn away in confusion or frustration or when I choose to believe
the fears and insecurities instead of His truth about me… I wonder if His heart
pounds a little harder or if the breath clogs up in His throat when I smile and
thank Him for the blessing, for the frustrating situation, for the moments of intimacy
with Him, for the times when I climb into His lap and pour out my broken heart.
It seems like
something small but it’s a glimpse of something much deeper, something so
beautiful. It’s a tangible glimpse of trust, of a relationship, of
communication and of love – for both her and for me.
Because how am I supposed
to share His love with her if she has never had a physical example of what love
looks like? How can I share with her about this Father that loves her so much,
that aches for her if she has never known someone that she can run to with her
joys and fears? How am I supposed to talk to her about how He gave His life for
her, how He choose to love her even when she didn’t deserve it if I don’t live
out my life as an example of this?
And so even
though the kisses are a small thing, just a few seconds and then she skips off
to the next thing in her day, they leave me with a taste of the holy. They are
a reminder of what I want my life to be a testament of – His love and pursuit
of us even when we don’t deserve it, declaring that His grace is sufficient for
covering all my weaknesses.
Her smile
captivates me and reminds me of how deeply loved she and I both are by Him.
Support
Staff
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For the next few weeks we will be posting stories of all the
kids here at Rafiki Africa Ministries (RAM). We want to give these kids a
voice. There are more struggling kids here in Uganda than anyone is able to
count. Here are the stories of 13 kids who's lives were changed by God through
the work of RAM. We want to make you a part of this work, there is so much love
and joy overflowing out of the Rafiki Home and we want you to experience this
through these stories. We hope you can get to know the kids through these
updates and we pray that you will fall in love with them just as we have. Be a
part of the changes God continues to make in the lives of these kids. Make a
difference. Spread the word.
