A Friend Loves At All Times

I've written to you before about the sadness my staff and I feel when one of our children leaves this earth.  But there's another dimension to this loss which we don't always expect to find in a home where many disabled children are barely able to communicate.  It reminds me of how little we may know about what's going on in the minds of children such as this.

A few days ago I received a message from our Xining Children’s Home which told me that another of our little angels has gone to heaven. Zhao Zi Qiao came to us in 1997 when he was about 18 months old.  He had cerebral palsy and heart problems.  A week ago his heart seemed to be failing and medical staff had to resuscitate him several times.  Each time, he struggled to breathe and our staff said he was a brave little boy who fought hard to stay alive.  But at 10:43pm last Thursday he left us peacefully, and without any pain.

The staff at the Home were his friendly care-givers but Zi Qiao had his own special friend, another little boy called Dajinniu, who also has cerebral palsy and severe vertebral malformation. He cannot sit in a wheel chair, and lies in a bent position most of the time. He is dependent on others for everything. He can only eat blended food and his physical growth has been slow.

Communication for the two boys was difficult, but the morning after Zi Qiao had died, CA staff member, Elfy, emailed that Dajinniu was crying and holding tightly to her hand.  She said: `I think he knew that his friend had left.  So we told him that Zi Qiao had gone to his Father in heaven, a place where there is no pain.’

So I want to ask you, when you pray for our children and our staff at times like this, to also pray for the little friends that have been left behind.  Proverbs 17:17 says, `A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’  Zi Qiao and Dajinniu were truly brothers in their short time of adversity.  But we are comforted that one day they will be together again, united and happy for all time.

My friends, thank you for praying.