God's Work Displayed

 

“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” “ (John 9:1-3)

Here in Magdalena, I’m learning that many people here believe that disabled children exist because they or their parents are sinful. They’re seen as less valuable and less human, and so they’re often shut away at home and kept out of sight of the community. But little by little, the SI special education school is changing that. The school’s leader, Brenda, sets an example for how these people ought to be treated by showing them love, kindness, and patience with every interaction she has with them. The school has been open and taking students since 2015, and its success shows the people of Magdalena that these are people that are worthy of dignity and respect, and that they deserve an education as much as neurotypical people do. Not only are the local people beginning to realize this, but the students themselves do as well through the gospel-filled lessons Brenda teaches them. They raise their hands in worship and praise the God who loves them most of all. In their devotional time they learn about His love and mercy towards them. He created them just as they are – not a single mistake was made. Being with them in these times calls to mind the beauty of the Gospel: so incomprehensible it confounds even the most learned scholars, yet so simple a child can grasp it. And I do believe that these students grasp it, each in their own way.

Another way that Brenda’s love for these students makes itself apparent is in the home visits she does every Friday afternoon. The purpose of these visits is twofold: it allows Brenda to better understand the home life of the students, but it also shows both the student and their parents just how much she cares for them. She intentionally sets aside time to get to know them, encourage them, and pray for them – the very picture of what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We went with her on her last visit to see Selvin, a student we’ve gotten to know well over the past week. Though he doesn’t say much, Selvin reminds me quite a bit of the way my younger brother was when he was a child. He mostly repeats things that other people have said to him, can’t leave the house without his favorite hat, collects toy cars and motorcycles (and can tell when one is missing right away) …I could go on! We stayed for about an hour while Brenda talked to his mom about her health and her work selling bread from their window and woven handbags in the marketplace. All the while, Selvin busied himself with showing us every motorcycle in his collection and all the photos in his photo album. When we prayed for him and his mom, I couldn’t help but notice many similarities between her and my own mother as well. Both are hard-working and tired, but they love their sons deeply and desire above all else to make life even just a little bit better for their sons. And when I returned to my homestay after the visit that afternoon, I shed tears of joy knowing that while the world can be an unkind place to people like Selvin and my brother, it is also full of the God who sees them, knows them, and loves them beyond anything we can comprehend.

-          Jessy Leroy