Tears of grief

I met "Emmanuel," a 7-year-old, about a week after I arrived in Nigeria. He had been falsely accused of being in the Secret Society. Nevertheless, his relatives wanted to kill him in order to protect themselves. God intervened, and Emmanuel was rescued by one of our volunteers and brought to Gidan Bege. Emmanuel is one of our most joyful boys, always singing and playing. One day at camp he was very downcast, but he would not tell me what was wrong. Then he suddenly broke down in tears, sobbing. I sat down with him and held him, waiting until he could speak. "My grandmother said I cannot go home. She said Uncle Elisha (our leader) is now my father. My mother is dead. My father is dead. I am alone. It is only me. And I cannot go home." And then he broke down and wept. After talking with him, I learned that he last saw his grandmother seven months ago, before being brought to Gidan Bege. Emmanuel had become homesick while at camp and wanted to be with his grandmother. I was reminded that these boys are hurting and lonely, and many of them do not know how or choose not to share their feelings. I thank the Lord that Emmanuel trusted me with his pain.