Celemephilo.

Timbutini care point. The sun is
beating down. As usual, half of my team is sitting under the tree outside the
church.The kids are laughing and asking us our names in a circle over and over.
They’re jumping and running, lost in the afternoon. I look up to find my eyes
fixed on a shirtless little boy with his belly pushing outward in hunger. His
green pants are torn and dusty, barley able to stay up. He has scars and
scratches all over his body along with oozing sores on his head. The flies are
surrounding him and there is fear in his eyes. I ask him his name in siSwati
and he replies, “Celemephilo”.

The “Make” (pronounced “mah-geh”, meaning mother) Tuli
at the care point told me she’s never seen the boy before, but she knows his
mother and his homestead. After talking with Zenele our translator, she clearly
remembered his story.

Celemephilo has a ‘make’, grandfather, and siblings. He does not know his
age although he looks about 7 years old. His homestead isn’t far from the church. His ‘make’ had an affair with a
married man and lives apart from him here in Timbutini. Celemephilo lived with
his father and stepmother up until December but was then sent to live with his
mother. This stepmother hated the boy, couldn’t stand him as he was not her own
child. Neighbors have reported cases of
Celemephilo stealing food, most likely due to hunger and his grandfather wanted
to send him back to his father. His ‘make’ beats him to what seems no end,
resulting in him sleeping in the bush. In turn, her father beats her from her
lack of disciplining Celemephilo.

Never forsake your children.

So I think, what can I possibly do? Zenele took me and a couple girls to
speak to Celemephilo’s grandfather and ‘make’. We sat on the straw mats while
she translated their confusion as to why this boy would be afraid of coming
home. They asked us if we would please pay the public transportation fare for
the boy and grandfather to go back to his father. But what is true? What if the
boy is beaten there too? What if he is abandoned no matter where he goes? Where
does he belong? Where can he be safe? The clouds were quickly rushing over us.
We told them we didn’t feel comfortable making an immediate decision and would
plan to return later in the week.

My God is more than enough.

Tuli has been taking care of Celemephilo the past few days. More locals are
getting involved and taking off some of the pressure. How could I make such a
choice? I think, who am I? This family wants white American girls to make a
decision that could impact this boys life for the rest of his life. Again, what
possibly can I do?

God says, “Love”. That’s it. That’s all I will do. Who am I? I am
the hands of Christ. I will feed him, he’s hungry. I will clothe him, he’s
naked.