I had never seen a child as malnourished as this one. This little boy looked about eight or nine. He hardly had any hair, his arms were dangling at his side, and he had the face of an old man and no color. I asked his father how old he was and he said, “Fifteen.”

Fifteen? No, it could not be possible a child this small could be fifteen, but it was true. He talked and acted much older than I thought he was. He sat on my lap as I tried to assess him… He said, “Well, I went to first grade and the kids beat me up. But, a person without an education is like a blind man, walking in the dark!”

We brought him back to our orphanage. It took a long time to remove the water from his body (Kwashiorkor). He slowly got better, went to school, and graduated. Today, Pistache (which means “Peanut”) takes care of the lawn and area around our Love A Child office. He is always very kind, loves the Lord, and causes no trouble. Bobby, whom he calls “Poppie,” always teases Pistache about a “girlfriend.” Pistache always tells Poppie Bobby, “Not me! They do nothing but take your money!” Ha!

Pistache loves Church… is a quiet person, and is thankful he was rescued. He may go to college someday, or he may stay in “yard maintenance…” He is the only child we have ever had who was “a child sitting on my lap, acting like an adult.” We are glad the Lord sent him our way!!! Everyone loves Pistache!

Sherry