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“The Story of Jonas…a Little Slave Boy”

He had never had a mud hut (kay pay) that even the poorest Haitians have…Jonas slept alone, in a field.

He has never had “friends” to play with.

He has never slept in a bed.

He has never had a toy or a ball to play with.

He has never had a father or mother that loved him. They died when he was a baby.

He has never had a “childhood…” he never had a birth certificate, so he doesn’t know how old he is!

He has never taken a shower or had someone bathe him.

He has never eaten three meals a day, and what little he was given, it was never a “full meal.”

He has never received a small word of encouragement, such as “Jonas, you did a good job in the garden today.”

He has never “been a child” or played with a ball; he has never ridden in a car or a truck.

He has never gone to school, and he has never known how old he was!

He has never been to a doctor, and he never knew what a “band-aid” was!

He has never been to church or sang a Christian song…and when he was sick, he never had the loving arms of a mother or father to comfort him.

All Jonas has known all of his life was to “work in the garden,” with the big, huge heavy hoe (called a “wou.”)

Jonas was a “restavek slave,” working daily in the heat of the Haitian sun, using that heavy “garden hoe” to dig deep into the harsh ground. He would sometimes get “one half a meal a day,” and then, the landowners would say, “You are a waste of my food!”

He was conditioned to believe that his life “had no value” whatsoever.

But things are about to change for Jonas. When we took him out of the “garden” and tried to put him in our truck, the landowners started yelling at him, “The white people will eat you!” He was terrified!! We brought him to the Children’s Home. He arrived wearing dirty clothes and had cheap, plastic, rubber shoes with huge holes in them!!!

We brought him to our Love A Child home…and took him to be examined by our doctor. He had blood drawn and was terrified, but he was also terrified of the “band-aid” on his arm! We brought him in and showered him! He was so afraid because he couldn’t figure out “how it could rain on the inside?”

We gave him the best food the children love…but he couldn’t believe he could eat “three times a day.” It was the first time he had ever slept in a bed! When the children wanted to play ball, he never understood why they were kicking the ball or “how to get that ball into that hoop!”

He still is not understanding “hugs,” or even a small compliment like, “Jonas, you did a good job today, gathering the trash! Thank you!” Today, we will be getting a birth certificate for Jonas. (They will estimate his age and give him a birthdate.) With that, hopefully, we will put him in school. The Bible says, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth  up the beggar from the dunghill to set him among princes…” I Samuel 2:8

I don’t see how anyone could read this and see this little boy and not cry their eyes out…I have.

Sherry

 

 

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