A Time to Laugh and a Time to Weep

We are thrilled to introduce the newest five members of the HFLM family! In the past two months, we’ve welcomed Gaetan, Ishimwe, Hassan, and two brothers, Patrick and Jean Paul. Coming from backgrounds of child labor, abuse, neglect, and immense poverty, their newfound excitement about life has brought freshness and energy into our home.

From left to right: Patrick (4), Jean Paul (12), Ishimwe (12), Gaetan (11), Hassan (12)

While we have experienced much joy with the addition of these new personalities, we have also experienced great pain. During four-year-old Patrick’s first few weeks at HFLM, he expressed continued concern for his two-year-old sister, Sandrine, who was still living with their mom. Their mom is deaf and mute, and struggles to find work because of her disability. Begging to survive, the family often went without eating. Little Patrick’s genuine fear for his sister moved us and we knew we had to learn more.

Patrick and Jean Paul’s sister, two-year-old Sandrine lays unconscious in the hospital.

Our first interaction with Sandrine broke our hearts. She could not sit or hold her head up on her own because of severe malnutrition. And despite being two years old, her development mirrored an infant’s. Due to her critical state and her mom’s disabilities, HFLM decided to take Sandrine in to live with us temporarily until we could identify a more sustainable solution for her and her mom. A few days after her arrival, Sandrine lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital. There, she was diagnosed with cerebral malaria, a severe strain that enters the spine and brain, and she also suffered heart failure. She currently lays comatose in the hospital, experiencing seizures every few hours.

Patrick and Sandrine days before she was hospitalized.

Please join us in praying for a miracle for little Sandrine, as well as peace for her family and our staff. If you are interested in partnering with us to become a sponsor of one of these new children, please visit our website.

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