“Among other things, I also like to play,” said a worker in this region. “It is while playing that I am best able to engage and communicate with children who have disabilities. Sometimes it is hard, and sometimes it is fun, but there is always a sense of God’s presence and love. That is what keeps me here.”
Recently, the staff of a small therapy center in this worker’s city discovered that she had professional training in working with physical and cognitive challenges. Of particular interest to them was her experience in working with the deaf. With her eager consent, they arranged a consultation with the family of a deaf child; a boy, four years old, named Othman.
“This boy had grown up without sign language,” the worker explained, “and the whole concept of language – that things can have names – was alien to him. The parents had long ago given up hope that their son would ever be able to speak, or to communicate what he was thinking, what he was feeling.” Despite the fact that the parents were not very enthusiastic or hopeful at first, she was convinced that God could change their hearts and perspectives.
“And so we sat down together, Othman and I, and began to play.”
It did not take long to discover what the boy liked. Shown various toys and snack foods, he consistently reached for toy cars and bananas. Fortunately, both were readily available! He and this worker played together and practiced signing words for different objects. By the end of the session Othman, hungry from his exertions, imperiously made the sign for banana and was, of course, immediately rewarded with one. The staff were amazed, and the parents were stirred with unexpected hope. They were also curious.
“I was asked, as I am often asked, why I keep coming to the small towns and villages in this region. I tell them, ‘I am here because God loves children with disabilities.’ This is a puzzling statement because they, like so many here, believe that God has cursed the disabled, or that he is punishing the mother for her sins. I tell them that God loves these children. I can see that this is a new thought for them.”
Pray for the disabled in East Asia to know their infinite worth in the eyes of God.
