Vol.11
Solina…
Pretty name; 3 and a half years old; had a high fever, had a seizure,
went into the hospital for 3 days.
Everyone gathered to pray for her.
Friday night: special prayer went out as all of the kids prayed and
asked God to heal her.
It is early
Sunday morning.
Just got the news that Solina is with Jesus. He called her home.
There is sadness and shock all around. She is the first orphan to die
from POR. Grannies have passed away and also babies, but Solina is the first
orphan.
I hurry into POR from the city. I walk into House 11, and they are in
mourning.
Everyone is sitting on the floor, singing and praying in Khmer. It is
then I noticed Solina on the floor covered by a purple towel.
Her 'sisters'
from her house surround her. I go and kneel down, touch her face and pray.
He
shows me a picture of her dancing and whirling around with Him in heaven all
healed.
One of the house moms is praying and then she starts to cry. The cries
come from deep within her being. No one goes to her. I get up and go and put my
arm around her in a side hug and she collapses against me. I wipe her tears; we
stay like that for a while.
I notice a little boy (my buddy who climbs up and
stays on my back!) crying, silently…tears rolling down his face. I motion to
him to come to me, and he gets up and sits next to me. I wipe his tears.
I look for the older boys but they are not here. I walk out and I hear hammering
and voices. I soon find out the reason
for those particular sounds. The older boys are outside building the coffin for
her and then they go to dig her grave in the back of the compound.
I did not know that there was a cemetery in the back of POR.
The ceremony is moving.
Marie translates for me. Sekhon, one of the
committee members is giving the eulogy. She focuses on no guilt to be put on
the house mom; that it was not her fault; and everyone listens. Then Pastor
says a few words. They praise God for His goodness and then dedicate Solina to
Him. The girls who live in the house, House 11, are the ones who carry the
coffin which has yellow flowers on it and we walk slowly behind the coffin to
the cemetery. Two of the girls who live in House 11 are my students. I open my
arms and they run into them and cry their hearts out.
It is so hot out there. Sweat
pours down my back as the pastor says a few words and everyone gets a chance to
look at Solina again. The top of the coffin is in the form of a cross, and then
it is finished. Her body is put into the ground; very, very hard on everyone
and even now as I write this, tears are coming to my eyes. She was so young yet
she affected many. The older boys would go to the baby house to visit and play
with her when she first came to POR as a baby orphan.
It is around 5, and the guys, my students who are 17 and 18 troop to my
door. I have a picture of Solina up on a string in the middle of the room and
they come in and touch it and ask, “Where
is Solina?”
Then, being boys, ask, “So ‘Cher’,
do you have any cookies?” ‘Cher’, by the way, is not the French word for ‘dear’,
but rather the ending of tea–‘cher’!
I had cookies and boxes of juice, so they were happy and we just hung out
together.
Boys and girls grieve so differently. They just wanted time to hang out
with someone and they did ask about death and dying. They also made scary
noises to tell me that Solina was going to come back as a ghost. That gave an
opportunity to talk about heaven and the picture God gave me of her.
Solina is with Him, dancing and twirling around. I see her smiling and
healed, yet that does not negate missing her smiles and hugs.
In Canada we would have grief counsellors come in to talk to the kids,
but the fact that the kids participated in the funeral, from the building of
the coffin to being the bearers of the coffin, helped in the grieving process.
The
house mom for House no.11 is the one who is having the hardest time right now. The
house moms here are like the 'blood moms' of the kids in their houses and I
admire them for their dedication.
One 'seed' has died (Solina); other flowers will and are beginning to
bloom.
Flowers that are
blooming:
#1 Flower - The boys now come to the house just to hang out. On Friday we
had to pick up 3 bbq chickens with bread and they devoured it. There were 5 of
them, yet they were the ones who washed up and cleaned up afterwards. Then they
asked me to pray for them, for their studies and for their prospective 'honeys'! ‘Honey’ here refers to girlfriends!
Yes, just like Canada with the Drop-In kids! My only strict rule is that
they have to speak English when they come! NO Khmer is allowed but they do
sneak it in. It is cool to see the boys
come in when I am cooking to give me advice on how to cook something! I will be
having a cooking class in the future with them. The only two girls in my class
will be coming for dinner this week. It will be interesting to see the dynamics
since their grasp of English is at a lower level than the boys.
#2 Flower - The house moms stop me and call me 'sister' and one of them asked for prayer
for one of the babies. Fear of dying is the fear that if the other kids get
sick that they, too, will die. I was asked to pray over one of the babies. Then
one of the girls stopped me on my way to the library and said, “Teacher I am not well, can you pray for me?”
SO I pray.
My prayer is that they know that it is not me but it is the GOD that I pray to Who heals and hears and
loves them.
#3 Flower - I am beginning to get a core group of guys and girls who want to come over and just 'lime'!
They started to come right after the funeral that day. Yes, for some of
you I am using that word! For those who do not know the meaning: it is 'hang out' in Trini lingo!
Three of the guys came over to put up a tapestry that I bought at the
market. They remembered and came over to put it up today. Then they looked at
their handiwork and were pleased. I just looked at the process of how they did
things and had to smile! They were measuring by hand, and discussing how many
nails, and how to centre the material on the wall.
Very touched by it all.
At
the end they said, “Cher, your room is
like a hotel room, worth $200.00!” NOT exactly, but it makes them feel good
to transform my home into a place they dream of!
Already they are talking about how to decorate the place for Christmas!
So I will ask if anyone is coming or sending care packages, Christmas
decorations would be great! I am still trying to figure out how to light up the
place on battery power! I cannot use the solar energy so battery operated
lights is a bonus. I was checking out Christmas wreaths etc. The kids have seen
the red bows and ribbons etc. in pictures but never had a chance to see and
feel them in their hands!
#4 Flower - Teacher Peoun
has asked if I would pray with him and his wife on Wednesday nights after class.
I feel that they are so tired that they cannot pray specifically.
Another
student, (one who lives off POR but still comes to classes), has asked if I can
pray with her and another girl on Friday nights (probably once a month, fasting
and praying) for specific situations in their lives!
And during the Friday
night youth meeting, one of my core guys said, “Cher, can you pray for a very big exam in August!” So I put it on
my phone to remember!
My invisible role that He had ordained for me is becoming more visible
now. I leave this to go and pray with House Mom from #11 House. It has been a
week since Solina has died.
Thank you all for your prayers, phone calls, emails and actual letters
which I love to open and read and reread! I savor when I can open up the
letters and cards: delicious moments when I picture you and feel His love.
Got to go dance with Him now. Dancing with Him is in the form of
creative teaching for my midday class!
Love, Sister Vidya
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