I don’t know if it were her eyes that hit me when I walked into the room, but there was something terribly strange going on with this girl. I try to make eye contact with all our patients. I can tell alot from people just by the way they look at you. She had a blankness and the most despair of anyone I had seen here in the 3 years I have been coming.
She was in our female ward where we have 4 beds in one room. She appeared to be around 12 or 13 years old. She was wearing a hospital gown (which is NOT common). Most of our female patients keep their Shawal Kameez on due to privacy. She sat on the side of the bed, staring at the wall that was about 12 inches in front of her. Sister Zareena was with me and I asked what this girls problem was. I noticed the burn scars all over her lower back (which is also common in this country). Sometimes by accident, the ladies clothes will catch on fire while they are cooking. If you have ever worn these clothes, there is so much fabric to keep up with and it is NOT flame retardant! Sometimes, the burns are not by accident. They are indicative of torture or abuse, which I suspect was this girls story.
Sister Zareena informed me in a low whisper that this girl is married. I nearly lost it. My response was a resounding “WHAT????”. She told me that an older man (who came in while I was there- he looked to be around 50) had married her. Actually, this girls brother and he were friends and they swapped younger sisters to marry. I know, it makes you want to step outside and vomit. But, such is the case here in this country. I asked the nurse supervisor how old this girl was, she said “oh I don’t know, 20.” I said NO! This girl is a child! The nurse just shrugged and said “Oh, I don’t know.” and walked away.
I cannot get this girl out of my mind. I know she will die early in life. I know we are probably the only place this girl will ever hear about a father who loves her. A place where a father will wrap his arms around her in love and not hurt her. My prayer for her is that we provided a safe place for her, if only for a few days, where she truly felt some peace.
This situation is very common among these people. Well, more common than not. There are no social services here in this country. Well, maybe a slight trace but it is all driven by money and media. You can get social justice, but the value of this girl’s life and her situation worth nothing to these people. She is a girl, she is worthless.
Please when you lay down tonight, remember this young girl and the many in this country in her situation. They are some of the reasons I dedicated my time to come here, to work and to serve. They are the special ones who only hope for death, so that they can find peace. The torment is all around them and my hope is that we showed her true light and love while she was here.
In Him,
Len
