Things had been going wrong for months, now—ever since Yona lost his job. He’d thought that moving his wife and little girl to the city would make things better, but it hadn’t. He was willing to work, but he could not find a job that would enable him to properly care for his family. In fact, he couldn’t even find a job that would allow him to feed them once a day.
If food was scarce, peace was scarcer. Yona probably lost count of the times he and his wife fought, arguing over a situation neither of them could fix. And now they had a second child on the way.
The arguments increased. During one fight, in her sixth month of pregnancy, Maria made an awful decision. She took drugs, intending to abort her baby. Instead, she went into premature labor.
It was a girl.
The baby was early, one of her eyes was irreparably blind and water pressured her brain. As Yona held the tiny girl, he must have known that his baby daughter’s condition would make life more difficult. His wife must have known it, too. Maria left the family a short time later to be with another man, leaving Yona alone with their two little girls.
Years passed. Despite her traumatic birth, Lyrica survived and grew. Yona found a job as a security guard and was able to meet his daughters’ basic needs.
But Lyrica’s condition deteriorated, her medical needs growing as she grew. Most other children her age ran and jumped and skipped easily on the red dirt streets of her city, but 10-year-old Lyrica couldn’t play like they did. She couldn’t see properly. She couldn’t care for herself. Normal tasks were anything but easy. And sometimes, she got headaches so bad she fell unconscious. But then, maybe that was better than the unbearable pain pressing against her skull while she was awake.
Lyrica needed checkups and medicines—things that Yona, with his small income, could not give her. He continued working his job as a security guard and providing as best he could. But he was afraid. Afraid that if he couldn’t provide the medical care Lyrica needed, he would lose his daughter.
Worry was Yona’s constant companion as he kept watch for hours at his post. Any hope he’d managed to hang on to died as his daughter’s condition grew critical and he continued to make only enough to survive.
There was no happiness. No joy. No better way.
Until Yona got a new job.
He hadn’t expected to get new employment. But one day, he met some of our first missionaries on the ground in Rwanda. It just so happened that they were in need of a security guard, and they offered him a position. The new job provided more income than he’d previously been making.
Though Yona had a better income, Lyrica still needed medicines and checkups that he couldn’t afford. And the headaches kept coming. But unbeknownst to Yona, God had more in mind for him and his daughter than simply a higher paycheck.
As Yona’s relationship with our field partners grew, he began to bring his daughter to the Sunday School they hosted every week. Our missionaries noticed Lyrica’s special needs, and they asked Yona about his little girl. He told them about Lyrica’s situation and how desperately she needed medical care.
And then, things began to change. Eager to come alongside Yona and his daughter, our field partners enrolled Lyrica in our child sponsorship program. Someone like you supported this little girl, and, suddenly, Yona was no longer alone in his struggle for his daughter’s care. Because child sponsorship in Rwanda includes help for families with medical expenses, Yona was finally able to give Lyrica the checkups and medicines she’d been needing for so long. And with that medical help, he knows he’ll continue to be able to get her the care she needs in the weeks and months to come.
As Yona looks to the future, the despair he felt so often is now replaced with joy. As he put it, “The medical insurance has proved to be a blessing for me and my daughter. It has provided great medical assistance towards Lyrica’s medical conditions. Now she is having her regular check-ups and medicines. Thank you … for bringing hope and joy.”
Lyrica is turning eleven this year, and while she still faces medical challenges, she is active and growing. And she’s not the only one. Through your support and prayer, many other children in Rwanda are receiving practical proof that God loves them—whether that’s food, clothes, school supplies, or medical help. Because of you, families like Yona’s have hope and joy again, and they know they’re not alone.