Unsung Heroes

What is your definition of a hero?

There probably is no right or wrong answer to this question. 

It could be the guy who hits a home run to win the World Series. It could be the researcher who discovers a breakthrough treatment for a previously-fatal disease. It could be the fire fighter who puts their life on the line to rescue a family from a burning building. In one way or another, each of these people is a hero. 

Let us tell you about some heroes at Sanyu Babies' Home. 

They are the people who make up the team that cares for some of the most vulnerable children in the world. Defenceless children who have been discarded like trash, abandoned in hospitals, on buses or on the street. Children who have been rescued from neglect and violence. 

The heroes we speak of are the mamas who wipe noses, change diapers and bathe babies day in and day out - morning, noon and night. These are the same mamas who are quick to notify the nurse if a baby is feeding poorly or has a fever or a new rash. And they are the same mamas who provide a gentle touch or sympathetic "sorry" for the toddler who has taken a tumble or been the recipient of a swat from another child. 

There are many other heroes here at Sanyu - the staff who do endless loads of laundry and others who cook meals over charcoal fires, the nurses who look after the medical needs of the children, the maintenance/grounds keeping staff, the social workers who work on behalf of each child to find a safe and loving home. 

And then there's Barbara, the director. We have no idea how she accomplishes all that she does in the run of a day as she tends to her many, many responsibilities - from knowing the special needs of each child to answering endless questions from a couple of Canadian volunteers. 

Each of these heroes has the same goal: "To provide Christ-like love to babies and children deprived of parental love and reintegrating them into the community through reuniting them with their families, fostering or adoption."  These are the heroes we admire and are inspired by every day. 

"But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Luke18:16)