Within an hour of arriving at the compound in Yetebon, where poverty is the norm and need is exponential, two precious little Ethiopian girls approached.  Sweet little Lydia and Sarah were coming to say hello and within seconds my heart melted. Both little girls were so adorable I was sure they could melt the heart of any human with half a heart who would come within 100 ft of them.

Sarah smiled up at us with her gorgeous big brown eyes, and hair so naturally beautiful it hardly seemed real, while Lydia went right for Deme to greet him with a hug. She cautiously glanced at us while Sarah continued to flash those ‘so cute you could pick her up and take her home right now’ brown eyes of hers.

Off they went, hand in hand with one of the caretakers, glancing back with all of their cuteness as they went.

It wasn’t until later as we were sitting around the table, sipping on some home-grown, ground, and brewed coffee, that I learned more of Lydia’s story … and it wasn’t until then that the shyness began to make sense.

“Lydia came to us about a year ago,” Deme said. “She is finally beginning to open up and trust us. She was so young when she was left.”

About a year ago, a desperate mother afflicted by the perils of poverty had come to Martha and Deme with her baby, begging them to take her, to keep her and care for her as their own. Martha was quick to explain that their policy was such that mothers were welcome to come and stay with their child, but everyone who stayed was expected to work.

“We are not a drop-off center,” Marta explained to us.

The mother left that day with her baby, but the next time Marta and Deme would meet the baby was significantly sooner than anything they had dreamt. The very next morning dawn greeted those at the compound along with the sound of a crying baby.

In the middle of the night, sweet, precious little Lydia had been shoved through a thorn-thick brush “wall” separating the property from the rest of the community. She had been crying at least half the night, and the mother was no where to be found.

Since that day, Marta and Deme have cared for little Lydia, who is now almost two years old, along with the 83 other children known as the “house kids.”

She still has scars, both emotional and physical, but she has come a long, long way. With the love, nutrition and protection of faithful “parents” and “siblings,” she is growing into a beautiful young girl. And, she continues to steal the hearts of so many who meet her.

While it’s hard to wrap my mind and heart around what happened, or to put myself into that mother’s shoes, Lydia’s story causes me to feel thankful. I am thankful that Lydia is safe. I am thankful that she is receiving healing. I am thankful that out of all the places that the mother could have left her crying, starving baby, she chose the place she did because she will receive proper nutrition and an education. I am thankful that I am blessed with so much, and that the woes of my day seem to fade away and become much less significant in light of stories like Lydia’s. If only we  could remember Lydia’s story the next time someone steals a parking place, or cuts us off in traffic? I can’t help but wonder what the world might be like. … What if?

Image above: Lydia is in the arms of one of the older girls who live at the Project Mercy home. Sarah, Lydia’s constant companion, is to the left. Sarah has plans to be adopted to a U.S. family living in Chicago, IL.

Below: Even in all her shyness, her gorgeous brown eyes and curly hair will melt your heart.

Below: This is the place in the “wall” that Lydia was forced through and left crying. Look closely to see spikes/thorns that are up to 3 inches long.

Below: Lydia sees Deme and comes to greet him. This is the moment where we first meet Lydia.

Below: Deme wraps his arm around her.