Kember

I thought you all might enjoy getting to know some of the children in Meanguera a little more.  I cannot really talk about Little Hands of Hope without mentioning Kember. I used his hands for our logo because his story is what Little Hands of Hope is all about.  When I was in El Salvador just over a year ago working with the children in Menaguera, Kember was one of the children that came to me. He was 3 years old; I have never seen such a resentful 3 year old in my life. At first, he seemed terrified. He wouldn’t talk to anyone, stood in the corner, and cried about everything.  He didn’t want to look at anyone and he didn’t want us help him unless it was absolutely necessary. He certainly didn’t trust us.  At first, I was afraid that we would do more harm than good to Kember because he was so upset every day and hardly seemed to calm down. I almost suggested that it would be best he didn’t come for his sake, but then I noticed that Kember was sick and his caretaker didn’t seem to recognize it. We took him to the doctor and he improved a lot. He started to enjoy playing with the children, but he still didn’t want to talk to the adults. In the beginning, I didn’t understand and I wasn’t sure what to do. Eventually I found out that Kember’s mother had left him with his aunt when he was 2 weeks old. He only saw his mother when she visited every month or so. His aunt was left with a child she didn’t know what to do with.  She had little patience with him, yelled a lot, and hit and kicked him. Kember’s father was completely out of the picture.  No wonder he was so resentful! I realized all we could do was continue to love Kember as best we could and try to let him see that we wanted to help him.

Kember when he first started coming to our class. 

Kember finally warmed up enough to talk to us, but still refused to participate in singing or saying his Bible verse. One day, I went to visit him at his house. I had that he only wore about 4 different sets of clothing and I wanted to bring him more.  The house where Kember lived was a little hut made of corn stalks and plastic.  Kember actually got excited that I was there and pulled out his toys to show me – a plastic whistle and a marble, that was it. It was a hard, sobering visit to Kember’s house to realize that these people probably didn’t even have the bare necessities. What was exciting though was that Kember came to class the next day and stood up and sang with everyone for all he was worth! We couldn’t keep him from singing that day! He wanted to play with us and actually wanted help with his activities. I was amazed at the change.

Kember's house. 

Kember singing with his friends. 

Kember continued to improve every day; he warmed up to us, enjoyed playing, singing, and whatever else we were doing.  One day, we were practicing our Bible verse – a favorite time for the kids because they looked forward to a treat afterward. J  Kember usually turned his back to us and wanted nothing to do with it. Suddenly, Kember said the Bible verse!  I had no idea he even knew it. Then his aunt told me that when he was at home, he would sing the songs, say the English words I taught him, and recite the Bible verses!  I was amazed and encouraged at how much we were able to help Kember learn to be less afraid of the world and realize that he was able to do the same things the other kids were doing. I was even more encouraged when I heard from the people in town that they heard Kember chattering all the time and they had never heard him talk before he came to our class. Through God’s mighty hand, we were able to reach a very resentful little boy and show him what love is. It is amazing how God works in our lives!

I am happy to say that Kember’s mother has returned and now cares for him. He lives with his mom, baby sister, and his sister’s father.  He continues to be much better adjusted child than before. The scared, somewhat hopeless look on his face has now been replaced with a calmer, happier demeanor.  I pray that this progress continues and I hope that we can still help Kember as he grows and help him understand that he has a Savior who wants to rescue him from this world of sin. 

Kember enjoying singing with us!