He held my hand...

He held my hand and everyone cried. It was the right thing to do for him, but we had to leave 4 other children alone in a home with no parents, not even an adult. The oldest is 13 and the youngest is 7. As we drove away we all were hating ourselves for just walking away, but we didn't have another option. 

His father died before we met him and his mother died last month. When he went home for the burial he never came back. He didn't want to leave his siblings alone and I don't blame him. He also doesn't have a very good living environment here and was afraid of coming back. After talking with relatives and family friends we all decided that bringing him back was best, but it wasn't easy. We weren't aware of how many children were there living alone. Or that they were honestly living completely alone. Sometimes a friend of their mother comes to check on them, but she has her own family and can't be there all the time. 

So yesterday we drove away from 4 children under the age of 13 living completely alone to bring their brother to a place that offers education and a future but for the moment, an unstable living environment. He held my hand and we cried. He tried not to cry in front of us, but he was hurting. Eventually I got him to talk to me a little. We stopped and got cokes and snacks and I let him listen to my music with me. But when we reached his village here, he tensed up and held my hand as tight as he could. I knew he didn't want to go back. I knew I would do everything I could to move him somewhere safe and comfortable, but he had to go. Every turn we made he gripped my hand a little tighter until finally the van stopped. He looked at me in hesitation and then got out and said goodbye. I don't know what will happen to those sweet children but I do know that God is good and that he will make a way. Pray with me for these kids please. They need a home.