Bhavani

Bhavani, as painted by June Steckler

I have been to New Hope Children's Home four times, so I've developed relationships with some of the children that have lasted for up to seven years. There are so many of them, though, that I didn't always remember their names after a long absence. Upon returning this time, I tried to refresh my memory on all the important names. I knew I would be quizzed immediately. Sure enough, during our first few times together this year, all the girls asked me, "Sister, sister, my name?"

Everyone wanted to be remembered. I did okay on these quizzes, but there was one girl who asked me whose name escaped me. I knew her; I remembered her face. I wracked my brain. When she saw that I didn't know her name, she was crushed. Her face fell. I had let her down.

But I remembered that I had a picture of her up in my room from a previous trip. I ran up to my room and got it. When I brought it down to her, she lit up. I could see it on her face, She did remember me!

It really struck me how these children so desperately want to be remembered. They cry out for it, to have their pictures taken, to tell us their names, to receive prayer. They want to be remembered. For a time, I wondered why they were so intent about it.

But I realized that many of them have been forgotten their whole lives. Abandoned. Forsaken. Nameless. Loveless. No wonder they yearn to be remembered, to be special to someone. 

Bhavani has a genuinely bubbly personality. She seems always to be making noise. Talking animatedly to the other girls, humming to herself, slapping a stick against the ground, tapping her foot. She's lively and musical and full of a fun-loving energy that just won't quit. Everything about her is fervent and intense. She studies with her brow knit in careful concentration. She worships with her feet tapping and her hands raised. She shouts with her whole body, jolting her chuni/scarf out of place with a raised voice. She prays with a fervent but quiet, speed-talking whisper, eyes tightly closed. Whatever she does, she is all-in. I cherish her noisy little spirit. 

But beneath the exuberance, Bhavani is driven by a deep desire to be loved and remembered. 

She lives at New Hope because her family is broken and didn't care enough to feed her. She was abandoned, abused, discarded. Everything in her young life taught her that she is unworthy of love, that no one cares, that she has been forgotten.

Fortunately for Bhavani, she is now in a place where people care for her and show her godly love. She has education, good food, opportunity, and love at her fingertips. She is one of the blessed, one of many discarded children who have risen above their circumstances to find a better life.

I love Sarah Young's words on God's remembrance of His people:

" Most of mankind’s misery stems from feeling unloved. In the midst of adverse circumstances, people tend to feel that love has been withdrawn and they have been forsaken. This feeling of abandonment is often worse than the adversity itself. Be assured that I never abandon any of My children, not even temporarily. I will never leave you or forsake you! My Presence watches over you continually. I have engraved you on the palms of My hands."

Remember Bhavani. And remember the One who has her name--and yours--written on His palms.

For information about June's vibrant painting of Bhavani, please visit her website at junesteckler.com