Juanita is a four year old in our nutrition program. She has cerebral palsy. We see many children like her, often due to home deliveries gone bad. She (as all of the children like her) has a special place in my heart. They are normal little people, with normal intelligence and emotions but trapped in a body which will not cooperate. Often times, they are mistaken as unintelligent because of their inability to communicate.  But when Juanita comes in she smiles and says "leche" (milk). She cannot sit or even hold her head up and she is getting heavy now for mom to carry her in every two weeks. Fortunately for Juanita, her mom has not yet had another baby. There is very little help for children like her...no therapy close by, no wheelchairs (yet....we are working on it). Because these children cannot contribute or help with the workload of the family, most often they are left lying on the dirt floor in a corner of the house, alone much of the day. They are truly one of the "least of these little brothers of Mine." (Matthew 25:40)

One of our goals for the coming year is to get a group of physical/occupational therapists together who are willing to come once a year. If we could get 12 therapists, we could ask them to work once a month with each of these children, in each of our clinics. We are asking the Lord to touch the hearts of those who have the expertise and knowledge to help these little ones.    

I am pretty sure that the Lord looks on us in the same way that He looks at these children. He is able to see past our weaknesses and failures. He sees our potential, not our handicaps. "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." 2 Corinthians 3:5.