Caleb

Meet my new friend Caleb. He is five years old and lives in a children's orphanage in Malaybalay. Caleb cannot walk or move his legs much at all, and his caregivers believe he may have cerebral palsy.

When I first saw Caleb, he was sitting in a stroller, so I sat down on the ground beside him. He doesn't really talk yet, so trying to hold a conversation with him didn't seem like the best option. I pulled out my ukulele and began to play...

"He loves us! Oh, how He loves us! Oh, how He loves!"

Then it was Caleb's turn to play. I helped him at first to strum his fingers along the strings, and he quickly got the idea. Suddenly, a seemingly motionless and expressionless little boy came alive. It was obvious that the sounds made by his gentle touch on each string entranced him, because he plucked them over and over again.

Caleb continued to strum as I positioned my fingers on the frets so he could hear different chords.

People stopped to watch and listen, and some even joined in the fun! My teammate brought her uke to play along with Caleb's song.

After a while, we headed over to the hair-washing station. Other children were having their hair treated for lice, and even though Caleb didn't need it, he was very excited to have his head scrubbed. We warned him that the water would be cold --"tugnaw!" But Caleb didn't mind at all. He just laughed!

And after a nice, long, head massage...

...and another rinse....

...he was clean and ready to go!

Caleb taught me so much even though he spoke no words. He reminded me that joy can be found in unexpected places, and that God values every life regardless of age, intelligence, or skill. Tonight I thought of Caleb as I read this passage from St. Paul's letter to the Romans:

"No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised."

My God, I know that you can do all things. I trust in your promise to Caleb -- I trust that you will give him a future full of hope!