A Smile for Mom

One Tuesday afternoon, I observed a young child. She didn’t smile or play like the other children. The work of translating quickly took my eyes and mind off of her. Later a woman came to the clinic with her 9-year-old son. One of our doctors helped him with some medication. She was very grateful for the help. She, like so many others, casually mentioned that she had lost a number of family members in the tsunami. Later she registered another child who happened to be the little girl I had seen earlier that afternoon.

She was her six-year-old niece, Alysia. During the tsunami, Alysia, lost her mother, father and her brother and sister. She survived the tsunami after spending a full day in the water. Her aunt accidentally found her three days later in a refugee camp. Alysia was suffering from a cough and fever.

While the doctor was writing out her card and finding medication for her, I tried to make eye contact with Alysia. When I gave her a sucker she finally smiled. Her front teeth were gone. Her smile was beautiful, but it didn’t mask the deep sadness I saw in her. While her aunt held her, I asked what plans she had for Alysia.

She said that she was Alysia’s only surviving family member so Alysia would be part of her family. She continued to refer to her as her niece. I encouraged her to think of Alysia as her daughter. She told me she already had several children and Alysia had a mother and father. I challenged her that she was Alysia’s mother now. The aunt didn’t seem convinced.

The following Friday our team visited the same village. Towards the end of the three-hour clinic Alysia ran up to our table and smiled at me. Her "aunt" came by a moment later and asked if we remembered them. I replied that I did remember her and that I was pleased to see Alysia feeling so much better.

As I spoke to the aunt about the health of her son, she told me about him and then said, “I have decided that Alysia is my daughter.” The little girl hugged her mother shyly and smiled at me. We all smiled and then cried together.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.