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 Lusaka, the capitol of Zambia, is home to 1.2 million people. Most people buy food and supplies at crowded street markets where vendors hawk their wares and people press against each other to maneuver between rough stalls and makeshift tables. One day four-year old Mekelani became separated from his parents in one of these market areas. Terrified, he ducked through the crowds frantically looking for his mother and father in a sea of strangers.
Equally terrified, father and mother each went in a different direction, yelling his name and begging passersby to help them look for their son. Every parent’s nightmare crashed in upon them – had someone stolen him for evil purposes?
Late that night the police found Mekelani asleep under a tree. Thinking they had found another abandoned child, they took him to the Bill and Bette Bryant Crisis Nursery a refuge and safe home for children in crisis. For several weeks Mekelani refused to speak a single word. But slowly, the tender, prayerful care of the housemother, Nelly Jose, reached through his fear. He told her his name was Makelani (an unusual name even in Zambia) and he had become lost in the market. “Poor child.” she lamented, remembering the police report verdict – “ABANDONED.”
A full year passed, but although Mekelani’s parents had lost all hope of ever finding their child, his elderly grandmother had not! Every time she could pull together enough money, she would board a public bus, showing his photos and asking in a different part of the city, “Has anyone seen this little boy?"
Just a few weeks later, the old grandmother had made her way to the main branch of the Department of Social Welfare. With tears spilling over her wrinkled face, she described her grandson. “His name is Makelani,” she said. At that very instant Daisy, the social worker for our crisis homes, happened to be walking down the hallway and immediately stopped. Had she heard right? Mekalani?
For his family, Mekalani has returned from the dead. For Mekalani, he kept repeating over and over, “I knew they would find me. I KNEW they would find me!” It was a reunion made in heaven. Thank you, Lord, for your divine intervention, and thank you, Daisy, for your attentive ears!
Names and photos have been changed to protect the children. The stories are true.
We invite you to be a part of a miracle for a child like Mekalani. Read more about safety net sponsorship.
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