A lonely Girl

Wen

The villages at An Hui had not had any rain since May. In July, several rain storms finally arrived. The muddy village roads were now churned by farming equipment and cars, forming deep ruts. But when the sun came out and dried up the land, the roads became typical village lanes, but with rough and broken surfaces. Our tri-wheeled truck moved slowly, tumbling up and down along until we arrived at the village. The villagers led me to the lone house of Yun Xia, which was far away from any other houses.

I stepped into the house, and I felt a cloud of humidity surrounding me. The floor was dirt, and after several rain storms from last week, the floor had turned into mud puddles with water leaking through the roof. Yun Xia was not at home. The villagers told me that she was an only child, 14 years old, and this September she would enter her third year in junior high school. When she was 15 days old, her mother died. Her father was mentally unstable, and wandered away for long stretches of time. He would come home only when he was a little better. From what I saw, the father must have been away for over a month. Yun Xia was being raised by her grandparents. Then Grandpa died in 2003, and Grandma passed away in January of this year. Her closest relative is an uncle that lives close by.

After a few minutes, Yun Xia showed up. She had a delicate and pretty face. She stood there quietly by the bedroom. The word "Patience" was written on the bedroom wall. There was sadness in her eyes. When she answered questions from concerned people, her voice was determined. But she broke down after several minutes, and her tears flowed uncontrollably down her delicate face. She was motherless, and fatherless, even though her father was alive. Her memories were of all the good times
she spent with her grandparents. Her grandma had been old and weak, but her motherly love had made Yun Xia feel she was not an orphan. The scenes of starting the fire in the stove after school, and her grandma cooking would only exist in her memories now. When night came, everything was quiet, the calling of her name by grandma would only echo in her heart. All she had now was a small white kitten. She would hold the kitten, confide in her, and share with her all her agonies and sorrows.

I asked her what she would like to be. She answered without thinking: "I want to be a policewoman. After high school, I will apply for the police academy." She wanted to protect little children from harm. What do you miss most? Her eyes all red, she said: "Grandma, I miss you so much1"

Note
When a girl lives alone in a quiet village, the first concern is for her safety. From news broadcasting in Chinese websites, we know there are much sexual harassment, but people do not pay much attention or care about them. In fact, many cases are regarded as amusing. I do not understand why Yun Xia wants to protect little children. But I believe she has a lot of pain that she is holding within. Besides material things, love and caring are the most important supports a poor person needs.

Christian Communications Inc. is helping Yun Xia's tuition and her daily living. CCI will work with local churches to strengthen the concept of protecting young girls and to train qualified brothers and sisters how to recognize this kind of tragedy and how to prevent them from happening. CCI will open Sunday schools for children, bringing them God's love and encouragement. Please prayer for us.

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