My Girl, Rosy

Rosy has been at Casa for over two years. She was almost nine when she arrived. She and her little sister, Sisi, had been abandoned by their mother. They then lived with a grandmother who was hit by a truck and died. An aunt, who didn't really want them, took them in. There was no one to care for them while the aunt worked all day. They roamed the streets begging and stealing when necessary. Rosy for sure, and probably Sisi, too, has been sexually abused.

Being sexually abused and having important adults disappear from your life have long-lasting effects on a child. Begging and stealing are not habits that are easily forgotten either, no matter how much you love on a child and how much food you provide. I would never leave my purse and Rosy alone together.

In addition to all of these problems, Rosy is deaf. She was born hearing. When she was quite young, she had a high fever and no one had money for medicine. Most of us cannot comprehend not having enough money to buy medicine for our baby.

Rosy can be a real stinker. We are learning sign, but none of us know as much as we should. Trust me, she has no problem getting her point her across to us. But when she doesn't want to know what we are saying, she closes her eyes or turns her head. She is one of the most obstinate people I have ever seen. Not the most, but one of the most obstinate. Her actions and antics cause a lot of frustation for all of us and for herself, as well. She is into everyone's business most of the time and will tattle whenever she can. Never mind that she may have been the instigator of the incident. For someone that can't speak, she can certainly scream and yell when things don't go to suit her. Sometimes, I can hear when she is at Casa and I am in my house.

Praise God, there is a school for the deaf in Tegucigalpa. And praise God, those people are Christians and love her as much as we do.

I take Rosy to school most mornings and am with her some afternoons also, giving me opportunities to get know her in another setting besides her bad behavior. Rosy has so many good qualities that she sometimes allows to be overshadowed by her misbehavior.

Rosy is compassionate. We drive past a house every day, or I should say a little three sided structure. She asked me if someone lived there. I hoped not and told her I wasn't sure. As the weather has been quite cold, this morning we saw fabric stretched over the open side. That was an indication to both of us someone did, indeed, live there. Tears welled up in those big brown eyes. One morning we saw and elderly man whose legs were not the same length, hobbling along with a cane. Rosy had nothing put compassion in her eyes.

Rosy is funny. Because of her misbehavior, she can't go inside the school until 8:00. If we arrive early, we have to sit in the car and wait. Never knowing what traffic will be, we leave for school at 6:00 and sometimes get there at 8:00 and sometime before. This morning we arrived at 7:20. The garbage people were picking up the garbage in front of the school. A couple of guys were going through the garbage, looking for plastic bottles. He picked up a 2 liter coke bottle that still had some coke in it, opened it and dumped the coke. Rosy made a groaning noise and I turned around. It was abundantly clear she was saying what a waste of good Coca-cola. I had to agree. Then she started laughing. Her laugh is precious.

Rosy is observant. She sees every cow, horse, airplane and abandoned puppy. This afternoon, she was wanting me to look at something. When I looked she grabbed her earlobes then pointed at a man with pierced ears. She was not too sure what to think of that.

Rosy is smart. She may grumble about homework, but she consistently makes good grades.

I can understand, partially, her frustration at not being able to clearly communicate with those around her. I do not know the feelings of my mother abandoning me. My grandmothers both have died, but I was an adult when this happened and they were not my primary caregiver. What a void that must have left in this little child's life for another important adult to be gone. I have never had to beg or steal in order to eat.

This is such a fragile, broken little child. God, please help me to always, always see her good qualities, no matter how her misbehavior frustrates me. Help me to love her the same way you love me. Help us to teach her she is Your child and is loved by You. Heal the broken places deep deep within her. Thank you God, for placing this precious child in our lives.

Terri