Page 5 - Annual Report 2019

ABOUT THE CHILDREN
A RICH RETURN: DANIEL’S STORY
In April of 2019, a ferry boat capsized on Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One hundred fifty people were drowned in the accident. Sev- eral days later, the tragedy still seemed unreal. Those who sur- vived were able to find comfort from friends and family, yet one little boy was left all alone. To him, the tragedy continued to be a present danger.
Huddled for safety, the boy fear- fully watched passersby as they ignored his sorry state. Then, a young woman paused in the crowd. Judith, a former ICC child, had been walking through the nearby lakeside when she noticed this little boy. She understood that something wasn’t right, so she approached. This boy, Daniel, spilled out his story. He had been on the ferry when it capsized. He was the only one in his family to survive, and now he was all alone and scared.
Judith understood all too well what it feels like to be or- phaned, having been an orphan herself. A government author- ity noticed her compassion for Daniel. “You are the only one who has paid any attention to
this boy,” he said. “You must re- ally have a heart for children!”
Just like that, Judith brought Daniel into her home. She did her best to provide for him, and put him in school. However, this was difficult, and she thought about how much better his life would be if he could grow up as she had, in a home at ICC’s Pat- mos Children’s Village.
The Patmos Family–including Rick and Sharon Fleck, ICC’s President and ICC’s Children’s Services Director who were visiting at the time–were im- pressed by Judith’s compas- sion. They understood the dif- ficulty she faced in trying to work and provide for Daniel by herself. Something had to be done to help! Daniel needed to be placed in one of the family homes at the Patmos Children’s Village, where a loving moth- er would care for him and his needs would be met.
“Which house mother would be the best to care for Daniel?” Asked Sharon. Immediately, the team answered, “Georime!”
They described the patient, lov- ing kindness of the house mother,
Georime. Like Judith, Georime un- derstands very well what it’s like to be an orphan, for she is also an ICC child who had been orphaned when she was very small. (Read Georime’s story on page 10.)
The team decided to ask her if she would be willing to take in one more child, even though her house was already full. As Georime listened to Daniel’s sto- ry, her care and concern was ev- ident. “Of course I will take him!” She said without hesitation, and willingly accepted Daniel into her family.
As Georime and Daniel walked down the path toward home, the realization of what trans- pired began to sink in with the Flecks. Two grown ICC children were paying forward the love, care, and compassion that they had received in the care of their ICC family. The support of loving house parents, caring staff, and generous donors in the lives of Judith and Georime paid forward as a life-saving blessing to Daniel.
It is a rich return to see the grown children of ICC live to serve as they have been served.
Iceland
United Kingdom
Netherlands Germany
19% OF FUNDS IN SUPPORT OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS ARE FROM FOREIGN FUNDRAISING PARTNERS.
Japan South Korea
Belgium Switzerland
Spain
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