Stories of Hope: Felicien
Felicien
ZOE first met Felicien last summer. An orphan since the tender age of 3, his life has been one of never‐ending suffering, hunger, and loneliness.
In 2006, as a 12‐year old, he was hired to tend goats. Even with that small job, he struggled to get enough to eat. One day, as he was looking after the goats, he took one ear of corn from his boss’s field in an attempt to stave off his hunger. The owner suddenly appeared and found him roasting the corn. In a fit of anger, the boss held Felicien’s hand in the fire and damaged it permanently. In June 2009 when ZOE found him, his hand had never been treated. Traumatized because of the suffering he has endured from childhood, Felicien was unable to express any dream.
Holding some of the food given to him by orphans in his Working Group, Felicien stands with his group's Adult Mentors.
ZOE visitors from the United States had the privilege of visiting with Felicien in February. The team gathered at the house that ZOE had just provided for him. Together with his orphan Working Group, team members worked to put in a garden and build a fence around his property. Felicien was thrilled. A smile spread across his face as he posed for pictures in front of his new home.
Felicien, however, had not yet been able to begin the work to produce food for himself. Thus, he was still vulnerable. At least, the team thought he was still vulnerable. Behind the scenes that day, the other orphans in his working group were quietly planning a surprise. Epiphanie Mujawimana, ZOE’s Giving Hope Director, and the ZOE social workers did not know what was about to transpire.
The other orphans asked Felicien to sit in his house and wait for them. Then, in a holy procession, they began to come into the room and present him with gifts of food from the successful harvests they had experienced because of Giving Hope. Beans, potatoes, and carrots filled the bag, and the bucket placed before him. Felicien looked like a child on Christmas morning. As the presentations concluded, the orphans spoke to Felicien.
They said, “We are committed to love you and care for you. We will provide food for you until you produce food for yourself.” This is the strength of Giving Hope. The orphans not only are shown the love of Jesus, but they become the very messengers of that love.
This was not lost on Felicien. As he spoke words of thanks to his group he said this, “When I was on the streets I never thought anyone could ever love me.”
Today he knows he is loved: by God, by his supportive Working Group, and by you!