Abraham

Abraham is a 9-year old boy who has lived in Addis Ababa for the past 4 months. He moved to the city from Wolaita, a region in the southern nations, to try to make money and go to school. Like so many other boys, he works by shining shoes on the street. His father died, and his mother married another man and still lives in the south. Every day he goes to sleep in a tiny room about 5×8 feet that he shares with 5 other boys, ages 12, 11, 10, 7, and 6. The boys each chip in for the rent that is equivalent to about $14 a month. They have one small bed, but constructed some mattresses out of paper and bags that hang on the ceiling and are put out on the floor at night. They have one small bag of belongings: a few clothes, etc. and they share everything with one another. Hanging on the walls of the room are some cloth and a few pictures ripped out of magazines and newspapers.

Every morning Abraham wakes up early to walk about an hour from his room in the Somali suburb to the center of the city where he and many other boys work. He makes about $1 a day shining shoes, and usually spends about 50 cents on lunch that consists of injera bread and some potatoes. He has not yet found a school, but is eager to learn and planning on starting as soon as possible. My last couple weeks in Addis, Abraham started coming to our office each day to wash one of our cars to earn money. In addition to money, he receives bread, tea, and the love of our staff. He constantly carries around a notebook, asking people in the office to write out math problems for him so he can practice. His life is nothing unique compared to other street children in Addis, maybe even typical. But he is special. He has a loving, servant heart, and his face would light up every time I came to the office to talk to him, searched for him on the street outside the mall, and gave him a hug. I know that God can use him to bless so many others as he has blessed me if he is only presented with the right opportunities. Such kind of love does not go unnoticed.