Baby Favor

Towards the end of September a baby girl was born in Liberia. For some reason we will never know, her mother decided to place her inside a cardboard box and discard her in a pile of garbage behind a latrine. There this precious new life sat, surrounded by flies, rubbish, and human excrement. No one knows how long she lay there. Hours, maybe a day. 

A woman was minding her own business that day. Rushing through her day, caring for her kids, trying to find meat to sell at her small booth in the market. The last thing she was expecting to find, as she stopped by the community latrine, was a baby. But that is what she found. Small, quiet cry. Dirty box. A decision.

Elizabeth chose to open the box. Inside she found a tiny newborn baby girl. No one saw anything, no one knew how long she was there, no one wanted anything to do with her. Elizabeth took her to the hospital, miraculously she was healthy. She went to the police who were unable (unwilling?) to help.

That brought Elizabeth to another decision. What to do with the girl? Bringing another mouth to feed into the family is not an easy thing in Liberia. She was already struggling to make ends meet as it was. No one would think any less of her if she decided not to keep her. But this girl had already been discarded once, Elizabeth couldn't do it again. It really wasn't a decision for her, she knew what she would do from the moment she opened the box...

She took the girl home and named her Favor because, surely she had received favor from God to survive, to be found, to be loved.

I met Elizabeth only a few weeks after she found Favor. The girl was so small, so vulnerable. Even though it is a story that I have heard before in Liberia, I was shocked. Shocked that someone could throw away their baby and shocked that someone could so selflessly rescue one. Honestly, there are probably more reasons here to get rid of a baby that to keep one-- resources are so scarce, food is expensive, school fees unimaginable for most.

I have had the pleasure of watching Favor grow over the last few months. She started so small, so shaky, always looking so fragile. Today Elizabeth brought Favor by for a surprise visit and I was blown away. The spunky, smily, chubby cheeked eight month old who greeted me today was too much. I couldn't stop thanking God for her. Thanking Elizabeth for everything she had done. Favor truly is a miracle. And I couldn't help but share her with you today.

Baby Favor