Oh, Olivia!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Olivia, I highly suggest you click here: Meet Olivia Manirafasha, for an introduction to our sweet girl and here: An Olive Tree in the House of the Lord, for an incredible update on her story!

“Oh, Olivia.” I sometimes whisper those words with a smile when I see her precious face.

After all, it’s kind of hard not to fall in love with those shining eyes and that crooked-toothed grin! And when I realized that it’s been months since I last gave you all an “Olivia update” I couldn’t wait to dig up some new pictures of her! Our precious girl has been thriving since her family’s transition to their new home. As I shared with you in my previous update, An Olive Tree in the House of the Lord, Olivia has received medical treatment at a well-known orthopedic center in Rilima and she is now walking all over the place!

She was quite the star at Shelter Them’s Christmas party that was held for all of our children! Isn’t she precious?

I still find myself shaking my head at her total transformation. From a helpless, crippled child crawling through the gutters with no hope and no future, Olivia has opened her arms to embrace the possibilities and is taking over her world with her dimpled grin. She pushes herself in every way. She hasn’t let her past hold her down, not one bit… and there’s far more to that mind of hers than we first realized.

When our team first met Olivia, they were told that she was physically and mentally handicapped. In the above photo, her mother supports her as she tries to dance to the music. She was completely unable to stand on her own. But as I studied the photos and videos more closely, I started believing that “mentally handicapped” was an unfair label. Olivia displays signs of cerebral palsy, which doesn’t affect a person’s intelligence at all. How terrible, I thought, with everyone thinking you are mentally challenged. Locked in a body that won’t obey you, trapped by a faltering tongue, and with poverty shoving you down and refusing to allow you a voice. My suspicions were confirmed when I watched a video of Olivia and Jules, who runs the Rwanda branch of Shelter Them, having a conversation about the family’s then-recent move.

Jules: “What should we tell the twins?”

Olivia: “We moved!”

Jules: “You moved?”

Olivia: “Yes!”

Jules: “How is your new place?”

Olivia: “We moved to a very beautiful place!”

Jules: “What should we tell them?”

Olivia: “Thank you and may God bless you!”

That, I thought, doesn’t sound like a mentally handicapped child to me. That sounds like a normal child her age… well, one who has never had a chance at any kind of education anyways; especially if she was treated as less-than-intelligent.

As it turns out, I was right… because as soon as Olivia finished her treatment at Rilima Othopedics Center and began walking, our team turned to the next thing on the “Olivia Bucket List”; school!

In the words of Jules; “I remember her asking me: ‘Uncle, will you take me to school? Will you buy me books?’ Her statement pushed me to go for seeking appropriate school for her.”

It wasn’t long after that that we got the news: A school had been found, and Olivia had taken a big step forward and begun the 100 km journey away from her family to attend a boarding school for special-needs students.

In the above picture, Olivia (on the left) stands with a new friend and classmate that she met at school. Our little “butterfly girl” is bursting out of her cocoon and soaring off to new adventures! With an education, nothing will be able to hold her back… I dream of seeing her become a motivational speaker and/or advocate for handicapped children.

Looking at this photo, it’s amazing how far she’s come… in just two years, Olivia has gone from being a “gutter child” with no future to a sassy, confident diva with a heart-stopping grin! Even her physical stature is changing… she’s grown so much taller and stronger.

No longer can we call Olivia "handicapped"… I think she’s proven herself to be more than “handi-capable!”

I just can’t wait to see where her journey takes her next!

An Olive Tree In The House Of The Lord

"But I am like a green olive tree in the House of God; I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever."

~Psalm 52:8

When you think of a symbol of peace, what do you think of? A dove, a white poppy, a peace sign, an olive branch?

When I think about a symbol of peace, here’s what I see:

To the casual observer, she’s just an ordinary little girl. And in many ways, she is; she lives with her mother, father, and two younger sisters. Like most little girls, she’s curious, playful, and loves to be the center of attention. She loves affection and hugs. Sometimes she snorts when she giggles. She has a charming smile and an adorable way of looking away and then peeking at you out of the corner of her eye. And she’s brave and tenacious.

She’s also my hero.

Her name is Olivia, which means “olive tree.” And like her namesake, she has had to be tougher and more resilient than most children.

You see, Olivia was born handicapped, to parents living in poverty. In Rwanda, having a handicapped child is not as easy as it is here. There is often a lack of medical care and parental support. Olivia’s mother had to stay at home to care for her daughter, all the while dealing with neighbors who said that Olivia would never be anything and who could not understand this faithful Mama’s dedication to her child. They often told Olivia’s family to just leave their little girl at some rich person’s gate; to get rid of her.

One day, while Olivia’s father was away doing a menial job, Olivia’s mother left the house to try to find some food for her children. As she returned, she noticed that Olivia had crawled too close to the river and was about to fall in. As Olivia’s mama rushed to save her daughter, a neighbor called out, “You should either carry it on your back or leave it somewhere else! Or… just let your hunger kill all of you!” Olivia’s Mama’s heart was broken by those words and she vowed to stay with her daughter and never leave her. But her heart was crying out for a miracle; for God to come and save them from their poverty and hopelessness. Little did she know that her disabled child would become the key to unlock poverty’s door.

"He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He also will hear their cry, and will save them."

~Psalm 145:19

In November 2012, a team of Canadians traveled to Rwanda with an organization called Shelter Them, a ministry that cares for orphans and vulnerable children. While on their three week visit, they were able to distribute several wheelchairs to needy families who could not afford one. Olivia was one of the children chosen to receive a chair.

The next day, the mission team decided to visit one of the families who had received a wheelchair. Jules, who helps to run the Shelter Them office in Kigali Rwanda, knew that Olivia lived nearby and offered to guide the team to her home.

What they saw, shocked them.

Five people were living in a tiny mud hut smaller than most Canadian bedrooms. Olivia’s father, an unskilled worker, had taken two jobs to try to feed his family but was still unable to provide for them. Olivia herself was forced to scoot on her backside, her usual method of traveling, through the mud and sewage that flowed around the tiny house.

It was an eye-opening experience for the team, who had never seen such shocking poverty.

The above picture is of two of the team members after leaving Olivia’s house, too devastated by her family’s condition to do anything but weep. They vowed to get her out, no matter what it took.

When God’s people come together, mighty things happen.

Just one month later, Olivia’s family was given the surprise of their life: a brand-new rental house, paid for by donations from people all across Canada.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Recently, Olivia was taken to the St. Mary of Rilima Pediatric  Orthopedic Center to receive medical attention. No one could have guessed that this little butterfly of a girl with sparkling eyes, forced to crawl on the ground like a caterpillar her entire life, was about to burst out of her cocoon.

What you see here has no other explanation than “God does miracles.” You’re seeing correctly… Olivia is standing, alone and unaided, for the first time in her nine years of life. And she is not just standing, but walking! Oh, she still stumbles and falls on occasion, and she struggles mightily at times to keep her balance, nearly contorting herself in an effort to remain upright, but she is doing it… one wobbly step at a time. Her determination is unbelievable; when she loses her balance, she catches herself, slowly gets to her feet, and forges on. And each time she does, she gets a little stronger.

I wonder, sometimes, if Olivia’s mama knew what a prophetic name she was giving her newborn daughter. The olive tree for which she was named is famous for its ability to grow no matter what the circumstances. Olive trees are virtually indestructible, their gnarled and twisted trunks proving to be one of the strongest types of wood. They remain untouched by storms, wind, and even fire, living for millennia. An olive tree is seen as a symbol of peace, wisdom, glory, strength, and purity. Perhaps it should also be seen as a symbol of hope; the same hope that gives strength to a little brown-eyed girl and keeps her looking ever onwards and upwards.

And I think to myself, if this little child can keep on pressing forward and reaching for her dreams, then what prevents the rest of us from rising above our most impossible circumstances and giving Glory to the very Lord who created the mighty olive tree thousands of years before a little handicapped girl would bear its name?

And if this little girl can keep smiling through situations that no child should have to experience, what prevents us from doing the same?

Each time we look at Olivia’s precious face, may she be a symbol of hope, of resilience, of bravery, and of strength.

Click this link to view a video of Olivia walking! Olivia Can Walk!

May she continue to grow healthy and strong; an olive branch in the House of her Lord.

SPONSORSHIP SUNDAY: Meet Olivia Manirafasha!

Welcome to post number eleven of Sponsorship Sunday! Each Sunday, the Path of the Carpenter features one child in Rwanda who is being helped through Shelter Them, a non-profit licensed organization in both Canada and Rwanda. Sponsorship is just $40 Canadian ($38 U.S.) per month, and 100% of your money goes directly to your child. None is taken out for administrative or other purposes. Because many of our children are orphans or have been abandoned, we provide everything: food, clothing, housing, medical care, education, etc., for our children. For this reason, each child will require four sponsors. Our goal right now is for each child to have one sponsor by the end of this year.

Today I want to introduce you to a little girl who is very close to my heart. Olivia Manirafasha is seven years old, and her birthday is April 28. Olivia is our “poster-child” for Shelter Them; her picture appears on all of our child sponsorship packets and many of our posters, flyers, etc. Olivia is one of the most beautiful children you’ll ever see. Her smile absolutely lights up the world, and she never seems to stop smiling. She is the sister to Florence, whom you can read about HERE.

Olivia is also disabled. We believe she may have cerebral palsy. When Shelter Them’s mission team first visited her house, they found her scooting on her backside through the gutter, unable to walk. The photo above was taken outside of the hut that Olivia’s family called home. Olivia’s mother, father, and their three children were living in this tiny shack smaller than most modern bedrooms. Olivia’s father is an unskilled labourer, and her mother had to stay home and care for their disabled daughter.

The above picture shows the area that Olivia’s family used to live in. When the Shelter Them team visited, they were stunned at the sheer poverty this family lived in. The Team had given a wheelchair to Olivia’s family at a special presentation; they were overwhelmed to discover that Olivia couldn’t even use her wheelchair because of the narrow passageways between shacks and the dirty gutter running on all sides. This disturbing scene soon became a call to action: we had to get them out.

When the Shelter Them mission team returned to Canada, the call when out for supporters to donate the cost of a rental house for Olivia’s family, to get them out of the slums. Jules, one of the wonderful people who heads up the ministry in Rwanda, was able to find a beautiful house for “our” family. It’s not perfect, but it’s so much better that the life they had before.

Above, you see Olivia’s Christmas surprise. Our Shelter Them team was able to work on the new house without her family knowing about it, and just before Christmas, Jules, Bright, Mama Jo, and the rest of our team surprised Olivia’s family with a brand-new home.  She has her own bedroom now, and her two sisters share a room. Mama Olivia and her husband also have their own room.

And here’s our precious girl herself, thanking everyone who made this possible. She is a bundle of joy!

And the best news of all? About a month ago we found out that Olivia is now receiving medical treatment and for the first time, she is learning to walk.

Will you continue the cycle by making sure that Olivia and her family never have to go back to living in the slums? Your sponsorship will help provide for her family and pay her medical bills so she is able to continue receiving help. Disability can be a death sentence in Rwanda… but with your help, Olivia is now looking forward to a future as bright as her angelic smile.

If you’d like to sponsor Olivia Manirafasha, or if you would like to view the rest of our children available for sponsorship, you can visit us here: Shelter Them Child Sponsorship.

Feel free to share this page with your family and friends so we can find her a sponsor!

And don’t forget to visit the Path of the Carpenter on Facebook!