Community News see more »

It does not seem possible that we could live in a world still capable of forgetting innocent children. Sadly, we do live in a world where barefoot and hungry, orphans have slipped away into the nothingness of 'our' time. Bette Sue and Lynn Hoy found these orphans holding on to each day with an incredible amount of courage. These innocent children are now orphans because of the brutal deaths of their families, dismissed as trivial urchins left behind with no families to protect them.

They have never felt a full tummy, eating only one meager meal a day. Their meal is like a bowl of gruel, not anything like meat & potatoes, BBQ, casseroles, chicken fried steak or salads; but something closer to milk soaked bread with some kind of grain to fill their little bellies until tomorrow comes.

Orphans left out in the sweltering hot weather with only one set of clothes on their fragile bodies to protect them from weather conditions. All they have to sleep on at night are the cold floors of neighboring homes, which cannot afford to feed them, so they must leave on an empty stomach at sunrise every day.

With no apparent future, these orphans have been erased by the very ugliness that serves as a reminder of why they were abandoned. Their deep hollow eyes almost tell the story of the horrendous atrocities they have endured. They still manage a smile when you reach out to touch them for it is not only their tummies that are starving but also their empty hearts.

These forgotten orphans wake up each day with a small glimmer of hope that maybe someone somewhere might care. As they wander the hot dusty roads in search of anything, not even knowing what it might be that will help them survive another day, they wonder if anyone will hear their inner silent cry. It is silent in that they continue to endure their deserted lives without whining.

These orphan children have witnessed the viciousness of evil, as the very life of their parents, brothers, sisters, and families brutally died while being massacred before their very own eyes. Their cries and yells went unheard as the massacres continued. What they have seen and suffered no human should ever have to endure. Yet as innocent children, they were hurled aside forced to watch killings too impossible for words.

Advertisement • Your Ad Here

Can you even remotely imagine watching your parents killed by an axe or rough-hewn blade? Or even randomly shot 'just because'? Can you even conceive of watching your brother or sister lose their arms and legs as they are whacked off, left to bleed to death? Can you envision your grandparents suffering an unspeakable evilness before your very own eyes?

Can you imagine having no place to sleep but in the home of the people that massacred your family? The idiosyncrasy of fate now places these orphans each night into the homes of the very same people that murdered their families. There is no other place for them to sleep at night. If they sleep outside, the surrounding wild animals would hunt them down and feed upon their small-unprotected bodies.

As a society, we have become too 'politically' correct which at times is so very incorrect. We are too complacent about most everything. We choose to shield ourselves from the ugliness that exists. We do not speak of repugnant sights. It is time to remove our blindfolds.

The barefoot orphans left behind at Mile 38 are desperate for any help. They need someone to hold their hand - even from a distance. The forgotten orphans need to know with the passing of each sunset that they will have more than one meager bowl of gruel to fill their empty stomachs the following day.

They need someone to help them as they step into each sunrise by knowing they will have the protection of clothes. They need to know that they are not disposable. They need to know there is kindness in the world. They need their own safe haven to sleep in when the sun goes down. Among the desolation of their daily lives, they wait uncomplainingly with each passing day for help, holding on to an unseen hope.

Bette Sue and Lynn Hoy have heard their silent cries. They have seen their frail innocent faces. They have held their undernourished bodies as they reached out to hug them. Bette Sue and Lynn have witnessed first hand, the devastation left behind on these blameless young orphans. The Hoys know the atrocities these forgotten orphans have suffered.

Rev. Edward Dumbuya of the Sierra Leon area has dedicated himself to taking care of these many forgotten children at Mile 38 in Sierra Leon. In their quest to help fulfill the abundant needs of these forgotten orphans, Bette Sue and Lynn have spent many hours alongside Rev. Dumbuya learning how he has managed to provide for them with barely enough to go around.

Now Bette Sue and Lynn have set up an opportune way for anyone anywhere in the world to help these forgotten orphans. They have set up an account through their local church, First Baptist Church of Llano for the basic needs of the orphans called "Mile 38 Orphanage".

Anyone anywhere can donate any amount. No amount is too small. Donations may be made as often as anyone wants to make them. There is no religious or political affiliation.

It only takes $170 to feed one of the forgotten orphans for an entire year. An orphan can be feed, clothed, and educated for $540 a year.

The Hoys have also set up an account for the construction of an orphanage for these children. An orphanage house where the children can each have their own bed, and can wake up knowing they have three meals a day. It is set up as "Mile 38 Building Fund".

If you can feel the burden of these forgotten orphans tugging on your heart, please help them. The address is First Baptist Church of Llano. P.O. Box 403, Llano, TX 78643. Please let them know when you write to them, how you want your donation applied. Basic needs fund is referred to as "Mile 38 Orphanage". Orphanage building fund is referred to as "Mile 38 Building Fund".

If you want to learn more about these forgotten orphans, please call Bette Sue and Lynn Hoy at their home, (325) 247-4079.

"Let us never become indifferent to the plight of those around us".