The gift of a face

A Christmas Story by Frank Franke

Sometimes, we tend to let small unimportant things bother us. We exaggeratedly blow up little problems to make them look over proportionally large. After a long day at school or work, we return to our warm homes, fix ourselves something to eat and then lean back on our couches to read a nice book or watch some show on television. We pick up our cordless phones and chat with friends, and we use our computers to reserve some theater tickets or just to play some video games.

Our refrigerators keep our food and drinks cold, our ovens prepare our favorite meals, and our washing machines wash our clothes. We go about our daily lives never realizing how good a life we have.

Yes, we are the lucky ones, and we live in a world full of colors. But not everything that shines is gold. To enrich our lives, we must never forget the less fortunate!

This is a story of a nine year old boy named Moise. In his short life he has seen and experienced what we would consider only nightmares.

It seems like it's been forever, and this is all this unfortunate little boy can remember. Both he and his mother Seraphine are homeless, and to survive another day, they are forced to wander and beg through the dusty streets of Kigali's largest slum Remera. Some people feel sorry for them and may drop a few coins, and other times they will eat what someone threw away. Passersby are shocked when they look at Moise, who three years ago, fell in a fire and suffered a terrible injury. His face was completely destroyed, and he also lost his right forearm.

On a cold night Moise was sleeping near his mother. It had just rained and they were huddled by a fire to keep warm and to dry their clothes. Suddenly, one of the burning branches crackled loudly. The noise startled Moise and woke him. As he opened his eyes and saw the flames, he began to scream. His mom held him tightly for a long time, reassuring him that it was alright, until he slowly began to repose.

Cuddling close, he began to pray, wishing the other boys wouldn't be so mean to him, and that he could be normal again. He soon fell asleep, but was very unsteady for the rest of the night.

His mother also spent a restless night. She dreamed that she was carrying a cross on her back. It was big and heavy, and it hurt. She desperately wished that she wouldn't have to carry it. Then, God came to her, took her hand and asked her to walk with him for a while. He brought her to a room filled with different sized crosses, and told her, that since she has prayed so much, and wished so much not to carry this cross, she could go pick herself another cross of her choice.

Seraphine saw a very small cross and ran to it. She thought to herself that she would take the small one instead. However, it was too heavy! No matter what she tried, she just couldn't move this little cross. She looked at God and said: "I can't lift this one, it weighs too much. I think that I will keep my old cross instead". God reminded her that everyone must carry their cross. Sometimes, we may think that others carry only small crosses, but we just won't know how heavy they really are until we try to lift them ourselves.

In the morning, with this dream in mind, she collected her things and together with Moise, she walked down another street, hurrying before someone would see them and chase them away. For Seraphine, there was no tomorrow, and she was losing hope of improving their difficult situation. She knew that she and Moise would have no chance unless something unexpected happened soon. This was her cross.

Right after his accident, doctors from Germany had performed first aid, trying to help Moise. But these physicians were now all far away, and in this war ravished country of Rwanda, there was nowhere to go for support. Every day, her deepest wish was that a beam of light would shine down on them to relieve them of their misery.

Rwanda is a small, densely populated and highly impoverished country in East Africa. Everywhere you go, you will sense the aftermath of the terrible 1994 genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of people were brutally murdered and maimed.

In Nyamata, an old battered church stands as a contemporary witness of the past massacre of 24,000 people seeking refuge in the church, as well as throughout this widely scattered village. Written in the Kinyarwanda language, a large sign posted at the church's entrance has the following monumental words: "If you had known me, you would not have me killed!"

The unrest goes back to the 1960s when due to ethnic clashes, Tutsi people from different areas of Rwanda were forced to leave their homes and go to live in this region. It quickly became predominantly Tutsi, thus causing friction with the Hutus living there. Previously, the Tutsis and Hutus lived peacefully together. Both groups shared a common language, and sometimes, the only difference was that if one had more than ten cows then he was probably a Tutsi. Everything changed however, when Hutu militias carried out the assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana, the country's leader, which was followed by mass killings of Tutsis and pro-peace Hutus. All together, over the course of approximately 100 days, the death toll was as much as 20% of the total population of the country.

Young Moise's tragic story became known in Germany back in 2008, when on a trip to a Butare hospital in Rwanda, a visitor was emotionally moved at the sight of this poor child. He decided that he must save him, and therefore, quickly contacted Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen (LOG) for help.

The relief organization with headquarters at Frankfurt Airport immediately called plastic surgeon Dr. André Borsche. He agreed to perform the needed operation and without delay. Unfortunately however, because of their daily struggle to survive, both mother and the little boy could no longer be located. They disappeared among the many densely populated streets of Rwanda.

Hope however, was not too far, and the employees of the German Embassy in the Rwandan capital of Kigali really proved to be dedicated helpers. Doing everything possible, and leaving no stone unturned, they searched relentlessly throughout the city looking for him.

They were convinced that Moise and his mother could not have gotten too far, and after many weeks and countless attempts, they were finally located. Living in the streets and with no money, they were found aimlessly travelling from one slum to another.

It was not a moment too soon, because the skin grafts that had been made when he was first treated in the Rwandan clinic, had developed into thick scars that were now becoming life threatening.

It took a further two weeks until they were finally brought in, but then everything went pretty fast. A surgery date in Bad Kreuznach was agreed, tickets were organized, and the journey to a new life could begin.

Without any further delay, little Moise and his mother Seraphine were placed in the front row, on board a Lufthansa flight LH653 from Addis Ababa to Frankfurt. They were very excited. Neither of the two had ever flown before. Both looking around anxiously, trying to figure what would happen next. The Airbus crew, paying every detail to assure that this boy, who so far had only known the shady side of life, was well taken care of.

In the horizon, like a big soft orange ball filled with down feathers, the sun lent its warming comfort to a shiny bird of hope, spreading its wings across the cool November morning sky in Germany. After nearly eight hours filled with anticipation, the plane took a gentle final right bend to begin its decent. A few minutes later, a tired but still curious little boy and his mom touched down at Frankfurt Airport.

Numerous smiling helpers were waiting for Moise and his mother. From here, they continued in a convoy to Bad Kreuznach, where, Dr. Borsche and several of his colleagues eagerly awaited the young patient.

Moise, nervous and a bit timid, went up to Dr. André Borsche. The doctor gave him a real big hug and picked him up. One could see a shy smile flickering in the little boy's eyes. Moise had just begun a long and hopeful journey. Four days later, a team of specialists, working feverishly, in an eleven-hour operation, began to construct a new face and a brighter life for Moise.

It will still take many weeks and months to ease the pain and anxiety. He is recovering now. When he returns, his life will not be easy, but it will be filled with new hope and confidence. Our little friend will return with a gift he will treasure for the rest of his life; a perfect Christmas present for a boy and his brand new smile.

The End