The "Throwaway" Baby Who Lived
Trent and Tabby Cox
At birth he couldn't have weighed more than five pounds. At ten months the baby was doomed to die. For Trent and Tabby Cox, that was too much to bear. The couple had come with Christian Veterinary Mission to work and live among the Bunna, a seminomadic tribe in the high desert of southwest Ethiopia. At a small government-sponsored animal health clinic the veterinarians taught how to prevent the spread of tick-borne diseases that threatened the health of the tribe's cow and goats, the chief source of income and food. "Getting the people to consider, much less adopt, preventive care went counter to centuries of cultural tradition," said Trent.
It was the Bunna's loyalty to their unshakable belief system that now delivered a death sentence to the child Trent and Tabby had come to know. The baby's mother had nursed him from birth, and he was happy. His parents loved him. But when he turned six months old, the child began crying louder and longer. At first his mother and father thought nothing about it. Then one day they saw something in their son that made them shudder. His top teeth had broken through his gums.
"To the Bunna," explained Tabby, "it's a bad omen if a baby's top teeth come in first. The parents were not surprised when a tribesperson warned them that their son's innocent act of teething might prevent rain or trigger some other curse, causing many in the community to die. To the Bunna, the child had to be killed."
"The Bunna didn't kill their babies because they were heartless murderers," said Trent. "They did it because they honestly believed they had to. They are so scared of the consequences — of being cursed by evil spirits — they didn't see a way out." They knew if they refused, leaders from the Bunna community would come, take the baby boy by force, and destroy him themselves. Like an untold number of children before him, this little boy would become literally a 'throwaway baby.' The Bunna would throw him off the cliff.
The mother and father couldn't bring themselves to face this fate. They considered another way. "Sometimes," said Tabby, "the babies were just taken out in the middle of the bush and left to die." So one night the mother and father walked into the sprawling desert. When they could no longer see their village, they stopped and laid their child on the ground. Then they turned around and walked away, no longer a family of three but as a silent, obedient couple.
News of the young boy's fate was still fresh when it reached the evangelist Kebede. This Gofa tribesman served the Kale Hiwot ("Word of Life") fellowship, the national evangelical church Trent and Tabby partnered with to spread the gospel to the Bunna, many of whom had never heard the name "Jesus."
"When Kebede heard about the boy, he couldn't remain still," said Trent. He knew the Bunna's belief in evil spirits. It confirmed the evangelist's calling to tell the Bunna about the ultimate sacrifice God had made to free them from fear and death." Kebede didn't waste time. He sought clues about where the parents could have left their baby. Then he set out early in the morning across the savannah of sparse grass and acacia trees in search of the infant. For hours he walked by foot, surveying the land. Sometimes he picked through bushes. Sometimes he paused, and prayed. With the sun his only timepiece, he stepped into lengthening shadows.
Somewhere in the tiring darkness his search ended. On the ground, covered in brush, a little boy. Kebede scooped up the dry, dusty child and held him close. Nourishment would come soon enough. That night he brought the boy home to his own family. Together, they named him "Moosay," the Amharic name for Moses.
Danger still lay ahead. Talk swirled through the community that the baby boy was alive and that his mother had already visited him twice. She feared others would come and kill him. Clearly, she told Kebede, it would be better if Moosay lived with someone else.
Kebede believed God had the perfect family for Moosay. He set out north with the boy and went straight to the home of Dawit, a respected Alduba church leader, and his wife Bonki. "At the time," said Bonki," Kebede had no idea that Dawit and I had already learned about Moosay's need for a new home. Dawit and I agreed that if we were asked to take the baby, we would say 'yes.' "
"The miracle of Moosay's rescue reminds me of myself," said Tabby. "Like him, I've been saved from sure death. When I was destined to die because of my sin, God adopted me and made me his child. Christ stepped in so I wouldn't have to be thrown away."
For Trent and Tabby Cox, the fight against ticks could wait until tomorrow. It was time to celebrate. A little boy once given up for dead was going to live.
The Story Lives on . . .
When have you said no to a social expectation or long-held belief?
What would you have done if Moosay's parents had put their son in your arms?
Is there a person in your world who needs an advocate, as he or she faces looming obstacles?
THE PROMISE OF STANDING UP FOR THE POOR
Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy praise your name.
Psalm 74:21
The Lord does not want the disadvantaged to suffer shame and dishonor.
He longs for and deserves their praise. How can you help make this a reality?
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Posted by: Murli dhar Gupta <mdguptabpl@gmail.com>
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