Saying goodbye to Evelini...a light that will never be extinguished
Our hearts are broken at the sudden loss of Evelini. A sweet, energetic girl, Evelini was a bold part of our family. We had the privilege of loving her for more than 4 years in Patricia's Home. At the doctor on Monday she was treated for Malaria then showed signs of improvement; but sadly, Wednesday afternoon she suddenly passed away in the car on the way back to the doctor.
We are saddened and our staff, children, and community are mourning BUT we have HOPE eternal! We know that darkness may come for the night but joy will come in the morning. We have lost a part of our family on Earth but we will forever have her in our heavenly family and for that we are SO thankful!
We have a thousand stories of our spunky girl we could share but instead we want the words and pictures of team members who have spent valuable time with her to speak to the impact she had. There are too many to share but here are a few:
“I met Evelini in the summer of 2013. Energetic would be an understatement, she didn't stop moving. She was a rough houser, always wanting to wrestle with the other kids. She even seemed to be more annoying to the other kids to be honest. Evelyn was also partially deaf. Although these were some of my initial observations, my first and lasting impression of her will be her smile. It breaks my heart when I think of the trauma the children at the Grace Center have experienced before landing with Circle of Hope. With that trauma, Evelini wore Joy on her face.
Its not so much the observations that I have had with Evelini that I will remember, but more the way God used her to show me who he is! The irony, is that up until today, I though he used me to teach her...
As I said, Evelini was partially deaf. During my visit to Malawi in 2014, the Holy Spirit told me to pray for healing over her ears. I was doubtful that anything could or would happen to say the least. Thankfully, I made my way through the weird awkwardness of obeying his commandment in that moment and prayed over her. I heard the Holy Spirit say to spit in the dirt and rub the mud in her ear, just as Jesus had done with the blind man's eyes. After we washed out her ear, I whispered into her "bad" ear and asked her to smile. Evelini turned her gaze towards me, stared into my eyes and simply grinned, once again showing me her internal joy that struck me initially. That day, I was awestruck at God's healing powers and thought how fortunate I was to have been used in such a marvelous way. Today however, I see God was not using me, but was teaching me what he can do with a faith that is smaller than a mustard seed.
Although Evelini has passed on, I will be forever grateful that God used her to show me his love and grace through that precious smile. Jesus, thank you for allowing me the privilege to be with your messenger one last time in 2015. Evelini, you're free!”
-Joey Eells
“Though our hearts are heavy for our loss of Evelini on this earth, this morning I can't help but be so happy for her that she no longer walks barefoot on dirt paths of stone and dust but runs on streets of gold.
She no longer searches for her identity as a young girl in an orphanage but she now fully knows her identity and why she was created. To worship her God and savior Jesus. Oh this hope we have is indeed an anchor for the soul! Please pray for all those children and staff who loved her as a sister and daughter on this earth.”
-Teresa Short
In Malawi, mourning is a full-time affair. Right now, our children, staff, and local community members are gathered mourning the loss of a young life, a beautiful life, and thankfully a life that is not over...a life that lives on in heaven. We ask that you join us in prayer as we seek to make sense in our hearts. Let's make Evelini's life live on!