Donka, One of the First Baby Box Recipients
ON THE PHOTO:– A Baby Box – one of the very first – being taken to Donka’s home in December 2016. This image became the hallmark of the new Baby Box Project because it truly speaks more than a thousand words.
– “You have encountered hundreds of mothers, but is there someone you remember in particular?” we asked MP worker Daniela.
She replied, “Yes. Donka was one of the first women to receive a Baby Box. I have been able to follow her life for several years.”
I met Donka when we took her a Baby Box in December of 2016. She was 23 years old and had a newborn daughter and three sons.
Donka and her husband Georgy had built a little cottage right next to the village house of prayer.
The roof construction was pieces of sheet metal, and there was plastic in place of the window glass. The shack had a dirt floor and no furniture. Bean soup was cooking on the small stove, and there were no clothes or any supplies for the new baby.
“God has helped us. We have not been hungry. We’re just praying that Georgy could get a job,” said Donka.
“How can we help you?” I asked, expecting that she would request a baby bed or glass for the window. But instead:
“I would like to know how to raise my children properly. Now they are young and obey, but what about when they grow up? I can read, but I don’t have books about God.”
We gave Donka a Baby Box. Her eyes shone as she admired the beautiful baby clothes. Then she noticed the children’s Bible. She pressed it against her chest and began to weep.
On our next visit we brought books and clothes for the three boys. We were informed that these brothers are present for every church event.
The little girl is now five years old and she has Down Syndrome. Although it is customary in Bulgarian Roma communities to send such children away to special facilities, it is not so in Donka’s family. Her boys take gentle care of their little sister.
Donka, indeed, has known God’s help to raise her children well!
PHOTO: Donka’s eldest son helps take care of his little sister.
