Boaz in Burundi
Faced with the double calamity of having a very ill wife and a son born with clubfoot, Christopher wasn’t sure where to turn. His neighbors mocked him because of his Boaz’s deformity. They also believed the illness of his wife Fabiola was further evidence that Boaz was a curse to the family.
“Your child will never be treated, and he will grow and die with neglected clubfoot,” neighbors mocked. But this was not enough to deter Christopher from helping his son. With Fabiola very weak, this dad took on the added responsibility of taking Boaz to the Hope Walks partner clinic on his own, but not until his son was more than a year old. A farmer by trade, Christopher is not able to sustain his family on farming alone. He often works to find odd jobs just to make ends meet, further adding to this man’s burden.
With each passing week, a new cast was applied to Boaz’s legs. It took eight casts to fully correct his feet, but as each week passed, Christopher could see the change, and it brought him great joy.
Now that Boaz is in the bracing phase and his feet are straight, his neighbors have taken on a new attitude toward this young boy they once called a “baby ghost.” The community now calls him “beloved son of the family.” They used to say he was cursed, but now they say he is blessed.
The clubfoot process helped the community to see things in a different light, but God always saw Boaz as one of his blessed children. “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
