Lights in the Hands of God

I rang at the front door of the Onder family’s house in a little town on the east of Slovakia. Jan, the father and head of the family, opened the door. A slender young woman with beautiful long hair joined us. I greeted her with the words “You must be one of the three daughters!” After noisy laughter from both of them, I saw the three girls enter the room.

The woman with the long hair who I met first is the mother, Dana. The three girls are Onder’s daughters, and the youngest daughter, Danka, is the one most similar in appearance to her mother. She is the reason I traveled to the east of Slovakia and came to this place.

Insignificant?

When Dana told me she was only 18 when she got married, I began to understand why she looked more like a friend of her three daughters, than their mother. She was 24 when her youngest daughter, Danka, was born. Everyone called the baby “Little Danka” and the name was well-deserved. Little Danka was born two months premature and weighed only 2 pounds, 2 ounces. The doctors gave her only a minimal chance of survival. In addition, within a few days of her birth, it became apparent that Little Danka had cerebral palsy. All of these facts caused the word ‘insignificant’ to be included in the baby’s medical record.

But God had different plans than the doctor’s prognosis for this baby. Danka won her fight for life, but there were still threats of mental and physical disability.

Family Struggles

If you love someone, his/her happiness is your happiness, and his or her troubles are your troubles. When Little Danka came home from the hospital, the whole Onder family entered a very difficult stage of their lives. The baby endured many surgeries, medical examinations, and stays in the hospital. For three years, her mother had to do exercises with her three times a day! The baby cried from the pain and her mother cried with her. Having a sick baby and two other small daughters, the mother was exhausted. Her husband, Jan, had to work very hard to make the money to support his family. It was a time of huge pressure for everyone in the Onder family…

Today—Still in God’s Grace

All their efforts paid off and God’s grace changed everything! Little Danka is now 20 years old and she is completely healthy! Danka is a third year student in the Bible School, where she studies Mission Work with Children and Youth. She is a great student and we believe she will successfully complete her studies this year. God is already using her in her community because Danka’s ministry is serving children in Sunday School. We are very thankful for God’s grace in Danka’s life. We are also very proud of her progress in studying God’s word.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

The Center for Christian Education is very open to assist youth with special needs. We have created ´the Adopt a Student program´ at the Bible School, where your prayers and financial support have been most helpful. Thanks to you, we are able to assist students with many different needs. Together, we are the hands of God here in Martin, Slovakia. Danka is just one of many examples where your support and assistance can be clearly seen.