What Happened to the Children?

Did you know that November 20 is World (or Universal) Children’s Day? Here in Chile, we celebrate the children on the second Sunday in August, but on an international level it’s commemorated close to American Thanksgiving.

Now, I admit that amid the race and roar surrounding me, I paused only a minute last week to wish for cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Because in Chile, November is the new December. Yes, December still culminates inevitably in the year-end holidays, summer vacation preparations, and the finalization of the fiscal year. But many of December’s former special events have, in the interest of relieving the pressure, gradually migrated to November: elections, exams, school picnics and graduations, ministry closing parties.

However, I’ve meditated quite a lot about children lately. Perhaps that’s because Christmas is approaching, and we haven’t seen our five grandchildren in over a year and likely won’t again for longer than that. Perhaps it’s the two foster “grandkids” in our lives now and the other “adopted” granddaughter whose baby sister, Amaia, died this past year.

“If we nurture the dreams of children, the world will be blessed. If we destroy them, the world is doomed.” —Wess Stafford, president emeritus of Compassion International

Besides them, a 13-year-old girl in our church ran away from home last week, poisoned by ideology absorbed at a soccer club. Now she’s threatening suicide if Mom and Dad don’t comply with her demands. A friend’s 13-year-old grandson was hospitalized with severe depression. We know four children whose parents have separated yet again. Another five-year-old girl wears a permanent scowl. A character flaw? Or…what is going on in that child’s heart?

And these are just people we’re close to.

When I was a kid, I was told there was no Children’s Day because every day is children’s day. Ahem, I think not. Not in this generation. And definitely not in some places of the world. Social media feeds share more about abandoned puppies than neglected children. We see more news of war and politics and climate change than of their victims.

Once Upon a Time in Chiloé…

Some time ago I shared a blog series about the myths and legends of the Chiloé Islands (southern Chile). Later I compiled the posts and combined them with the story of an anniversary trip to the islands into a mini memoir, Return to Chiloé.

I confess I left many legends out. One in particular. I couldn’t write about the Invunche, because the too-dark tale plastered my heart. But I’m compelled to share it today…

The word invunche comes from Huilliche, the language of the early inhabitants of Chiloé: invun – meaning small, atrophied, or perhaps swollen + che – meaning man or people. So, in Chilote mythology, the Invunche is a grossly deformed little man who guards the entrance to the Cave of Quicaví, the “Big House” of Chiloé’s confederation of witches, AKA the Mayoría. Every local coven also has its secret cave of meeting and its own Invunche, charged with scaring strangers away while they conduct their activities.

But this terrifying, hypertrophied being began life not as a monster, but as a firstborn baby boy. When the witches (or machis) need a new Invunche, they kidnap a newborn child, not older than nine days (or one is “donated”). Immediately they “scrape” away his Catholic baptism and proceed to disjoint his right leg and draw it around so that his foot is stuck to his spine. (Did they stitch it? I wondered.) His head is also twisted behind.

Then, if that weren’t enough, at three months the witches split his tongue in two and daily rub his skin with a concentrated herbal infusion which causes long, stiff hairs to grow. At first, they feed him with black cat’s milk, and afterwards with goat’s meat or human flesh obtained from cadavers in the cemeteries.

With this kind of treatment…

…the child loses all semblance of humanity. Raised naked in a cave, unable to walk or speak, he grows up to become the Invunche, zealous doorkeeper of his horrible home. His slobbering mouth emits only guttural sounds or blood-curdling screeches something like the bleating of a goat.

With his three remaining extremities, now become rough paws, he can crawl or hop only a few steps from the cave—with great difficulty. If any “clean” person (meaning non-witch) happens to glimpse the appalling creature, that unfortunate soul goes mad forever.

Occasionally at night, the witches drag their Invunche outside and give him a beating, a portent of pestilence and death in the district. No wonder this pitful being ages prematurely. When he is close to death, the witches sacrifice him implacably. From his flesh they prepare a coveted jerky that supposedly cures any sickness and lifts any curse.

This traditional Chilote story sounds more fitting for a Halloween post than for Thanksgiving. Is it just a story? Today, nobody really knows. Anthropologists and mythographers view this fragment of Chilote mythology as an attempt to account for physical deformities—“the witches stole the wrong child and later released him.”

*Adapted from Mythology of Chiloé by Juan Mancilla P. and  Mythological Chiloé by Dr. Bernardo Quintana Mansilla

Use and Abuse

I’m so not into horror. And despite its present popularity, I’m not attracted to dystopian fiction either. Yet, both Hope Chest (a current work-in-progress) and Legacy of the Linnenbrink Light (a book I’m editing for publication soon, God willing) contain elements of both. Hope Chest deals with growing up in Chiloé in the 1960’s, while Legacy of the Linnenbrink Light features a teacher facing a more current but equally challenging situation in the islands.

What do they have in common? Three things:

• Children and youth. And the neglect, abandonment, poverty, depravity, and physical and emotional abuse they often encounter in the world they live in. The loss of dreams and the dearth of opportunities.
• Monsters. Some, perhaps most, are made monsters by men. A few deliberately choose their path. Either way, these relentless predators hunt their victims through deception and manage to perpetuate their kind.
• A God who intervenes through those He appoints to stand in the gap and offer “hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). God’s people make a difference.

“Every child you encounter is a divine appointment.” —Wess Stafford

Did you know…

…that fully half of the world’s poor are children, with one in five suffering extreme deprivation? The little ones are the most at risk for starvation and poor nutrition, disease, abuse and exploitation, all of which threaten their joy and their future.

“It’s love that tells a child born into unimaginable…poverty that they are not alone; they’re not invisible,” said the British preacher Charles Spurgeon. “It is love that tells a child that an endlessly merciful and all-powerful God knows their name and has a beautiful plan for their life.” 

That’s what I feel like telling the high-minded anthropologists of the world when I read their lofty recommendations of “non-interference.” I remember with piercing clarity the single mother who lived in a rotting hovel near the waterfront in Dalcahue (“Mellehue,” in my books). Her three children, aged about 5, 3, and 1, never knew a father…nor a warm bath, shoes, or Kleenex.

The one little girl’s name was Cecilia. Did she even have a last name? Thousands—millions—like her wander other muddy alleys around the world. I often wonder what happened to Cecilia. I don’t know, but I don’t forget, and I write her and her brothers into many of my stories.

Yes, Cecilia, there is a Father who knows, loves, and cares for you.

“Let us have more compassion, less consternation. More mercy, less fury. More generosity, less greed. More love, less lust.” –Joseph M. Stowell, The Final Question of Jesus

Health and Safety

One hundred forty-three million orphans live in the world today, of which 100 million homeless roam the streets. Every week, 250,000 children die from disease and malnutrition.

Makes you think twice about gorging at the holiday table, doesn’t it? Not to guilt anyone—I like turkey and treats as much as the next person. But these statistics whack me with a hard-hitting reminder that there are much greater misfortunes than lumpy gravy or cream that won’t whip.

Evil, injustice, and corruption also affect children most and worst. They comprise 40-50% of those subjected to slavery and sex trafficking. Of the 27 million child slaves, one million are prostituted to the sex trade every year. Thirty-five million have HIV.

These children are often bought and sold (by family members!) in payment of debts and are forced to labor long hours in sometimes dangerous occupations. Some are compelled to serve in militias as armed soldiers. Others may do a gang’s dirty work, so the adults aren’t prosecuted.

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” –Frederick Douglass

Then consider the 50% increase in mental health problems in the last three years. One in six children in developed countries suffer from depression and other mental/emotional issues.

What has happened to the children indeed?

Read and Write

With the encroachment of the Internet, smart electronics, social media, and artificial intelligence, author-artist Austin Kleon suggests that this could be the last reading generation. Our grandchildren may be the last humans who learn to read and write!

Isn’t that a tragedy that breaks your heart? Our children are missing out on the treasures and pleasures we enjoyed. Instead of freedom to learn, they are subjected to endless ideological propaganda and bombarded with carefully curated messages. Many of these are intended to change their thinking—but to twist and deform rather than transform it into radiant reality.

So, like the character Cristina Linnenbrink in the godforsaken island of Cocotúe, I rack my brain to figure what I can do to change the world for the children of the world. How to impact this generation?

“Each day of our lives, we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” —Charles Swindoll

Cristina began by opening her students’ horizons to lifelong learning. I believe libraries rival schools and hospitals in importance. And how about adults that actually notice children? Parents who are healthy, wholesome, and present? Who are loving and love Jesus? Governments that oppose greed and wickedness rather than ignore—even tacitly endorse—it?

Play and Pray

Jesus loves children, and God takes up the cause of the orphan. So should we. If you have children in your life, thank God for the opportunity to bless the little ones in His name.

“In (a sense) there is no Christian woman who is child-free. We pass on the gospel to the next generation… The aim of our motherhood is to declare the good news…‘to a people yet unborn’ (Ps. 22:31).” –Gloria Furman, Missional Motherhood

How can you and I help a child overcome the difficulties of their current situation? May I make a few suggestions?

• Advocate – Speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. You could start by simply sharing some of the quotes or statistics in this post on social media or in your small group. Discuss the needs with others. Consider which aspect of “what’s happening to the children” resonates most with your heart.
• Pray – Christians say they believe in the power of prayer. Let’s act on that and pray for children and youth living in tough circumstances around the block and around the world. God can change things in response to our prayers.
• Give books – as gifts to the young people in your world—paperbacks, picture books, ebooks, audiobooks—doesn’t matter. It’s true they may not appreciate a book as much as a new tablet or game. But they might, if you read and talk about it with them.
• Donate – Impoverished children face many physical challenges, from hunger to homelessness. You can share food, clothing, or cash. You can give time and talents. Kids Around the World, an organization we’ve worked with personally, builds playgrounds and tell stories. Compassion International offers sponsorships among other programs. Other agencies construct homes, dig wells, provide medical care, and teach skills.

Whatever stirs you, GET INVOLVED. Maybe just be a friend of children.

“Many things can wait. Children cannot.” –Gabriela Mistral, Chilean Nobel laureate

Christmas is coming, and for lots of us, Christmas is about children. Because it all began with the birth of a Child. Not a poor child who became the Invunche, the witches’ repellant slave, the gatekeeper to a cave of wickedness.

The Child Jesus, though born to be crucified, became the Prince of Peace who draws us to Himself and is the Door to an entire world of wonder.