From Africa to America

De was born into a muslim family in Ethiopa, Africa.  At a very young age,  De found himself testing his boundries.  One very clear day that De remembers, is the day his father tied him to a pole and held a machettie to his neck..... his father yelling at him that he was going to kill him.  What would possibly invoke a father to do such a thing?  De had been caught stealing...... food.  In the Muslim faith, stealing is strickly prohibited and in most cases they would cut off your hand..... in De's case his father went to the extreme and decided to kill him.  De was just 10 years old.  10 years old..... the same age as my daughter.   I can't even imagine.

Just at the very instance De's father was ready to end his young life, his Uncle began shouting "NO, NO, NO! I will take care of him!"  De's father released him to his uncle and his journey toward America began.

De's journey took 2 years....... he traveled from Ethiopia to Kenya and finally to America.  Sadly in the process, his Uncle died while in Kenya.  De was a part of a "family" that had applied for US visas, many of which De had no idea who they were.  When his uncle died, they found a "replacement" for his visa.  Once in America, De was shuffled from Minnesota to Georgia, to Tennessee and back to Minnesota.  He hardly spoke english and lived a very poor life by American standards.

Abuse was a common occurrence in De's life.  I have seen scars on De's body and often wondered what they were from.... so I asked.  "What caused such wounds?  What were you hit with?"  De's response was simply "What didn't they hit me with."  Doesn't that make you want to hold out your arms, pull your babies close and give love and protection? Doesn't that just make you ANGRY?

Eventually De had enough!  He decided to get away.....away from the abuse and pain.  He ran to the only place he felt safe...... his school playground. He hid in the tube of a slide until it got so cold he could no longer take it.  He ran to the closest building where eventually a security guard caught him and called the police.  He was taken to a local hospital and when the nurse lifted his shirt she could see what had been done to him.  De was then placed into the foster system..... he was just 13 years old.

........Join me tomorrow to see how De found his way into the our family