Eniko was
an eight-year old boy living in Kingston, Jamaica. Due to medical conditions and other
circumstances, Eniko came under the care of Mustard Seed Communities.
You may be
wondering who Eniko is and what exactly Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) is all
about. Well my name is Kathryn Konstantas
and I am blessed to have been able to call myself the Godmother of that amazing
little boy as a result of a mission trip with MSC. I would like to tell you more about my
experience with Eniko and MSC and how both have impacted my life and the lives
of many.
First,
Mustard Seed Communities is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization,
whose main goal is caring for the lives of orphaned children and adults with
special needs in Jamaica, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Zimbabwe. This includes 600 children and adults with
physical and/or mental disabilities, those living with HIV/AIDs, and young
mothers and their babies.
In my eyes,
Mustard Seed Communities is a place unlike any other. It is a place where they have taken children
and adults that at times and for various reasons were previously unwanted or
homeless and have brought them together to create a home full of compassion,
faith, and perhaps most of all love.
It was the
first of July 2012 that we loaded the Mustard Seed Communities bus to go to the
baptism of several of the children at one of the apostolates (orphanages). It was then that one of the care givers asked
me to hold a little boy who I thought at the time could be no older than three. As I held this child on the two hour trip to
the apostolate I began to wonder more about him. His limbs were extremely contracted, he was
completely non-verbal, but the more I looked into his eyes the more I knew
there was something truly special about him.
When we got
to the apostolate I placed him in a stroller and wheeled him up to the
church. Before I knew it I was becoming
the Godmother of the same little boy that had made the bus trip with me, and
his name was Eniko. As my trip
progressed I was able to learn more about him.
I learned that his age was unknown but he was approximately 6 years old,
that he had been sick for some time, and that there were so many that saw
something truly special about this little boy.
I was able
to spend a fair amount of time with Eniko over the next month. I was able to feed him, participate in
physical therapy activities with him, take him to church, adoration, and most
of all love him. As I spent more time
with him I was able to see just how sick this little boy was, and yet still
just how special he was. Unfortunately,
a little over a year after I had come back from Jamaica I got the devastating
news that Eniko had passed away despite Mustard Seed Communities’ every effort
to help and care for him.
This news
caused a sense of extreme sadness for all of those that had encountered Eniko,
especially the caregivers that took care of him day after day. Perhaps what I find most amazing about
Eniko’s short life is how a child that never spoke a word and could barely move
any of his appendages could impact so many.
He changed my world in so many ways teaching me more about courage,
love, and perhaps most of all the amazing love of God. I am forever grateful to
him for having such an impact on my life.
My sisters
came to me with the idea of creating a 5K run/walk in Eniko’s name to honor his
life. I could not have thought of a
better way to remember Eniko while raising funds for the place that loved and
cared for him and other amazing children and adults just like him, Mustard Seed
Communities.
I would
like to thank you for taking the time to look into the Race for Eniko and
invite you to look at the pictures, videos, and other information on the
website. I also invite you to look at
the blog my sister, Chirstina, created while we were in Jamaica: http://christinajamaica.blogspot.com
to understand a little bit more about our journey.
Thank you
again for looking into Race for Eniko we would love for you to join us as a
sponsor, participate in the race in Eniko’s memory, or join us in prayer for
Mustard Seed Communities and the truly inspiring work they do.
“I can do no great things, only small things with great love.” – Mother Theresa
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