Saved For a Reason: Kervens' Rescue Gives Him a Purpose
POSTED ON Jan 05, 2012
Kervens believes he was saved from the earthquake for a reason. He wants to become a doctor, "to help my nation," he says.
Today, thanks to generous supporters, Kervens walks with the help of a prosthetic leg. He doesn't let that slow him down.
Kervens' leg had to be amputated after it was crushed under a falling wall. He received continued care at COTN's clinic in Barahona, the Dominican Republic.
The doctors let Kervens dress up, help out, and try out some skills on pretend patients. The care he received at the COTN clinic inspired Kervens to pursue a career as a doctor.
Kervens may only have one leg, but he is an 11-year-old boy who is going far. When an earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010, a wall collapsed over Kervens and crushed his right leg. Kervens' parents survived, and were able to rescue him and bring him to a makeshift clinic in Jimani, just across the border in the Dominican Republic, where his leg was amputated. From there he was identified as a severe case, and helicoptered over to the Children of the Nations (COTN) medical clinic in Barahona, Dominican Republic, for continued care.
The moment he was taken from Jimani, Kervens knew that God's powerful hand of protection was over him. "Since Christ took me from Jimani, I know I have a purpose for my life," he says. "God's plan was to give me life."
When asked what this purpose might be, Kervens is thoughtful. "I want to do something for Haiti. I want to become a doctor and help my nation," he says. The American doctors who traveled to the Barahona clinic to care for him, and the Dominican nurses who stood by his side as he healed, have all made a huge impression on him. While in the Dominican Republic, Kervens helped the doctors in every way he could, often changing the dressings on his friends' injuries. Today, he believes the most helpful thing he can do for his nation is become a doctor.
Today, Kervens and his family have returned to Haiti and live in a rental apartment, thanks to the support of his sponsors. They know that a safe, sturdy home is a great blessing—two years after the earthquake, tent cities still sprawl across Port-au-Prince. Kervens also realizes the value of a home—he asks that we pray for him to always have a place to live.
Kervens' sponsors make it possible for him to attend school in Port-au-Prince, which, along with having a real house to live in, is a rare and enormous privilege in Haiti today. "My life is so different today," says Kervens. "Everything I need, COTN gives it to me." Kervens is in fourth grade, and his favorite subjects are math and religion. He explains that he likes religion class because he loves to learn about God. Kervens' favorite Bible story is "the ark of Noah, because God saved the people."
Kervens is a boy who has truly been transformed by God's protection, and by the kindness of so many COTN staff and partners, who literally saved his life. He asks that we pray with him, so that he might one day pass this transformation on to his entire nation. "Pray for my schoolwork, that I may become a doctor," he asks.
You can change the lives of children in need. Sponsor a child in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, or Africa today!