FS: Love Listens

Flat Sujata is a little girl who, like Flat Stanley, is as thin as a piece of paper because she got flattened by a box of mangoes. Flat Sujata moved to Mukti Mission where she loves her new life and all the friends she has made. These stories will help you understand what life is like for children at the Mission – children about the same age as YOU! We hope that you enjoy these stories of Flat Sujata and her friends so that you can pray for them every day. *Note: These stories are inspired by real-life stories from Mukti Mission.

This story is the continuation of Flat Sujata’s friend, Divya. You can read the first story HERE

Divya* gave a small smile as she thought of how she had grown close to her Mukti sisters. They played together, laughed together, ate together, and were best friends. But Divya sometimes had a hard time understanding them. Divya’s partial deafness was the reason.

She could understand her Mukti sisters when they spoke loudly, slowly, and in short sentences. When a sister spoke too fast, too softly, or used long words, Divya would look sad and stay silent. It saddened her sisters to see Divya’s sadness. Was there something they could do to help her?

Sometimes, Divya would go to her house mother, Ms. Rao*, to share her feelings. She would tell Ms. Rao she could not understand the other girls. Ms. Rao knew that even though Divya was partially deaf, she needed to learn how to talk to people and listen to people well. With the right help, Ms. Rao knew Divya would do well at home and in school.

When Divya passed her 7th birthday, Ms. Rao and the other Mukti staff watched as Divya struggled in her first year of school. They began to teach her sign language and lip reading. Ms. Rao kept asking Divya to be patient with herself, giving her regular hugs. Divya’s Mukti sisters offered to help her practice. Together, Ms. Rao and Divya’s sisters praised her as she learned sign language and lip reading. In time, she mastered her learning! She just needed to be patient with herself. Divya worked very hard and was proud of her efforts!

Ms. Rao and the Mukti sisters got Divya a special gift: a doll. Divya was so surprised and felt loved and special. She decided to name the doll “Sneha” (affection) because it was a symbol of the love that encouraged her to keep trying at school. And she succeeded!

*Names changed for privacy and security. Images representative.