February 28, 2026

There is always a general sense of excitement to usher a new year in- something about turning a page, hearts filled with hope for what this “new beginning” will bring. I (Lizzy) would say that we felt this sentiment, hopeful for what was in store, but it only took two days into the new year to bring us back to the reality of the place that we live in- the place that we all live in- one that is broken. A long-time Ekisa Academy student named Shamira, a lovely teenage girl with down syndrome, suddenly passed away on January 2nd. And then every week of January after that we got news of another Ekisa child passing- Shamira, then Esther, then Elijah, then Eddie. It seemed like every time we came up for air another wave was there forcing us back under. So much death, so many little lives that were far too short, so much brokenness in this world.

Three of these children were Ekisa Academy students who were beloved, full of potential, and had so much excitement for life. The fourth was a child that lived in Ekisa’s Residential Home- Elijah, who we had the privilege of growing very close to over our time here. Elijah came to Ekisa in 2012 just before his 5th birthday, with his big brother Sam, both of whom had disabilities. Sadly his brother, who was his very best friend, passed away suddenly from a stroke only two years after they arrived at Ekisa. Elijah endured lots of heartache in his short life- but it didn’t stop him from having a very sweet spirit. He saved his smiles for extra special moments- you had to work for them, but when they broke through, those smiles lit up the room and made the whole day better. To communicate, he worked hard at answering yes and no questions by turning his head one way or the other. Although his ability to clearly communicate in this way ebbed and flowed in his life due to health struggles, his enjoyment of being with those he loved remained steady.

Elijah had a degenerative brain disease that made his body slowly shut down- most especially over the past 2 years. He had actually been on hospice at Ekisa for the past year, as we thought his time was nearing, yet he kept hanging on and surprising us day by day. When the day finally came for Elijah to go be with Jesus, it was both a sad day, as we all knew how big of a hole there was going to be at Ekisa in his absence, and a joyous day, as we knew what he was going to- a perfect place, in the presence of his Jesus, where his body would be free from all pain and suffering- completely whole. Just a few minutes before Elijah took his last breath a song was playing with the lyrics “so keep holding on- joy is on the horizon,” and it brought me to tears thinking of the fullness of joy that was awaiting him that he only had to hold on a little bit longer for. We are incredibly thankful that we grieve with a hope that is anchored in Jesus’s promise to make all things new- let it be soon, Lord!

We are also thankful that the new year is not what we put our hope in, or else it would have quickly been crushed, but that our hope is in the One who bought the new year and the One that will sustain us through it.