Betty
Isaac Whitney
In Passing, Julie Joo ' 19
If your identity was in your name, what would you be called? How would people address you if they could see into your past, present, and future? Would your name exemplify virtue, wealth, and happiness, or pain and destruction? Imagine your name being Problems or Tears. Such are the all too common translations of names given to poverty-stricken children in the slums of Lusaka, Zambia. Unlike in popular Western culture, where names are relatively insignificant, Zambians often choose names based on the destinies they foresee for their children. Some children are given the name“ Lackson,” for seemingly being destined for a life of lacking. Those on a path toward sickness and death are given the name“ Ishtumbe,” which translates to“ graveyard.”
Betty was one of these children. Though her name seems harmless, Betty was named after a witchdoctor— her grandmother— and expected to continue the trade when she became of age. Much like her name, Betty’ s life was full of darkness. At only age ten, Betty had lived through a nightmare most of us could never dream of. She’ d watched her mother die at the hands of her father. She was physically abused regularly. She survived only on scraps from the floor, or food she stole from local markets. She moved from house to house in her slum compound, only to be repeatedly driven out like a dog. This story is not an uncommon one for children in the slums of Lusaka, and it seemed as if Betty would live out the life of darkness her name predicted.
But God had a different plan. In 2012, Betty attended Family Legacy’ s Camp Life, a week long Christian camp that connects American ambassadors with orphans like Betty from Lusaka’ s compounds. At this camp, for the first time, Betty felt loved. She was shown the grace and mercy of her Savior. She was singing, dancing, and praising God. Upon learning her story and the meaning behind her name, Betty’ s group leaders decided to give her a new one— a name that did not depict darkness and misery, but rather one that depicted her new steadfast trust in Christ: Faith.
22 Spring 2017