Living In Exile
There was an incident that I witnessed in my short time of stay in a particular community, nobody has really been able to explain why till today. A guy named Robert left home for 18 years, to work in a far place that no one knows, and he didn't communicate to his family throughout the 18 years. His parents and siblings thought he's dead, so many years without hearing from him is more than enough to have solidify their thoughts.
During this times, someone reported to the parents that he saw Robert somewhere, but Robert ran away immediately he recognized the person. The parents and siblings didn't believe that one of them would be life and decide to abandon his family for no reason, so they didn't believe it. Others thought that the guy must have gotten frustrated in the place he went to, and maybe got into a lot of mess with his life, and that might be why he disconnected himself from home entirely.
One day, on a chilled evening, I heard that Robert has been brought back home, I went to their compound to see how he looks like, being that I was told about him. He didn't come back willingly, the guy that reported to his parents before, tracked him and forcefully brought him back home, with the help of some guys. Robert refused to say why he rejected home and chosed to live waywardly, he lived poorly like an outcast, when his parents had a house. He needed a very intense haircut, change of clothes and enough food.
Few hours after he was brought back, his family made him look like a human being again. The family was happy that he's alive and back home, but it wasn't up to a month when Robert ran off again, leaving everybody in shock. Nobody could reach him, no one knew why he didn't want anything to do with home. Few months later, he was found again and forcefully brought back home, this time the family decided to seek solution to Robert's mysterious exile life. Pastors and therapists were invited into the case.
It didn't still change anything, Robert ran away again, never to be found till date, this happened in 2013, I left the community in 2014, I don't think the family are still expecting his return. The guy obviously doesn't want to be home and doesn't want to be part of a family, nobody knows why. I see it as a big loss to the family, giving birth to a child, and then the child run aways from you completely without any reason. The fruits of that labour will never be reaped, that's the bitter truth.
During this times, someone reported to the parents that he saw Robert somewhere, but Robert ran away immediately he recognized the person. The parents and siblings didn't believe that one of them would be life and decide to abandon his family for no reason, so they didn't believe it. Others thought that the guy must have gotten frustrated in the place he went to, and maybe got into a lot of mess with his life, and that might be why he disconnected himself from home entirely.
One day, on a chilled evening, I heard that Robert has been brought back home, I went to their compound to see how he looks like, being that I was told about him. He didn't come back willingly, the guy that reported to his parents before, tracked him and forcefully brought him back home, with the help of some guys. Robert refused to say why he rejected home and chosed to live waywardly, he lived poorly like an outcast, when his parents had a house. He needed a very intense haircut, change of clothes and enough food.
Few hours after he was brought back, his family made him look like a human being again. The family was happy that he's alive and back home, but it wasn't up to a month when Robert ran off again, leaving everybody in shock. Nobody could reach him, no one knew why he didn't want anything to do with home. Few months later, he was found again and forcefully brought back home, this time the family decided to seek solution to Robert's mysterious exile life. Pastors and therapists were invited into the case.
It didn't still change anything, Robert ran away again, never to be found till date, this happened in 2013, I left the community in 2014, I don't think the family are still expecting his return. The guy obviously doesn't want to be home and doesn't want to be part of a family, nobody knows why. I see it as a big loss to the family, giving birth to a child, and then the child run aways from you completely without any reason. The fruits of that labour will never be reaped, that's the bitter truth.
