Cry the Beloved Children

By Deborah Kalei

The book is about the life of five siblings who suffered at the hands of their stepmother after their mother was forced out of her marriage.

These siblings endured so much torture

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookTrail Publishing
• Release date: Nov 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637675687

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Deborah Kalei

Paperback: 978-1-63767-567-0

eBook: 978-1-63767-568-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021921692

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction.

Ordering Information:

BookTrail Agency

8838 Sleepy Hollow Rd.

Kansas City, MO 64114

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Melissa’s Story

Foreword

Prologue

Preface

Introduction

Background

Chapter 1:   Mum - Sandra

Chapter 2:   Tina - Grandmother

Chapter 3:   Reba – The Wicked Stepmother

Chapter 4:   Pearl, The Third Child, Quiet But Full of Wisdom

Chapter 5:   Tori, The Fourth Child – She Was Born Left-Handed But Forced to Use Her Right Hand Which Had a Very Negative Outcome on Her Life

Chapter 6:   Myrtle, The Fifth Child – Outgoing But Very Emotional

Chapter 7:   Charity, The Sixth and Last Child – A Sister They Barely Knew.

Chapter 8:   Tori And Myrtle’s Treatment While They Attended the Local Primary School

Chapter 9:   Gideon, The First Child, The Only Son, Heir, and the Biggest Threat to Reba

Chapter 10:   Rupert (Their Dad’s Cousin) and His Full-Time Carer

Chapter 11:   Moshe (Their Dad) Whose Undying Love for His Wife Cost Him His Life

Chapter 12:   Moshe’s (Dad) and Sandra’s (Mum) Deaths

Chapter 13:   Moshe’s Legacy

Chapter 14:   Melissa

Chapter 15:   Not Alone

Chapter 16:   God Is Doing a New Thing!

Chapter 17:   Dreams

Chapter 18:   Forgiveness, a work in progress

Chapter 19:   After All Is Said and Done, God is Still So Good to These Children.

Melissa’s Story

God has blessed her with everything she could ever ask for. A loving husband, gorgeous children, a roof over her head, clothes, food, and a car. She doesn’t have to work because her husband is taking good care of her and her children. She seems to always be happy and smiling; how can she ever lack? Right! Wrong! Behind that smile, she is covering so much hurt and pain that unless you have been where she has, you will never understand; in other words, you have no idea!

Jeremiah 1:4-7 (NIV) says, 4 "The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. 6 Alas, Sovereign LORD, I said, I do not know how to speak; I am too young. 7 But the LORD said to me, Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.

One day when Melissa was in her early teenage years, the pastor of her stepmother’s church, where they were forced to attend every Sunday whether they liked it or not, asked her to share a word. Yes, she liked reading the bible and religion was one of her favourite subjects, but she was not well-versed in sharing a word from the bible! She was raised in a culture where the young didn’t say no if an elder asked them to do anything. So, she said yes, she would do it. When she was going through the bible to look for the right message to share, she came across Jeremiah 1:4-7. As much as the message was for the congregation, she felt like the message was about her. She questioned why the pastor chose her, a young person, to share the message but then she said that whatever message God puts in her heart is what she would share. The truth be told, though, she didn’t remember the message she conveyed, but she remembered the book, chapter, and verses that she shared.

The verse that she didn’t pay much attention to was Verse 5, maybe because she didn’t think God knew her or even consecrated her because if he did, why did he let bad things to happen to her and her siblings? Why did he let her stepmother continue to torture them and get away with it? Why didn’t He protect and defend five young innocent children who were suffering at the hands of their stepmother? Why didn’t He get her dad to do something about it?

The same book of Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) says, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. This is one of her favourite verses, and she believes it applies to so many people and it’s a verse that one must always declare up on themselves and their children. Indeed, God has great plans for his people as He has promised us in his word that he cares about their welfare, and He will give them a future and hope. But the enemy is not happy about God’s plan at all and that’s why he is working overtime to cause misery to God’s children and therefore cause some of them to doubt God’s love for them and His plans for their lives.

God does not want his children to give up on him that is why he tells them to call up on him and pray to Him because by doing so they are seeking him and will find him if they seek him with all their hearts (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV). God promises us that He will be found and that He will restore our fortunes and gather us from all nations and all places where He has driven us, and He will bring us back from the place which he sent us into exile (Jeremiah 29:14 NIV).

Indeed, there is hope for all those who have given up on God because God does what He says he will do. Melissa is waiting and trusting to see God’s plan coming to pass for her and her siblings, and she prays that you do the same because we serve a faithful God.

Foreword

This book is a testament of the awesome power, goodness, and grace of God. If you find yourself depressed and broken or even on top of the world, let God strengthen your resolve in this truth: while you may be ‘struck down’ in this life, you are far from destroyed. Melissa’s personal journey from the depths of sorrow and betrayal to the fullness of restoration, reminds us all that God will indeed finish the work he started.

You are about to be profoundly challenged and inspired through this remarkable book.

Irene Malibe

A dear friend to Deborah Kalei 

Prologue

Writing this book was work in the making. Melissa’s brother had written most of the things their stepmother did to them with the intention of sharing with the bishop of her church. The bishop did not do anything about it. Melissa’s brother shared the information with her, and for a long time, she just put the document away with the hope of forgetting the evil that was done to them. Her mindset switched after their dad passed away and their mum followed six weeks later.

She used the information that her brother had shared, and she interviewed her siblings about their personal experiences. She also interviewed her uncle, who cared for their dad from the time he got sick until he died. She used the bible to get information on what God’s word says about all the situations they were in and still face.

This book is special and unique to other books because it talks about Melissa and her siblings’ horrible experience at the hands of a stepmother and their dad’s hands being tied because he was under the spell of very powerful witchcraft.

Melissa wishes to take this opportunity to acknowledge her siblings, Gideon, Pearl, Myrtle, and her late sisters Tori and Charity because without them, she wouldn’t have been able to write this book. Her heartfelt appreciation goes to her Uncle Rupert, who was not only their dad’s carer but confidant. To Jeanne, who when she shared a snippet of her story, she told Melissa that she (Melissa) was writing her story. To Rina, who she had shared a very big chunk of her story, asked Melissa to write a book and encouraged her and also prayed and asked God for guidance before she started writing the book, and every time she needed to jot something down. She also kept checking on Melissa and enquired how the book writing was going. To Frida, who heard some of Melissa’s story and seeing what she was going through, not only prayed for her but encouraged her to write her story.

To her dad and mum for loving them despite the obstacles that were placed by their stepmother, who ensured that they didn’t see or feel that love from them.

To her loving husband, who had to cope with her frustrations of what was going on in her family and didn’t understand what the fuss was about. To her beautiful daughters, who had no idea of what was going on, especially when she made phone calls to her siblings that made her emotional or upset.

Their story has taken 45 years to write, but the physical book has taken two years to write.

Preface

January 2017

Melissa would never wish bad luck upon her worst enemy, but in this situation, she had had been praying for God to vindicate her and her siblings of all the sufferings we had encountered at the hands of their stepmother. She received news from her home country. Her brother informed her that their stepmother had been admitted to hospital after suffering a stroke (a second stroke). What did that mean for her family? Was the war over for them? Should she start celebrating and thanking God for winning this family war that lasted for over 44 years? She personally wouldn’t wish the