Jori's Dream

Jori lived in a toy store with thousands of toys that sat patiently waiting for an owner. While Jori waited she dreamed about what she wanted to do in her life: travel around the world. The other toys scoffed at her saying she was just a bear and should be thankful for a child who would love and play with her, but through all the teasing Jori remained faithful to her dream. Jori firmly believed that her dream would come true. After many days of waiting, Jori was finally purchased, but it was not by the happy child she expected. The man, Mursil, was tall and dark haired. He spoke in compassionate tones and had a gentle touch, but he didn't even have children. Mursil took Jori home and placed her on a shelf in his attic. Day after day Jori sat anxiously wondering if her dream would ever come true.
Then one day, Jori was taken to work with Mursil. There she was provided with a small book that told how Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins and that if we accepted him as our Saviour we would have eternal life with him. Then she was put in a box and shipped to an airplane with many other bears. From the airplane she found herself in a troubled land called Cote d'Ivoire. She landed in the poor section of a small town called Adjame. A horrible sight met her eyes. Crude dirt huts with thatched roofs lined the dirt roads. People were starving; young orphaned children were living on the street begging for food and water, but no one had any to give them. Many people suffered from malnutrition and diseases. Overcome with emotion, Jori wanted to give all she had to help these people. Soon Jori found out she could help. She was given to Yama, a 6- year-old boy suffering from the HIV virus. A volunteer read the booklet to Yama and he accepted Jesus as his Saviour. As Yama snuggled with Jori, Jori found out that her dream had come true after all.