"Let the Children Come"

Mark 19:4 “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.””

Today, I attended what an African church service with Karen (A friend and coworker at icipe). My mentor thought it would be a good service for me! It involved singing, dancing, clapping, and a rather loud sermon. But it was fun. J It was about a 3 hour service, but I was able to understand most of it. I sat next to a man who translated the Swahili parts for me so I would understand.

As a visitor, I was given a rose. It was a pretty red rose that had barely started to uncurl! Isn’t it ironic that only last week, I was saying I wish I had flowers, and here I am with my rose!

During the service, the visitors were escorted to a separate prayer area. We said our name, filled out a card, and had some tea and pastries. Afterwards, I walked outside to stand in front of the church to wait for Karen to come out. I was talking to a lady who had greeted me, when I felt tugging on my hair. I turned and saw about 5 kids all touching my hair. I turned around and talked to them, introducing myself and whatnot. More people from the church would come to greet me, and when I would look down, my group of children had grown! So I told them a little about me, my home, and their names. After a while, we were shown into their main Sunday School room because the group had grown so large. I was blessed to talk with a group of kids for about half an hour to an hour. They asked so many questions! I was asked if I knew Obama, Hannah Montana, and also about my dogs and sister when they came up. I was even asked to sing a song. I decided to do a song I learned back from church camp, and they seemed to really enjoy it! The group continued to grow until the room was full, and it was probably the biggest group of people I had ever spoken in front of independently and without any preparation. They all sang a beautiful song about the amount of God’s Love. How deep, how high, how long, and how wide. They sang it with such joy, and of all the moments to experience in a lifetime, to see the amount of love a child has for the Lord is amazing. It helps me remember the basics of my faith. The building blocks if you will.

Afterwards, they all hugged me, high fived me, and pet my hair before leaving.

Karen and I left, then met some of her friends at the mall food court. We hung out there for quite a while, then went to an arcade! It was actually a lot of fun, and we all felt a bit younger today.J I think today was truly a blessing for me. Every hug I received today has seemed to leave a print on my heart. I know that may sound a bit cheesy, but I really believe it. I don’t think you can go to a developing country, and not have something touch your heart. I learned more about myself today, and I was able to praise God by doing something I love; Teaching children. As I think back on today, I can’t help but have tears in my eyes.

Deuteronomy 3:24 ‘O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours?’