I Held a Child Today

Such a simple action does not sound too memorable, yet in that brief moment of my day, it seemed like my whole world stopped and my heart expanded. I was washing my clothes by hand (one of my routine African chores), when two small children appeared before me. They stared at me-as most children (and adults) do when they see a Muzungu, but continued to remain near me. After giving them a little bit of time to adjust to my skin color, I walked over to one of the girls and picked her up. The moment I held her in my arms, she clasped her arms around me and held me very tightly. I returned her tight squeeze for a few moments. Then we looked into each others eyes, and I kissed her forehead. I wil never forget the smile that radiated from her face.
I will always remember how I felt during those precious moments of our embrace. I felt a beautiful exchange of love, but I also felt a desperation for love in that young girls intense embrace. It was as though this little girl had been waiting for days, months, or even years for someone to show her love-for someone to give her attention. Once again, I was quickly reminded why God has sent me here. There are many children just like this little girl who need to feel loved and valued. Each one of them need to be held in a loving embrace. I pray that God sends me many more children like this little girl today, whom I can hold and love. Today was not even a day that I had intended to devote to "ministry," but God had different plans for both me and that little girl:)