Jocelyn is a seven-year-old girl from Guatemala. Yesterday, I had the privilege of playing with her and ministering to her alongside my squad mate, Jenny.
A few of us were playing soccer on our ministry site and two little girls (Jocelyn and Maria) approached us slowly. We invited them to play. As we began to kick the ball around, a little boy ran over to us.
We learned quickly that he is Jocelyn and Maria’s younger brother. He can’t be older than 4 years old. His name is Joaquin.
After playing soccer for a while, I asked Maria and Jocelyn if they have ever attended church. They said yes. I asked them if they knew who Jesus was. They said they weren’t sure. Jenny began telling them the story of Noah’s Arc. Maria left after a little while, but Jocelyn listened intently to Jenny’s story. As the story progressed, the space between Jenny and Jocelyn decreased. By the end of the story, Jocelyn was wrapped in Jenny’s arms.
I don’t know if Jocelyn understood the entire story. I don’t know if she understood who God the Father is. I don’t know if she understood her need for salvation. All I know is that in that moment Jocelyn felt loved. She sat in Jenny’s arms and didn’t want to let go. Jocelyn held Jenny so tightly. It was like she had never received so much love.
In that moment, I was reminded that love knows no boundaries. Language barriers didn’t matter. Theology didn’t matter. Doctrine didn’t matter. All that mattered was that this girl felt loved.
