When I was in Nepal over a year ago, I fell completely in love with this beautiful little orphan girl. She lived at one of the children's homes we were working at, and forever changed my heart.
Her name was Sumetra. She was a four year old, fiery, punky little girl who loved making funny faces, and who’s smile was completely contagious.
Any time she saw me, she would run at me as if it was something she had been doing her whole life.She would wrap her little arms around my knees and look up at me with the brightest eyes, and baby toothed smile.
Picking her up I would spin around and kiss her on the cheek, telling her how much I loved her.
We would sit together for what felt like hours playing patty cake successfully, and her trying to teach me nepalee hand games quite unsuccessfully.
I would tickle her until she cried, and chase her around the yard pretending to be a monster.
She was my joy. My little girl, who I woke up to see in the mornings, and tucked into bed every night.
She had grown up in a small village about two hours from where the children’s home was. Her mother was not a part of her life, and her father was a drunkard. He would come home late at night and beat Sumetra and her older sister Rachel, often sexually abusing them both.
This went on for a while, until one night, her father decided to bring a couple friends home with him. Her father, and all three of his friends then proceeded to rape my beautiful little Sumetra.
Her body was so physically torn apart that she had to be rushed to the hospital, and had to get surgery to be put back together.
At two years old Sumetra had seen more pain and anguish then many of us can even imagine.
Her and her sister were moved into the christian children's home as soon as she was discharged from the hospital.
Now two years later Sumetra was one of the happiest, most loving little girls I had ever met. She prayed harder then I had ever seen any of my ‘radical world racer’ friends pray, and sang louder then I ever expected her to.
Over the short time I was in the children’s home, I fell completely in love.
I fell in love with her laugh, and her sass. I fell in love with her goofy personality, and unbelievable strength.
Oh, how I love her.
And I was so blessed to be able to show her, no matter for how brief, that she was Worthy to be loved.
That she was precious.
That she was noticed.
That she was important.
For that brief time I got to be part of her story.
That's why I do what I do.
I travel the world so that I can have those sweet moments, like the ones I had with Sumetra in my arms.
I travel the world so that I can whisper words of love, like the ones I whispered softly in her ear as I swung her around the room.
And I never could have done any of that if it were not for you.
It is because of every single one of you, that Sumetra was able to be loved by me.
That she got to hear about her value and worth.
Without you, I would never have been able to hug her, pray over her, and love on her.
And for all those hugs,
Those sweet moments where it was just me and her,
All those laughs erupting between us,
I will never be able to say thank you enough.
Thank you for supporting me.
Thank you for praying for me.
Thank you for giving me those moments with my beloved Sumetra.
