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Aaron Brother. Long-lost brother.
If you could see my grin right now, you would probably laugh, readers.
I have such a heart for this kid and the joy our friendship brings me is evident whenever I talk about my “little Nepali brother.”
I wish you could have met him. He is 15 years old, but has the maturity level of a 20 year old (at least). He’s tall and has a big grin. He also has a great laugh–normally I would hear it when he would teach me Nepali and I would butcher a word or phrase I would attempt to pronounce. Or I would hear it when I would do some silly thing like dancing to music in a busy street. Aaron is also a very sweet and considerate person. He is so talented at playing guitar and singing. I had the gift to sit and listen to him play a couple times when he borrowed my squadmates’ guitar. He is so good! He also loves G@d which is apparent when I saw him worsh!pp!ng and pr@ying or in the f@!th he has in G@d as he told me a piece of his story.
Our brother/sister relationship is made up of a lot of laughter. We would give each other a hard time over little things and big things. One time a squadmate and I gave him a hard time about not remembering her name. He teased me often for speaking English too quickly. We also would play games. One was the slapping game where you would slap the other person’s hand twice and the third time they have to move it quickly so as not to get slapped. In the beginning, I was fast enough my hand didn’t get hit too often, but the last day he was getting too good at it. In fact, so good he was letting me win. We also played thumb war where you would have to try and pin the other person’s thumb down. It is funny how the little things can sometimes be the most memorable and precious memories.
One afternoon I wanted to go for a walk and check out the river bed that was nearby, so he took me. It was so much fun and as we walked I gave him a hard time about a girl he was talking to. But as we sat and talked, I probed a little more into his story that he had shared briefly with me before. All I knew was his mom wasn’t around.
So he told me again. His older brother lives in Dubai. His dad works outside of the country to earn money for the family since there are not many jobs in Nepal. His mom lives in a different city of Nepal with her sister. Aaron lives alone. A 15 year old.
His dad and brother are a bel!evers like he is and loves Aaron dearly. His mom is also a bel!ever, but she would never go to church, which crested a complicated relationship between the two.
It blew me away and it broke my heart. How can a 15 year old be alone with no one to guide him or love him as a parent should? A parent should always be there to encourage and to uplift their children. A parent should guide and mentor in good times and bad. A child or teenager should never be parenting themselves.
He also told me that when he was lonely, he would go to the riverbed. Alone.
This struck a deep cord in my heart because I also have felt that deep lonliness–and it sucks. And even though you “know” G@d is there, it doesn’t always feel like it. Especially when you are young.
But as I have gotten older, I have seen more and more where G@d is with us in the deepest, darkest moments. When we are the lonliest. And even when we don’t “feel” like it, G@d is with us holding us in His lap. He is with all of us no matter what age we are now and He was with us when we were hurt as children.
With Aaron brother, though, I am thankful for a couple things. I am thankful he knows G@d and I know He is watching over him. I am also thankful because I know that he stays the night sometimes with the family who hosted us.
Lastly, I’m thankful how G@d orchestrated our meeting. My half of the squad went to that village instead of the mountains where the other half of our squad went. And because of if, I now have a little brother. I also know how to !ntercede for him. That alone is an honor.
However, saying goodbye to him was like saying goodbye to my actual brother. It was definitely one of the most difficult goodbyes I’ve ever had to do. I just hope and pray G@d allows us to meet again.
