On very rare occasions my emotions take me by complete surprise– almost as if my heart feels something that my mind never anticipated it to feel. This happened tonight as I found myself in tears over a five-year-old girl’s unforgettable reaction to her Christmas gift.
The ministry that we are partnering with this month, Streetlight Ministries, cares for 15 street children between the ages of five and seventeen years old who are currently living on the streets due to poverty or abusive/neglective family situations. Because of Streetlight, these children have a safe and clean place to shower, eat, attend class, and build relationships with their peers and mentors free from the dangers and distractions of life on the street.
My team and I were privileged to be able to spend Christmas with the 15 precious children that we have been forming relationships with during these past two weeks here in Cagayan De Oro. My favorite moment of our time here (and probably on my entire race) happened on Christmas Eve night as my team and ministry hosts showed up at midnight to the park where the children live at the town center known as DiVisoria.
In the Philippines, Christmas Eve is known for its midnight fireworks. We were expecting DiVisoria to be the perfect place to watch them. On any normal night, the park would be full of families, friends, couples….. everyone. As we pulled up that night, however, it looked and sounded more dead and empty than we had ever seen it, other than the occasional firecracker set off by a mischievous street child or two. Everyone else must have been in their homes, bringing in Christmas day with their families.
Slightly disappointed, we got out of the car and started walking toward the lonely park in the pouring rain, hoping to at least see one or two of our kids. Unexpectedly, a wonderful chaos broke through the somber silence: the excited screams of 15 surprised children who were more than thrilled to have our company on Christmas Eve. They had been spending the holiday with the only family they knew- each other- in the only home they knew- the park. And as soon as they spotted us, they all started sprinting toward us, ready to jump into the arms of any of us who were ready to catch them. Those three minutes of hugs and shouts of “MERRY CHRISTMAS” made my heart fuller than ever, and the Lord’s divine timing of it all was the perfect Christmas gift.
Now back to the part where my emotions get the best of me…
Fast forward 14 hours and it’s now Christmas Day- we’re celebrating all together at the kids’ christmas party. I’m watching closely as five-year-old Terop opens her gift. I’m wondering whether or not a five-year-old girl is going to be happy to receive a new outfit on Christmas. I’m secretly nervous that she will be disappointed…. maybe she is like me and had high hopes of getting a pony. If so, this gift would be a bitter disappointment.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong. With each item of clothing that she gently and carefully pulls out of the box, her eyes light up with genuine gratitude and she happily cries out, “Wwwooooowwwww!!!!” Upon finishing, she buries her face in her hands in utter disbelief as she holds back tears of joy. At this gesture, I cry like a baby.
Why was I so moved by a young child’s excitement over a new outfit? Perhaps because I was realizing that Iv’e never been as grateful as her in my entire life. Her gift probably cost no more than fifteen dollars. For someone who has suffered so little and has been given so much, my gratitude pales in comparison to this child who has suffered so much and has been given so little.
It was hard to be away from friends and family this Christmas, but for many reasons, this Christmas will likely be remembered as one of my favorites. I learned a lot from the excitement of the young children who were glad to celebrate such a special holiday with their “family,” and from the sweet young girl who was grateful to be receiving any gift at all….no matter the price.
