The other day we went to one of the tent communities here in
Port-au-Prince. I would love to show you a photo of what I mean by “tent
community” but I am still at the mercy of Haitian internet. You’ll just have to
imagine the trash strewn dirt (sometimes mud) road surrounded by seemingly
haphazardly constructed 10×10 blue tarp homes for as far as the eye can see.
Thus sets the scene for today’s story.
We came equipped with a few bottles of finger nail polish
and any knowledge we had in relation to entertaining small children. This
happens to be one of my specialties, so I headed up the “let me entertain you
massive group of Haitian children” while some of the others painted finger
nails and hung out with the teenagers of the area.
The key to keeping children engaged, especially those that
do not speak your primary language, is to utilize your body. Entertain,
instruct and engage them visually. This also happens to be one of my
specialties having experience teaching small children in dance classes.
I clapped. They clapped.
I marched. They marched.
I spun in circles until I was dizzy. They spun in circles
until they were dizzy.
I said, “boo”. They said, “boo”.
I laughed. They laughed.
And so I took this opportunity to explain to them, despite
their inability to understand my English words, that it was not actually me
they were imitating, but Jesus. Yep, Jesus was clapping, marching, spinning,
and laughing with the children of Haiti that day, and they were LOVING it.
My prayer is that the imitation of Jesus in me is not
limited to the Haitian children. I pray that everywhere I go I steward the
Spirit of God in such a way that attracts others to him and compels them to do
likewise.
Go and make disciples, that make disciples, that make disciples,
that make disciples…
Imitation is after all, the highest form of flattery…..one
might even call it worship.
