It’s the middle of the night in the Dominican Republic as I write this. The rain is pouring down on our tin roof. The beating pounds down and surrounds me as though I’m placed right in the middle of the rainforest. It’s like one of those “help you sleep” apps.
Except for… It’s real life.
Anyways,
This week, as you know, my team held a kids camp. It was challenging, but also very rewarding. Every morning at 10 am I would walk up to the gate, which may I add is on an unrealistic incline… talk about leg day. After my mini work out I reached the gate and was greeted with about 20 little arms reaching through the bars.
“Hola Sada!” They would shout, to which I would reply, “Hola, amigos!!” (In Spanish the “r” in my name is pronounced with a “d”)
The first day it was difficult to approach the kids. One, because the language barrier created a huge gap. Two, I’m just kind of naturally scared of children. However, God broke through that fear right away. I would sit next to this child and the whole entire time he would talk to me, but I had no clue what he was saying. I would nod my head and say, “Si!” Then he would just continue on with whatever he was saying.
As I sat him on my lap I looked into his eyes and I learned in that split second what people truly mean when they say, “Love has no language barrier.” As cheesy as that sounds, it is SO TRUE. Kids desire to be held, hugged, and hi-fived. They want to be acknowledged, regardless of the words you speak.
At the end of the week I look back and can still see the smiles and bright eyes. I see how much the kids truly adored us. We were able to teach them Bible stories and sing-a-long songs. I grew a love for them that was beyond words; I pray that I can keep those images in my heart forever.
