Before I started to take pictures, I made a vow to myself. I promised to never take a picture of a child – or any person for that matter – if I didn’t know their name and didn’t take the time to remember their name. I felt as if I were taking advantage of them if I snapped a picture of their face (no matter how adorable they may be) but didn’t take the time to figure out their story.
YOU CAN’T TELL A STORY THAT YOU DIDN’T TAKE THE TIME TO KNOW
So, every single one of these pictures has a story. Every single one of these children I know the names of. Every single one of these kids has seen my face, even though they might not remember my name. Even though they’ll probably completely forget about me within a few weeks, I still got the chance to hang out with them. I got the chance to love them. I got the change to know their name and pray for them. That’s worth something. They are worth something FAR greater than I can even imagine. They matter to my Father. He created them and placed them into my life for a reason.
For the longest time, I believed that I was coming to these countries in order to help them; I’m slowly beginning to find out that this isn’t the case. I’ve learned so much from these people. I’ve learned about kindness, sacrifice, hospitality, and service. These kids have so much personality and love. The only difference between the kids in the Dominican and the kids in the United States is their environment. They’re still just as human with just as much worth. And these people – these kids – have given me so much more than I could ever give them.
MEET WENDELL (WHAN-DELL-E)
Wendell. This girl is one of the most outgoing and welcoming kiddos that I’ve ever met. Her and Kelly IMMEDIATELY became BFFs. She follows us around when we walk through town and she jumps at every opportunity to hang out with us. She is so very full of life and love and joy. Her life matters.
MEET WAMI (WAH-ME)
Wami is one of the first kids that we met when we got to Hope Mountain. During one of our ministry days, it was our team’s job to sweep the driveway outside of Hope’s gate. There were about 6 kids that we had the opportunity to play games with and give piggy-back rides to… Wami was one of those kids. He’s also Wendell’s brother! His life matters.
MEET MIGUEL (MEE-GELL)
The first thing that I noticed about Miguel was his shyness. All of the other kids that we were playing with were excited and talkative… but Miguel wasn’t. This is proof that kids have personality no matter where they’re from. Eventually, he warmed up to us and yells “HOLA!” whenever we see him! But, just because Miguel wasn’t very outgoing at first, that doesn’t mean he’s any more or less worth knowing. His life matters.
MEET YADIEL (YAH-DEE-ELL)
Ah, Yadiel. THIS KID, YOU GUYS. He is absolutely full of joy and makes me laugh every time I see him. He’s silly and energetic and playful. I love that about him. His life matters.
MEET CHRISTINA
Christina is probably one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen. Her eyes are bigger than quarters and pretty much melt your heart every time you look at them. I didn’t get the chance to know her as well as some of my squad mates, but we were all captivated by her. Her life matters.
MEET DIEGO
I met Diego at the basketball court that’s near our ministry site. My squad was just hanging out with kids that day… playing games, giving piggy-back rides, racing, and jumping rope. It was so hot, so exhausting, and so full. When I met Diego and asked him what his name was, I was really excited that I could actually pronounce it. Aside from that, he has the biggest smile and kindest heart. He thought it was absolutely HILARIOUS that he could cover up his face on the camera lens. His laugh made my day. His life matters.
MEET CELINE (SELL-EEN-AY)
I can confidently say that Celine has made the most impact on my life.
I met her when our team was doing door-to-door ministry. We had been walking around Lajas de Yaroa for about an hour -asking people with VERY broken Spanish – if they needed us to help them with anything. After quite a few laughs and denials from locals, we came across this adorable little house. I handed Celine’s Mom a list of translated sentences that I had written out so that she might have some idea what I was trying to say. Much to my surprise, she immediately and warmly invited us into her home.
That’s when I met Celine.
After talking to Celine’s mother and friend for awhile, I started to play with Celine and her little brother in their 10 by 2 piece of land on the side of their home. We had an absolute blast.
Even though I couldn’t communicate with her orally as much as I would’ve liked, we still communicated in different ways. It was probably one the most fun things that I’ve ever done. She laughed A LOT, smiled a lot, and accepted me. She had NO IDEA who I was. She had NO IDEA what my story was. She has NO IDEA where I was from. Yet, she still trusted me. She still loved being around me. She still wanted to play with me. How cool is that?
Okay, I’m almost done. But stick with this last part. It’s the best.
I left their house that day so full. It was something that I don’t want to ever forget. I honestly didn’t think I would ever see her again.
But the next day, our squad was participating in this huge volleyball tournament for the town. We had been there for about an hour or two when – all of the sudden – this kid noticed me. Celine’s older brother came up to me and squeezed my hand. He recognized me. I was really really humbled by that. I had only seen him once and for less than an hour. But he remembered me.
As if things couldn’t possibly get any better, he motioned over to Celine and she came RUNNING. Like full on, Forrest Gump kind of run. And then she wrapped her little arms around my neck and squeezed as hard as she could.
I’m pretty sure I saw my heart in a puddle on the floor. Not only did she remember me, she hugged me for a solid 30 seconds.
I probably won’t ever come back to Hope. I probably won’t see her again after I leave. She probably will forget about me. But she impacted my life in ways that I didn’t even know a 5 year old could. She showed me acceptance. She showed me love. She helped me realize that my life is actually impactful.
These are some of the kids from Lajas de Yaroa, Dominican Republic — and their lives matter.
