01.17.20. The day I met Princess Tiana. She was about 3.5 feet tall, maybe 8 years old, and she spoke no English.
I found her in a rural area in Cambodia at her school. We went there to teach basic hygiene of washing hands and brushing your teeth, and afterwards we had a little extra time to play with the kids.
As I ran around in circles, chasing kids, I kept thinking about the lice I might get from being there. The devil is rude. He likes to whisper that at you about 8,000 times a day, so that you sit in a corner, “preventing a potential issue,” and miss out on an opportunity to do ministry.
As I was fighting that whisper, this little girl walked by me. I reached out to tickle her, and she ran away squealing. We then started a game of cat and mouse. She would run up to me smiling, I would chase and tickle her, and she would run away giggling.
After a few rounds of this game, she ran up to me, grabbed my arms and dropped all her weight onto them. I picked her up, and spun her in circles until we were both dizzy. I was just about to put her back on her own two feet when God asked me, “but does she want you to put her down?” As I looked at her face, the answer was a resounding “no.” In a test I slightly relaxed my arms, as if I was going to set her down, to see if she would hold her own weight in preparation of being set down, but she didn’t flex a muscle. She had no plans of leaving. Instead, she nestled herself even further into my arms. She laid her head on my chest, and clung on to me.
I asked her for her name; she spoke no English, so I got no response. “That’s okay,” I thought to myself, “I can just imagine what her name is.” “She is a princess,” I thought. “I am going to call her Princess Tiana.” She was perfect and beautiful. She had dark brown skin, bright brown eyes, and all she was asking was for someone to love her like a mom or dad would.
“When was the last time someone held her just because they could?” I asked God, and He was quiet for one second too many before saying, “it’s been too long.” My heart broke.
Before I turned into a tearful puddle, God said, “but you have a chance to show her love right now.” In that moment, I held her a little closer. I danced with her in my arms, and sang to her “Jesus loves you, this I know. For the Bible tells us so…” She may not know what I was saying, but I pray her heart knew that I loved her and God loved her in that moment.
She grabbed my hand, laced her fingers in mine, leaned her head back, and almost fell asleep in my arms. This entire interaction lasted for maybe 5 to 15 minutes, but it changed me.
I started that day feeling like all I do is show up, speak words that people don’t understand and go home leaving no impact. But then I met a little Cambodian princess. She imprinted herself on my heart, and I realized that God knows no language barriers. His love transcends all things. I pray that she felt His love on that day, and that one day soon someone will tell her who He is, and how it was His love that she felt in that moment.
As for me, I am going to continue to do my best to see people, to love them as Jesus does, and to deliver His messages to them. He has so much love that He wants to give to each of us.
From Asia,
Liesl
