He walked with a syncopated limp, speaking nothing, but communicating volumes with the 2-gallon jug and empty Coke bottle he swung around and flailed overhead. His gaze was hidden by his cobalt blue sun shades, but his determination was reflected by his stride. His mouth moved as if in full conversation, but no sound emerged out of his lips. Sifiso was headed towards the center, and his notoriety had preceded him. The kids evaded him on the clay-like road as he was walking.
I could see him as he walked, and I knew who he was before he even arrived.
Erika, our AIM Base Contact, had non-challantly warned us about him 10 seconds before we were dropped off at the care point. She said there would be a child that would be a little bit in your face but that he was a good kid, that he only had autism.
That was all I needed to hear. I knew exactly what that meant. In my book, the word AUTISTIC meant stay away from him. I have the training, I have the education, I have a masters in working with mental handicaps, but this particular one, I avoid like the plague. They cannot understand me and I cannot communicate with them. They think different and the last time five years ago, I got beat pretty hard by an autistic child who did not know that I was a safe person and I was just trying to help him.
Just as I was thinking about this and letting The Lord know exactly what I was thinking about this situation. My team leader, Candice, approached me and before she could say two words, I answered “NO, I know that’s Him and NO.” She responded by letting me know that I had not let her even speak before I gave her an answer, but I knew what she was going to say, maybe not precisely, but I knew that HE had something to do with it. After half-heartedly apologizing to her, she said that the child was one of mine and Lena’s special kids and she encouraged me to go and speak to him.
I approached him and he swung his jugs at me. He was determined to protect himself from all of these new people and the other children who were so frightened by him they taunted him.
Then the kids were called inside to receive their lesson and my new special friend was not going in. Instead he darted towards the soccer ball that had finally been left outside unattended. So I asked him if he wanted to play but he did not even flinch. He kicked the ball but not towards me at all. I went to get it and in order to make sure that he knew I was kicking the ball to him, I yelled “hey” and waved my hands in the air. He went to mimic me and I realized that I had his attention. I kicked it and he went after. Then a very interesting thing happened… He waved his hands to get my attention, when I waved back, he kicked the ball. This exchange happened over and over until it became our way of communicating that we were ready and wanted to play. Somewhere in the process, he decided that he did not need the jugs he used as weapons anymore, he finally felt safe. He threw them over the fence where he could not reach them.
While we continued to play, the Lord overwhelmed me with love for this little guy. And then He gently reminded me the theme that I have been learning for the past few years. “EVERYONE deserves to love and be loved” and it does not matter who they are or what their condition is, Jesus died for that right. I got a little teary eyed for a moment, but did not want to stop playing with my new precious friend.
We continued playing until the other kids came out of their lesson and the most peculiar thing happened. He started to wave at the kids with such excitement that I got really excited. It clicked! He just wants to play. So I told the kids to wave back and kick the ball. And the greatest thing happened, a giant smile from ear to ear appeared in the face of Sifiso. He was not hitting any of the kids anymore and they were not running away. I had helped him find a way to communicate with the other kids. He was no longer excluded by them but rather, he was in the middle of the action. He was so happy and I was so in awe of the privilege God had allowed me. I helped one child feel loved and understood. One of whom may never have felt that. I guess Sifiso felt the same way because all of a sudden, he approached me and gave me the biggest hug. My heart melted. Then he darted for a couple of the little boys that were playing with us and he picked them up as he squeezed them with a bear hug.
When Erika returned for us, my heart was so full but my body was so exhausted. I had left it all on that playground, but it was so worth every minute of it.
