It doesn’t always have to be a big ordeal; sometimes it’s the little things that matter in life. While going overseas is awesome and so is getting to do big things like feeding hundreds of school children or painting an orphanage or speaking at churches and school, sometimes it’s the little things that we tend to miss that can mean the most, like recognizing the homeless person on the street and just smiling at them, acknowledging that they are a human being and that they matter. Or helping an elderly person pick up their bag of groceries after the bag has ripped or sitting down with the street kids who everyone else bypasses because they are begging for money.
While we were in Kathmandu, we were told about the street kids. These are young children who will beg for money to buy glue so that they can sniff it to get high so that they aren’t hungry. They will beg for milk so the tourist will buy it, and in then the children will take the milk back to the store and get a chunk of money back. The store will then resell the milk and then these kids will take and buy the glue. These aren’t crazy rebellious teenagers buying the glue; these are children children who are hungry and need to love and attention
We were told that if we wanted to buy them clothes then we should buy them used clothes. That way they can’t take them back to the store and return them for money. If we wanted to buy them food we needed to open it and give it to them so that they can’t return it for money.
It’s crazy how God works in these situations and how turn of events happen and give you opportunities. Sometimes we need to take our focus off of our own plans and really open our eyes up to see what’s out there and recognize them.
The first time we tried to go fly to Mount Everest we got to the airport, went through airport security, got on the bus and drove to the plane, but as we were about to get off the bus one of our guides said “Sorry we can’t see Everest today – it’s too cloudy. We will have to come back tomorrow.”
We were a little bit bummed because we had high hopes of seeing Everest that day, but God had other plans. As we were walking back to our hostel, down the street, I noticed a little boy about 8 years old and a little girl about the age of 2 sitting there in the dirt on the street. They weren’t wearing jackets and they looked cold, bored, and hungry. I saw this as an opportunity to love on these kids. So when the rest of my team went inside to get sleep, I took off my purse and sat down on the ground with them. The little boy spoke a little bit of English, and so between the little boy and a local who also spoke English, I learned of their story. The parents worked as garbage collectors, as well as the older brother. They would get up very early in the morning with their bicycle with a cart attached, and go around the city sweeping up garbage, organizing it into piles, and collecting it. Normally the kids would be in school, but they were on holiday. So they had been left on the streets to play by themselves.
I had about half a can of Pringles and a few whole-wheat cookies in my purse, and I asked if they were hungry. One nodded, so I pulled out the Pringles and the cookies and gave them to them. The first two cookies I gave to the little girl and as I watched, she took one cookie and immediately handed it to her brother. As I gave her another cookie she tried giving one of them back to me, seeing that I didn’t have one in my hand. This girl is only two years old and is already willing to share. I opened the can of Pringles up and put some of them into their hands. The little girl did the same thing – she took a few of the chips, handed it to her brother, and then she tried feeding me. Now some people can be a little bit grossed out by child who looked like she could’ve had a cold and was a bit filthy, but I don’t think Jesus would tell a little child “sorry you’re too dirty for me to eat from your hand.”
So as I’m sitting there with these two little kids in front of our hostel, I sat there and took the chip and it was a special chip, because even though I had a few earlier in the day, this little girl being so young with her brother out on the streets decided to share what little she had.
After a little bit of time, the boy opened up more and said that he could beat box and dance, and actually dance for us and was really good. The little girl became more comfortable with me as well, so she sat in my lap as she ate the Pringles. I ended up giving them the rest of the cookies and the Pringles and then went to the bakery next-door and bought them a pastry to eat for breakfast. A little bit later I walked back over and saw a boy and a lady sweeping up trash and organizing them into piles. Shortly after, a man riding a bicycle with a cart that was piled up with trash bags, came over and started helping. That’s when the little boy told me that that was his parents, and that the older boy was his brother. I had the pleasure of getting to talk to the mother and tell her how sweet and special her two children were.
I am so glad that we didn’t go to see Everest that day, because I could’ve missed the opportunity to show these two little kids love. I wanted to show them the love that Jesus would have for them and not just be another tourist passing them by. I’m writing this not to tell you what I did, but to tell you to keep your eyes open for the little opportunities like that. Every day we pass people on the streets and every day around here people will come up asking you for money or asking you to buy their items that they’re trying to sell. And while some tourist just shoo them away, I think it’s an awesome witnessing opportunity. To at least look at them directly, and be kind and polite. If you still want to turn them away, that’s fine. But just keep in mind, their people too, that are trying to earn money to support their families. And that their are little kids on the street that still need love. And yes, they might keep asking for money. But what they need is more than just money. They need love and care and support and prayers. You don’t have to be in Kathmandu, Nepal to show people love. No matter what country or city you’re in, there will always be people out there that need help. It might be helping a lady carry groceries inside, or going grocery shopping for an elderly person. It could be helping a little child with their schoolwork after school, or it could just be sitting with that kid at the lunch table by himself. Or it could be looking at that homeless person and saying that they matter. That they are a person with feelings and that they are loved by God. So while it’s awesome being able to go to 11 different countries and helping out with organized missionaries and organizations, sometimes it’s the little moments that aren’t scheduled that can make the biggest difference in someone’s life.
*To help me continue this journey, I am still in need of financial help. To help me reach my funding goals, you can donate at:
Brittanyjohnston.theworldrace.org
“The greatest of these commandments is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
