Last week we went to Nsoko, Swaziland. All we were supposed to do was clean some kids up and provide them with a new outfit. There were five care points to stop at over the course of two days. With the American mind set ready to go I thought, “We can do this.” Then I looked into the eyes of the kids. I mean I really looked. These were orphaned and/or vulnerable children being cared for by the go-gos and mages (grandmothers and mothers) of the community. As my team and the Black Family ladies were cleaning and clothing these little ones I had the special privilege at each care point to be on crowd control/entertainer. Basically I just got to make them smile. My job was to be in their faces and see them on purpose. And it reached a place in my heart that needed to be awakened. I got to see a blessed transformation within each of them. Standing in line belly to back confused and anxious faces scanned the white chick about 2 feet above their eye level. I knelt down so they could really see me, so that I could really see them. In the dirt they weren’t orphaned to me anymore. They became God’s precious babies, my good friends, and family in God’s Kingdom. We played hand games, sang songs, and learned names while they awaited their turn to be washed and dressed. As they came out one by one I got to celebrate and dance with them. New faces shown smiles and laughter. Some were even showing off their new pair of underwear to their friends. The times we left a care point to carry on with our business I got to say good-bye to each pair of dark brown eyes. They were desperate, caring, and hopeful at the same time. I finally saw something more than a hand out. These are the orphans that showed me Christ in a three-foot little one. These were the eyes of the Kingdom on earth. These are the ones that brought me closer to the heartbeat of God.
