I can’t even put into words how precious these kids are to me. Allow me to paint you a picture.
You are an 8 year old boy growing up in the city of Tacloban. You’re sitting in your classroom just as you would on any other ordinary day. It’s midway through your school day and you are released for an hour lunch and recess break. You walk out of your classroom, just as you do everyday. But this time there’s something different. Someone different. Your jaw drops at this creation, standing there, speechless. You’re so amazed that you go back to tell all of your friends and gather them around to experience this beautiful thing. You stay back and keep your distance, not knowing how to approach. This unknown creature sees you, spots you out and begins to walk to you, even out of the hundred other kids there around you, and wants to know YOUR name. With hesitation, confused with the situation, you still tell your name. This thing speaks back to you, telling you how beautiful you are, how talented you are, how perfectly created you are, and how powerful every one of your words and actions are to the world around you. It doesn’t take you long to fill the love that this creature has for you, but you don’t understand why. You are perfect in its eyes. There are no strings attached with the love that is given from them. It’s not nothing that you’ve seen before and nothing you can describe. All you know is you want more of it. After minutes of being in the presence of this creature, you never want to leave its side. You reach your hand out to hold on to them forever. The experience you have from the connection with this beautiful creature makes you never want to let go.
When Jesus walked this Earth, biblically you see that people captured such beauty when they saw Him. They went back to get all the people of the town and share the news that He was there.
Mark 5:1-10<—>Luke 15<—>Isaiah 52:7
The vision I get when the kids surround me with their faces in awe looking up at me is the vision that I see when I picture myself looking up to Him as His child. I reach my arms up to Him, wanting to be picked up with His grace and never wanting to leave His presence.
The experiences that I have walked through in just these first 3 weeks has been life changing. As I am here to share the love of God, He is giving it right back to me from the people I minister to, yet they have no idea. God is good.
