This month we have had the amazing opportunity to partner with the Kawan Center, the local homeless shelter here in George Town, Penang. Monday, Wednesday, Friday they open their doors for breakfast and lunch as well as provide showers and beds for people to come in, get cleaned up, and rest in a safe environment. They also hold a bible study and a church service for those who are uncomfortable going to a regular church service. Along with the center is the Kawan shop, a second hand shop just down the road that sells clothes and other goods. This shop supports the center financially and also provides the low income community with low cost items.
Last night, we were able to help the Kawan Center put on their annual Christmas party hosting around 150 of George Town’s locals. At 6:30 pm, the doors opened and people piled into the center to celebrate Christ our savior. We had so many people show up that there was not enough room to squeeze them all in! But God always provides, and he blessed us with enough gift bags and dinner boxes to go around. Tonight, God revealed his love to me in a new way. He taught me how to love in the small ways that make a big difference.
I couldn’t help but notice her as she came in quietly and found a seat in the corner. She couldn’t have been much older than me but her eyes pleaded for help, and her thin face and frail body begged for a decent meal. She looked exhausted, and sat quiet not because she had a shy personality, but she was drained of all the energy she had once had. Strapped to her front was a sweet baby girl who couldn’t have been a year old yet. Next to her sat a little girl probably around four years old. I glanced around, they were alone, no father, no grandmother, no other member of the family. Just the three of them. They didn’t speak, not even the little girl to her mother. They were all so weak, they just did what they had to to get by. I could read in the mother’s eyes, that she wasn’t living, she was just surviving. It wasn’t five minutes that she had been there, that I approached her.
I smiled at her, holding her gaze with mine, hoping that she would feel seen and loved. I then carried my gaze to her sweet baby and asked if I could hold her. Without hesitation she gave me the baby immediately, she was so relieved to have someone else hold her for just a moment. I could feel the joy and relief all in one as she handed me her daughter. I held her close and looked into her big brown eyes. They looked at me with a blank stare, they weren’t concerned, they weren’t sad, the weren’t happy, they weren’t upset, they weren’t scared, they weren’t searching for mom… they just were. No emotion, how could a baby have no emotion? As I held her, I noticed a quite strong smell coming from her. This wasn’t just a dirty baby smell, this was a dirty baby smell that hadn’t had a bath… maybe not ever. Her onesie was stained with dirt and her hair was greasy. And as I took my attention off the baby to glance over at the sister and the mother, I examined their clothes more carefully. They were all in the same condition. But then I got a reaction out of the baby, she fused. And in that moment I was thankful for an upset baby, because at least she was feeling something, how I pray that this baby would grow up with emotion and not be numb to the world. As I handed her back to her mother I could see the gratitude in her eyes. Such a small gesture of compassion had warmed her heart in so many ways.
As the night went on, a group of adults volunteering at the center went up on stage and began to sing Christmas songs. A couple of the girls and I were just messing around and interpretive dancing in the hallway when I noticed the sister of the baby kept watching us. So I motioned for her to come over, half expecting her to be too shy, but I saw her mom encourage her to come. So she did! And at first she stood against the wall too shy but as I danced in front of her I soon got a giggle and then more giggles until she was full on laughing and dancing with me. Such a sweet heart that one, and in that moment I wished for time to stop. So I could play with this little girl forever and bring her the joy of childhood that somehow I felt she was missing out on. Throughout the night I would make eye contact with the mother and we would exchange a smile. Each time my love for her grew more and more and I began seeking her eye contact as it filled my heart every time I saw joy come over her face.
I wish I could tell you their story, but I don’t know it. And I wish I had a happy ending for this beautiful family… but I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again. I do know, however, that they left the center with their arms full of goody bags and enough KFC to fill their tummies. I know that their story is still being written, because the Lord has a plan for their lives.
The Lord taught me how to love last night. He taught me how to love without words. He taught me how to love with my eyes, and with my smile. He taught me how to love in the little ways. He taught me how to make a child laugh, a baby smile, and a mom grateful. He taught me how to love, and oh my heart will never be the same. They were a Christmas gift, one that I will never forget.
