This is a throw back memory to Swaziland. Enjoy!
I met a boy in Swaziland and have not shared his story with you all yet. I posted a picture of him and I in Swazi but did not share everything yet. Here is his story…
The first time I came to the care-point I noticed this little boy who would not sit still but did not talk much. He had a lot of energy but was very reserved when it came to investing into us as missionaries. Jokingly, I went for a high five but as he went to hit my hand I quickly pulled it away causing him to hit nothing but air. He busted out in laughter. It was a laughter that I learned to love.
The next time we showed up, Tando quickly ran to meet me along with his friends. My team and I named this group “the boys club”. The boys club sat together during meal time and played together all the time. Later, I found out that Tando was the leader of this boys club. In fact Tando was more the ring leader than anything. The more I sat and watched this group of kids, the more the Lord showed me.
When I would go to leave, they would not come say goodbye. Instead they would try to sneak away right before we left. I found this strange at first as I was expecting a goodbye or a wave at least. I took this to the Lord and realized that it has got to be hard to be a child there where people come and go but nobody stays to invest full time. It broke my heart to know I was going to be the same person that is there for a short time but then leave again.
I asked the Lord how I could make an impact. How can I love Tando like He does? He gave me the answer. During the last week of us being there, Tando and the “Boys Club” took us for a walk which ended up meaning these boys probably around the age of 5 leading us around their village and taking us to the river to skip “rocks”. That is what we will call it…rocks. I had been playing with these kids for a while now. They knew they could trust me. That is when the Lord showed me how to love them like He loves them.
I sat down on a brick; Tando walked up and grabbed my hand. Quickly and swiftly, I wrapped him up in my arms and then squeezed as hard as I could causing him to lose his breath at first but then erupt into a ball of laughter as he pushed himself out of my arms but laughing so hard he fell to the ground. That laughter again made me smile. He then jumped up and wanted me to squeeze the life out of him again, to which I could not say no.
By the end of the month, it was hard to say goodbye as always. But this time I knew I was leaving a part of God in Tando. If nothing else I knew I had done what God had laid out before me, and that was to love this one child like He loves them. Just think, there may be someone in your life that needs to see Jesus and you may be the only Jesus they ever see in their lifetime. God has a special call on your life and in this moment that you are in. Do not miss it! Be Jesus every where you go!
