I look down at my watch. 8:37pm. I step out of the creaky metal door onto the cool porch. My bare toes feel the chill that has settled into the concrete floor. To the left I find a ledge, my favorite ledge. I climb up and stretch my tired legs down the length of the porch railing and lean against the house that also has relinquished its warmth to the cool of the night. I can feel my bony spine on the hard wall and I think about how many pounds I’ve lost since leaving home. 5? 10? 15?
The crickets are performing their nightly symphony and the neighborhood strays bark their solos here and there. Every few minutes I hear the dull roar of laughter coming from inside; my team is huddled together on the couch as digital characters dance and sing across a screen. I can still smell the food from dinner: rice, French fries, meat smothered in a mysterious red sauce, fried bananas, corn, and green beans. The faint scent of fresh tea is mingled in as well. In the distance I can hear a baby crying, crying, whining, sleeping.
To my left I see a mountain. By Rwandan standards it is merely a hill, but to a Mississippi boy its peak is quite sizable. Atop the mountain sits a bright and beautiful crown: the Kigali Convention Center. The large dome is covered in lighted panels displaying patriotic colors of blue, green, and gold. From beneath the mountain’s headdress flows locks of raven-colored hair adorned with lighted blossoms all throughout. The lights spark the fresh and fond memory of flat Ethiopian fields where the Creator boasts His twinkling treasures from horizon to horizon every night. I greet Nostalgia as he comes and sits next to me.
“Keep your eyes open. This, too, will soon be but a memory.”
My eyes follow the streams of homes and street lights down to a dark and dreary smudge. I look across rusted tin roofs lining the tops of poorly built structures and see jagged shadows decorating the ever-deepening darkness. I follow the tin until it makes an abrupt stop just three feet from my little ledge. I could touch it if I wanted. Oh, but what diseases are there! I will stay here where I am safe and sound.
Into the darkness I peer as I wonder at the mystery of the slum.
Too much to worry about.
Too much to bear.
I avert my eyes to the stars and lean my head back against the wall. They appear to be but a whisper of the glory I experienced last month, but they still shout their praises just as boldly as ever:
“Glory to God! The Lord of Hosts is His name!”
A flicker. A light. A spark catches my eye. To my left I see a small brown face glowing in the light of a thin white candle; the first sign of life I’ve seen there tonight. His bright eyes grow wide as he stares intensely into the tiny flame while treading carefully between the rusty structures and cupping his hand in front to protect it as he moves. I continue to watch as he moves closer and closer to me but just before reaching the fence that separates our two worlds, he turns and pushes past the thin fabric hanging before the entrance of the shack. As he enters the little house it begins to glow with the same warm yellow glow that had just caught my attention just moments ago.
I don’t understand why exactly, but I marvel at what I’ve just seen. I gaze at the boy’s home and I hear it begin to come alive. The gentle voice of a mother rises from within and the smell of food escapes through the holes in the tin to tell me that dinner is almost ready. I can hear two or three young voices laugh joyfully as the deeper voice of a father tells a tale in a foreign tongue that sounds strangely like sweet music to me.
Why am I so amazed?
Why am I surprised to witness joy and laughter in such a dark place?
Why is there a tear rolling down my cheek?
Light has brought Life.
And Life has brought joy.
And joy has brought peace.
I feel the Father’s nearness.
And I smile as I lean back into His arms.
And I thank God for letting me see His love.
In the candle of a boy.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket,
but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others,
so that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
[Matthew 5:14-16]
