Let the Little Children

This morning I read the famous words, “let the little children come to me and do not hinder them,” and as I reflected I was momentarily sad that we don’t do more with kids here.  

Megan and friend's daughter last night

In this part of the world, foreigners exerting too much influence on children is seen as highly suspect. So in our effort to be above reproach we don’t focus on children too much, and instead we make a point of focusing on engaging with adults mostly.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have interactions with kids. We see kids all the time. Our home is right next to a school, so every morning, midday and late afternoon there is a whole wave of kids walking down the street right in front of our house. Islanders have lots of kids. On the islands, it is actually considered a religious obligation to have children and households are mostly multi-generational. So any time we visit an island home, there are usually kids around.

Some kids are kept at home and are given a lot of attention and parenting. Other island kids are left to their own devices most of the time and might even wander the streets with their friends, potentially from as young an age as 7 or younger if they are boys.

Everpresent groups of kids in the background

In big households, kids are often used as messengers. There are a handful of kids that are regulars at our doorstep simply because they are constantly sent to our house with messages or requests by their moms or grandmas.

Some island kids are deathly afraid of foreigners (in villages the ‘white person’ is sometimes the boogey man in scary stories). We’ve even heard parents say, “Look, here come the white people, they’re coming to take you away!” Island kids are also sometimes taught in school that people that don’t follow the majority faith here are bad. I remember our kids coming home upset one day because their friends after one such lesson had asked our kids, “So is your dad a bad man?” Still, in spite of this, there are plenty of island kids that are drawn to us because we are outsiders and different. They will run after us in the streets in the hopes of touching us or giving us a high five. They will yell out greetings from inside their houses as we pass, seeing their chance to practice their French or English if they have it.

Probably our biggest fans are our friends’ kids. They will yell our names, run up and give us hugs. One little boy makes his mom climb the flight of stairs to see us anytime they pass by our house.

English Club after breaking fast meal

As I kept reflecting this morning, I realized that for many of these kids, we may be the only foreigner, the only person of a different faith that they have had significant interactions with. We’re here and they can see us, touch us, and sense that we are not bad people. We are members of their community and real people, not just subjects of scary stories.

Sometimes knowing a person that is different can have a powerful potential to tear down stereotypes and misperceptions. So as I reflected this morning, I was encouraged. We can trust that our presence here is having an impact on the children with whom we interact, and even removing barriers and hindrances from these kids’ paths. Let the little children come to him and do not hinder them.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Women’s gathering went well. The month of fasting meant we met earlier than normal so the heat kept some people away, but those that came were engaged.  We have gotten some rain which has brought some needed relief to the heat. Megan got her skin biopsy results— two were fine with no problems, the doctor is seeking a second opinion for the third biopsy but it looks okay so far. Thanks for praying. We had a nice visit from our colleague from the big island and she made it back there safely. Tom had a particularly good study with Mtsa today and was encouraged. We got to break the fast with a bunch of people from our English Club and had fun with some of their kids too.
 
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray that we could be a positive and loving presence in the lives of many island children. Pray that we would have chances to share with their parents and them. Our daughter caught a cold and had to pause her immunosuppressant medications that are treating her rheumatoid arthritis. Last time she did this she had a bad flare-up in her arthritis. Pray that this would not happen this time, that she would be healthy, painfree and not have any flare-ups. We are catching the edges of a cyclone (that is well south of us), so it has been a rainy and windy day. It means that a colleague from the medical team was not able to fly back to Clove today, pray that the weather clears so that she can make it back. Continue to pray with us and for the islands during the month of fasting. If you want to get special emails with ways to pray this month, let us know— it’s not too late!