After two weeks in the Pokot, God opened on my eyes on a different level with Him. Our ministry during our time there was mostly spent in the schools. I helped teach the little ones, most aging between 3-7 years old. I sang songs about Jesus loving them, days of the week and my favorite, months of the year! Teaching seemed easy in the States until I got to teach to children that didn’t speak an ounce of English. With that, at first I was discouraged about how my time in the tribe was being spent.
I came to realize God could have brought me there for many little reasons and just loving on the children could have been one of them. I could be the only person that puts their arms around these children and loves them like Jesus did. I could be the only person that ever kisses and hugs them when they fall and cry. I could have been in the tribe just to pray for the little boy without pants or shoes that was very sick and crying. We could have been there only to witness God’s beauty through all of that.
In the two tribes we have been too we have learned that the older children are mostly responsible for taking care of the younger ones. When I say older, I mean the 5 year old is taking care of the 3 year old. They carry the younger child on their back everywhere they go. Through this, God showed me His great love for us.
One day during the preschool class I watched as the brother came to school with his sister (the 5 year old and the 3 year old). As usual, he was carrying her on his back with a jug of milk and her cup. I kept my eye on them as God was revealing His grace to me. I watched the girl as she stayed fairly close to her brother throughout the morning. One of the other kids came and knocked her down and she started to cry. The brother went running to her and picked her and wiped her off. When lunch time came I watched as all the children walked up to the “lunchroom” (which is a big shaded tree). The brother started walking and the sister was following behind him. Since she didn’t have shoes on she stepped on something and started crying. Even though the brother was far enough ahead, he turned around to get her. She climbed on his back and he carried her the rest of the way up the hill to eat lunch. And at the end of the day, the boy always brings his sister home.
Jesus will always be there just like the brother. He will always be close to us and will never leave us. He will carry us and all our baggage. And when we fall, He will pick us up, wipe us off and place us on our feet again. When we fall away from Him in our walk, He will always be there to hear our cry and carry us home again. Jesus wants to be our best friend. He wants to be our everything!
Hebrews 13:5 “….I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
