The tiny children collected themselves under the iron canopy that is the church roof. It was as if they were waiting for me…knowingly. But there were certainly more than 10…what to do? Gathered in the shade of the partially finished brick wall, 10 of about 20 children received dolly gifts from a lovely group of women in Florida who call themselves Caring and Sharing. Though, my American heart worried about the fact that some children would not receive a dolly.
The children paraded past me one by one in order to see themselves in a photo. They actually organized themselves in doing this (no adult direction). They saw me take one picture and then lined up for their own. Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen…wait…I only brought 10 dollies. I discovered the children were sharing the dollies so that everyone could have their picture taken – caring and sharing (I love what God did with irony).
Seated inside the church (um, under the iron sheet), Patricia came boldly to me and began running her hands through my hair. She did this for about 10 whole minutes while I prayed that her hands were somewhat clean’ish. She was enthralled, I was in love.
The next day the children could be found helping one another tie the babies on their backs like the maamas do. One girl almost tipped herself upside down while another tried to tie a too-short piece of cloth around her. Of course, they were too quick for me to get my camera ready. Simply precious!
Thank you so very much to the Caring and Sharing ladies for your ongoing prayers and support. May you be blessed to overflowing for your love and generosity!
