Even Though It Feels Small

One of the questions I get most prior to going to Swaziland from people who are interested in our trips is “What will we be doing?”  In fact, it might be the number one question other than “What kind of food will we eat?” 🙂

This is a tough question because I know how the answer will sound.  The answer won’t sound flashy or exotic or sexy or life changing.  The answer won’t necessarily pull at the longing-to-be-world-changer’s heart.  The answer isn’t what doers necessarily want to hear.  What we do on these trips for the majority of our time is love on and play with our small precious friends.  That really wraps it up quite nicely.  We hold kiddos and play games and hand out hugs and kisses as if our life depended on it.

I like hearing where team members minds and hearts are during our trips.  I loved listening to Christy one day share how she’s not use to not going and doing…she’s not used to being still.  She’s been on medical trips before and of course those are quite full and fast paced.  Our trips are different.  She told how on the first day she found herself checking her watch quite often and how time seemed to be passing slowly, but how after that the following days she noticed the time flew by.  How she realized although at first she felt like she wasn’t really doing much, she realized she was actually doing a lot.

Touch changes us…sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad.  I loved hearing Amy, our fearless AIM leader, talking about the research which has been done about young children and the impact of nurturing touch or the lack of.  How even when the damage has been done if a child eventually does experience nurturing touch it can have an adverse affect on the prior damage.  If you think holding sweet babies or hugging on kiddos or tossing children wildly into the air and catching them is nothing, I dare say you’re wrong.

I read a lot of articles about these kinds of trips.  I read a lot of articles written by missionaries about these kinds of trips.  I am always on the lookout for information which would allow me to lead these trips in a better, more respectful and more God glorifying way.  I’ve read plenty of opinions on going and loving on these kiddos and then leaving afterwards.  I’ve read how some people think it’s damaging and how our money would be better spent not on trips, but on aid or project development.  I don’t have all the answers, but here is what I know…these people are our friends and we thoroughly enjoy their company and our time together.  If our friends ever tell us they need us not to come and visit them…if they ever tell us we’re doing harm to the children by loving, hugging, kissing and playing with them…that’s when I’ll stop leading these trips.  Until then, I am taking my cues from our friends and this community who tell us every time how much they have enjoyed our company and friendship and how they are so thankful we come and visit them.  Everyone longs for more time together.

 So even though it feels small…playing play-doh, painting watercolors, jumping rope, singing songs, coloring, sharing a meal, kicking a soccer ball, making crafts, doing hand rhymes, talking about Jesus, snuggling a sleepy baby and reading books to children is actually not small at all, but life giving.

Lots of our little friends are still looking for a special friend sponsor.  GO HERE and choose “unsponsored” in the “status” bar, get in on this love action and then think about joining our trip next year.  You won’t regret it.

And I had an awesome phone meeting with Children’s HopeChest yesterday and can’t wait to share the details of our next trip.  Hoping to share soon once dates are nailed down.

Happy Wednesday.

1 Comment

  1. Our current lifestyle does not really support and encourage just taking the time to CARE about people! I love that this is what you do on these trips. People are what matter most and I love that you take the time to love the people. That will change more lives than anything else!!!

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