MEHANNA ROAD

Kids are kids no matter where you go.  The kids I saw in Africa are dirty, their teeth are rotting, they haven't eaten anything with nutritional substance for days, if ever, and they constantly have a swarm of gnats and flies following them wherever they go.  Most sleep on the ground - no pillow, no blanket, no favorite stuffed animal.  They attend school sometimes but no one takes them to class, they have no school supplies, and their desks are falling apart.  Yet, amidst all of these things that would make an American child think he was literally about to die, they are the happiest children I have ever had the privilege of meeting.  They fashion toys out of tin cans and sticks.  They ride donkeys and play in the dirt.  They make up songs and take care of each other.  Not being able to communicate with them was the most difficult challenge for me but a simple smile, no words needed, and a wave had the ability to light up every face in the village.  They giggled when we tried to speak their language and oftentimes mocked our accents but their sweet faces only forced us to keep trying if only to make them smile.  They would greet us at the gate every morning and run behind or beside our bus each day as we left.

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are PRECIOUS in HIS sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

I'm certain I will never forget the faces of some of the children I met along the Mehanna Road.  I realized that I have so much to learn from them and I pray the Lord will send someone after us to help them understand how special they are and how much they are loved.  I pray that I will learn to live with such joy even in the midst of such dire circumstances.

"I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever... Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power."
Psalm 145:1,3-4