Their names are ordinary. Names like Herbert, Pearl, Ron, Bryan, Joe, Lola, Winnie, yet their stories
are anything but. Each face comes with a story, a history of tragedy, pain,
fear, and loss. They are the remnant of
a land torn apart by war and disease.
They are the orphans of West Africa.
You wouldn’t know their past by simply looking in their
eyes. They are not filled with tears, but with beams of light. Nor would you gather that some of these
children have suffered a lifetime of sadness in their few short years by watching their actions.
They sing. They dance. They laugh.
They giggle with a joy that the world cannot give and the world surely cannot
take away.
They understand the feelings of abandonment. Some of these little ones were left at the
hospital just hours after their birth, while others, lost their entire
families, their mothers and fathers, sisters
and brothers to senseless violence. Others were kidnapped and forced to become a child soldier or a sex slave. All of them know the feeling of going to bed hungry and dreading what the next day may hold in store for them.
and brothers to senseless violence. Others were kidnapped and forced to become a child soldier or a sex slave. All of them know the feeling of going to bed hungry and dreading what the next day may hold in store for them.
If anyone has the right to be cynical, bitter, or depressed
it is these and they have traveled half-way across the world to share their
message. But you won’t hear a message of
sadness, separation, or sarcasm. No,
theirs is a message of hope, forgiveness and grace.
These precious children are touring the United States to
remind us that God knows our name. That
no matter who you are, what you have done, or what has been done to you, God
knows your name. We are not forgotten. On
the contrary, when we receive Jesus Christ, we are loved, forgiven and free.
If you have ever wondered if the Gospel of Jesus Christ
truly has the power to transform a mind, a heart, a life, all you have to do is
listen to the children from Watoto. Yesterday
morning I awoke humming the tune, “I need
thee, O’ I need thee. Every hour, I need
thee. O’ bless me now my Savior, I come to thee.” What a wonderful way to start the day. When I caught myself humming that hymn, I remembered the faces of the children as they sung that song the night before.
Listen my friend, could God love you so much that He would
send a group of orphans from the plains of Africa to travel all the way to
America just so you could be reminded that God knows your name? Would God do something like that for
you? Hmmm. Think about it.
He once sent His own Son from the throne room of Heaven to
stable in Bethlehem to tell you how much He loves you. Then He allowed His Son to climb Mt Calvary
and be crucified to tell you that He loves you.
He even let an angel come down from Heaven and move the stone away from
the tomb as Jesus came walking out triumphantly over death and the grave to
tell you that He loves you. So, could
God send a group of children from Africa to tell you that He loves you? Kind of sounds like Him doesn’t it?
