Posted by Scott on Mar 6, 2010 in Life | 0 comments
I didn’t know his story. The only thing I knew was he was one of 65 children being fed at our feeding center in Tanzania. He looked to be about four maybe five, but the missionary assured me he was probably closer to ten. His little body ravaged by the effects of being very poor in Africa. But despite his size, there was something about his blank stare that made you take a deeper look. His eyes truly were the windows to his soul. What had wounded this little child’s spirit so deeply. So great was this sadness that his countenance never changed. As the other children laughed and played with the members of our group, this little boy was always alone. He never really engaged with the other children even though they tried.
As the days at the feeding center passed, our team enjoyed getting to know the children. We played games, made balloon animals and spent time sharing meals with them. However, as the children came and went, everything remained status quo for this little boy, his sadness was ever present.
Our last day at the feeding center was a day of celebration. We had planned a party for all the children, their families and the local dignitaries. The meal for the day was not the usual fare of rice and vegetables. This days meal was fitting of a celebration. There were sodas and portions of meat, breads and vegetables, and even a cake for dessert. After the meal, we presented gifts to everyone. Pens and watches were given to the dignitaries, while clothing, toothbrushes and candy were given to each child. After the meal and the gift giving, the center was hopping and everyone was enjoying the moment. For these people a day like this was an oddity.
As the party continued, I stood alone away from the main group snapping photos. I was just enjoying the moment. It was then I felt someone take hold of my hand. As I looked down, I gazed into the eyes of the little boy with the wounded spirit. Our eyes locked, never wavering. As we stood hand in hand looking at each other, he started to smile. At that moment I could feel the warmth of tears as they welled in my eyes and I began to weep. No longer was there sadness in his eyes, but a glimmer of joy. We couldn’t communicate verbally but his eyes and smile spoke volumes. As we stood there, hand in hand, the commotion of the party seemed to fade away and it just the two of us. He stood there patiently, perfectly contented to hold my hand. We stood together for ten minutes hand in hand. For those brief precious moments his lifeless eyes were gone and everything seemed OK in his little world.
Our feeding center continues to operate on a daily basis. The number we feed is up from 65 to around 100 children. We feed these kids two meals a day. Without this food, many would not survive. The sad fact is that for every 100 we feed, there are 100 more who stand at the outside gates of the feeding center, hoping there might be a little food left over. We would like to feed these kids also, but we are constrained by limited finances.