3X2

This week marks one year since my weeklong adventure with Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child.

Today I have three stories from the first day of distributions (March 9, 2009) represented by two pictures per story. I’ve chosen them because they’re moments that have really stuck with me over the past year.

Take 1

This little two year old boy, Gisouf, was present at our first distribution of the day. He is pictured with his grandmother who also takes care of him. ‘His parents,’ his grandmother told me, ‘have died.’ He received a toddler box, and his grandmother had sought me out to thank me for his gift. “Barke, Barke,” (thank you) she said. I replied and she continued saying “Barke, Barke, Barke” as she held my hand.

After all these months, that moment standing there with Gisouf and his grandmother has stayed with me. Gisouf is the little one I remember the most clearly from that first distribution to 2 000 children

Take 2

Our second distribution was 3 000 children. A lot of children had parents at the distribution so they opened their boxes with us. That meant a lot of children ended up with christmas cards they wanted translated. It was magnificent and crazy! I stood, with a circle of children around me, reading every card as loud as I could for everyone to hear. Soon as I finished reading a child their card I'd take their picture (and a picture of their card so I could mail a letter to their sender.) and five more children would hold out their hand with their letters to me..
This little girl though, didn’t have a card in her box. She patiently followed me around as I read everyone their letters. She leaned against me, or played with my hair as I read. When I moved to another group of children that was waiting for me to read them their letters she followed quietly. At one point I leaned over to her and gave her a hug. She tugged at my shirt, looked up at me with her gorgeous bright eyes, and asked me to take a picture of her.

So here it is. A picture of the little girl whose name I never knew but that, with her gentleness and desire for love, touched my heart in a way I can’t put into words.

Take 3

Some nights after our distributions we returned to the schools and villages where we had been for a night of evangelism. It was also such a wonderful opportunity to spend time with the children again. Some brought more letters to be translated, many brought their dancing feet and we danced with them before the plays and skits got going.

This little guy brought his gloves. In the late evening it was still likely mid 30s so he had little need for gloves, but they’d been in his box and he was obviously thrilled. And, knowing that in January winter would come and he would probably get some use out of the gloves, even if just for a short period of time I knew the gift hadn’t gone to waste.

I asked if he and his friend wanted their picture taken. He did, but his friend wasn’t so sure and hid in the background.

But when the time came to snap shot number two I was surprised to see the friend had gotten very into picture taking, and was showing off with a silly face photo. We spent a little time looking over the pictures together and then the boys joined in some of the activities.

Little guy and his gloves always puts a smile on my face when I think of him.