from africa to america....

The other day, as we biked home from a long morning spent winding our ways through the intricate alley-ways of Yako's Grande-Marché, Josue and I found ourselves 'chased' by a group of local children."Nasara! Nasara bonbons!" they shouted.
As they began to lag behind and we were left with only the faint whispers of 'Nasara bonbons' behind us Josue turned me: "Que des blancs sont devenus des dieus" (The whites have become like gods.) he said.
"Josue," I said "We are not! We have faults and we make mistakes. We're human just like everyone else. You and I have the same blood running through our veins."
"I know," he said 'But in Colonial times..." His voice drifted off.
"Well, I hope now people recognize how much we are all the same, regardless of our skin colour." I said to him. He nodded in agreement and we pedaled in a brief moment of silence, through a soccer pitch that has been erected in the middle of the road. Just before turning the corner, I told him to what Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon had to say about man.
(the below is my best ability to translate from the original French- apologies if it is in error)
"Man, white in Europe, black in Africa, yellow in Asia, and red in America, is nothing but the same man stained by the colour of the climate."
As we turned the last corner, onto our street, we discussed Buffon's thoughts (beautiful imagery) and then discussed our creator. It wasn't hard to agree we're all the same because God created us equal (and in his image!), loves us equally and that Jesus came each of us.
Maybe I wrote this because it's been on my mind... Josue isn't the only one that has made a comment like this to me, and in their way, the comments have broken my heart. I have tried to follow these comments with a brief discussion about the fact that these kids are beautiful, loved, cherished children of God. I have tried to reinforce for them that they are just as their creator intended them to be, and that we are all equal. And then... I lift it up in prayer: A prayer that these children will see their identity is in Christ and in nothing else.

***
Danouta
We have just brought baby Danouta to the hospital in Ouahigouya. Please pray for God's healing touch on this precious one. Pray for wisdom for the medical staff and those caring for him.