speaking of importance

6. Who was important to you?

This summer, I fell in love with the people at the brickyard. For the entire month of July, four afternoons of each week were devoted to them- just one more hug, one more round of tag, one more chat about our good God. These people have next to nothing. Poverty in the United States does not compare to these people's lives- dirt floors, entire neighborhoods without running water, trash dumps for the front yard, and backbreaking work for not nearly enough pay. Not to mention being ostracized from the rest of the city of Chihuahua.

And yet these people are pressed but not crushed, struck down but not destroyed. They are beautiful. Their hearts are golden, and their spirits are strong. And they are hungry for the love of the Father. They are hungry for deep and unconditional love that restores broken families and seeks to save the lost. These people come with childlike faith, believing and knowing that our God will save. 

Their culture is one of living to survive and dependence on God for each daily need. They know not much of abundance, except that of abundant love and grace. But their love for Him is real, and it is tested simply by daily life. Yet they show me how to be grateful for the simple things. How to cherish a hug and a small hand in mine. How to cry out to the Father when I need Him. And how to not forget the least of these.

What else can I say? I love these people. I love their smiles. I love their laughter. I love their little faces and tiny little hands. I love that they love their Lord and want to know Him more. I love hearing them recite His word that they have hidden in their hearts. And I so wish I could see them more often than I do, but I hold them in my heart.