It's all about perspective

I traveled to the village, Likamba last week. I have been there many times and every time I go there all I see is grey. It feels like the sun does not shine there. The school is in the middle of nowhere in the hills in a Massai community. The road to the village seems like it could collapse at any moment because it is surrounded by giant lanes of holes. Following the road can be tricky at times. When you get there, you see two grey buildings that have significant cracks from all of the earthquakes that we have been having. Even though the buildings are relatively new, they have the appearance of age. Inside the classrooms are grey concrete floors and grey concrete walls. They appear hard to keep clean especially since the children have to travel far (some two hours) to get to school in the dirt and mud. Without enough classrooms, one of the classes is forced to meet in an office. You have thirty small children cramped into a small little room. The uniforms that the children have are barely holding themselves together. They are all hand-me-downs. Some of had to roll up the pants because they are too long, others are so short they look like shorts. There are holes and tears in every outfit. The giant holes in the sweaters are held together by a string tied in a knot. Zippers are not uncommon even though there is clearly a need for them. Then, you look at their feet. Over half do not have socks. Almost all have shoes but many of them look their heels have mouths because part of the shoe has fallen off. Some children even have shoes that are way too big for their little feet. When you take a closer look, you realize that many of the children have probably not showered in a long time. They have a layer of dirt with cracking skin and sometimes fungus on their head. Many of their eyes show signs of malnutrition. Their exercise books are meager and the pencils are nothing more than nubs. Paper or other supplies are too much of a luxury that they cannot afford. The teachers themselves have to take several buses and then walk an hour to get to school. Their only meal is cup full of grey porridge.

When you consider all of this, life seems grey. However, you only need to spend about a minute with one of the children to realize that is not what they see. They see hope. They see a teacher that loves them and cares for them and shows them tenderness. They see teachers that love them so much that they are willing to travel that far to teach them. They see that they have a whole outfit of their own and shoes which doubles the size of their wardrobe. They see fun in learning and what it opens up to them. They see a meal that they might not get otherwise. They are amazed at the cracks because God saved the buildings. They see shoes that allow them to run back and forth and play with each other. They see pencils that allow them to put down their ideas, thoughts, and answers. They see classrooms that are places where it is safe and they can laugh and giggle. They see a place of opportunity instead of a place of fear. They do not see their school as the middle of nowhere but rather a place that is the beginning of somewhere. Huge smiles consume their faces and brighten their malnutrious eyes. They don't see a classroom as too small but just right so they can sit closer to their friends.

At the end of every day, I see all of these precious children lined up singing praise and worship for God's goodness, love, and provision. It's all about perspective.....