Pity or Admiration?

What can change a heart of pity to a heart full of admiration?

"There are four kids knocking on my gate, asking for food. They all speak Kimwani, only one of them speaks Portuguese. Do you want to come and talk to them?" one of my new Nampula friends told me over the phone.

I jumped in my car and went over. As I pulled up to her gate I saw the four kids, dusty from walking up and down the dirt roads. I greeted them in Kimwani and they broke into grins. "She speaks Kimwani," they whispered to each other. As my friend gave them a snack, which they devoured hungrily, I offered to give them a ride home so I could meet their family.

The four kids currently live with their grandparents. They used to live with their parents in a village north of Pemba, but last year they and their grandmother had to flee. To this day they don't know what happened to their parents. The kids go around the neighborhoods begging and bring back whatever they are given.

As I drove away that day my heart felt heavy. If I'm honest, I would say I felt more pity than anything else. When I got home, I gathered up food items to take to the kids the next chance I got. But I didn't want to bring just material help. I also wanted to bring them the Good News of Jesus, so I put one of the Kimwani booklets next to the bag of food.

A week later I made it back to their house. The grandmother happily put the bag of food inside and then we all sat down to talk outside. I faced a little oasis at the edge of the neighborhood: the sound of a creek flowing beneath the bushes, tall grass, and small trees that hid it from view. After the greetings I showed them the booklet I had brought for the kids. They asked me to read it to them.

The oldest girl translated what I read into Makua for the grandfather and neighbor who don't speak Kimwani. Everytime I paused for her to translate we locked eyes and smiled at each other. As I waited for her to translate each phrase I noticed more kids joining to listen and the neighbor fully engaged in the story of Jesus, often nodding his head in understanding.

When I finished, they insisted I join them for breakfast.  As we all ate boiled cassava root and drank tea the girl kept glancing at me. I started a conversation with her and discovered that she speaks five languages already and wants to learn English. The more I talked with her, the more I admired her. She is intelligent, full of life, and has a beautiful smile. She has a good attitude despite the difficult circumstances she's been through. I promised I would come back to talk with her another day.

This time as I drove away, I marveled at how my attitude towards this family had drastically shifted. I no longer pity them, though their story remains sad. Now I admire them as precious people made in the image of God and I look forward to seeing where the friendship leads.