Small things, with great love

Mother Teresa once said, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." This quote epitomizes my two months spent in Malawi this summer. I've learned so much about humbleness, about life, pain, hurt, hunger, joy, hope, but mostly, about love. I saw God in the smiling eyes of children, in the little hands I held, in the tears of their pain, in the sound of their laughter, in the passion of their song, and in their footprints on dirt paths. Sometimes I struggled with inadequacy, why did God want me here? It didn't feel as if I was doing much. But that's when I'm reminded of this quote. What we see as nothing, can be everything to these kids. What we see as small, can make a life of an impact to them. So why don't we put all the love we can possibly pour out, into these little things? Into singing, dancing, playing, hugging, and hand holding.

I remember this one little girl named Tiyajane. Now, I was surprisingly good at remembering all their little Malawian names, but for the life of me, I could never get her's down. Every time I saw her, she would call my name and come hug me or hold my hand, but I could never call her name back. I would always ask her, and she would always tell me, Tiyajane. Sometimes I even asked the other interns to ask her for her name so I wouldn't have to. But one day, while I was doing administrative sponsorship work, I came across her name, Tiyajane. I was so excited to know that she had a sponsor, but, I was even more excited that I finally got her name!

That afternoon, I went into the village, eager to say her name to her. As I walked up the dirt path, I saw her from a distance, and instead of her calling me first, for the very first time, I yelled out, TIYAJANE! When she heard her name, her face immediately lit up, her smile exposed two missing front teeth. She ran to me and hugged me. At that moment, I knew I had made her day. That's when it dawned on me how appreciative these kids are. They can find so much joy in you just remembering their name, in you just thinking about them. But, I wanted to give her so much more. That's when God called me to sponsor a child.

Looking for a sponsor child was not easy. God really put on my heart, the kids in the neighborhood I visited. However, most of them were either sponsored, or were unregistered. Coming back to the states, I checked the COTN site daily, waiting and praying for not just a familiar face, but the right face to pop up. Finally, Modesta, one of the girls in the family I visited every week showed up. I recently realized that God is using my sponsoring Modesta not only to reach out to her, but also to the 15-20 kids in her neighborhood, those exact kids I wanted to sponsor, but was unable to. Through this connection, I am able to send letters and pictures to her as well as all the other kids I have come to love so much. I'm so thankful that I can continue to pour my heart out into these kids. God knew what I needed.

Love, Love, Love,

Angela