The Beggar Children

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go see some of my beggar children friends again with a member of the volunteer team, Candra, that is here. In my newsletters I have spoken before of going to these children once a week and telling them a Story and feeding them crackers and peanut butter. They have come to know who I am and will, at time throughout the week, come and talk to me on the street. They have quit trying to beg to me, mostly because I think they know that I will only give them food and only do that once a week. They just smile and walk beside me for a while as I walk through their part of the neighborhood. One of the sweet ladies even hailed us an auto-taxi one day last week.

As Candra and I were walking to find my friends, a small boy who is particularly cute and likes to smile told us to come with him. He led us to where most of the children were. One of the girls who is about 11-12 saw me and said, "You tell Isa (ÁC) stories." How sweet to hear that she knows why I come and remembers the stories I tell her. Many of the children are young and I think mostly interested in the food, but she seems to be interested in the stories. What an answer to my hopes. Yesterday, I brought a story book of Zacchaeus and told them his story. I told it twice to this group of children and then also told it to several ladies and even a few men who were either curious as to what we were doing or interested in the food we were giving out. I have this practice I try to follow for obvious reasons: they first must hear the story; then they can eat. They don't seem to mind too bad. There was even a boy who is older (I'd say 15-16) who came over just as we were about to leave. I remembered him from last week and he had been rather rambunctious and distracting. However, this week I asked him if he wanted to listen to the story and he said "yes." He listened and then said "okay" and left, but at least he was interested to see what story I brought with me this week.

On the right, the girl who said I told Isa stories

Candra giving out PB and crackers

In a city where I have at times struggled to find my place and where I can make a difference for the time I am here to learn language, I am so thankful to the Father for bringing me to these beggars. Their sphere of influence isn't very large and some would say they are merely beggars, but they are sweet people who need a Savior. They are people of value in the Father's eyes who need to know just how much they are worth. I have four weeks left to tell them about how much Isa loves them and wants to have a friendship with them. I still don't have all the language to say what I want to say. I reach a point, and I just run out of words. I have been talking with the Father about how to really share the nuts and bolts of the Good News with them and offer them the free gift the Father gives. Will you please talk to that Father about that too?