Monday, July 22, 2013 - Somewhere in Cambodia
"Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands,
along with its king and its fighting men.'" Joshua 6:2.
Along with doing staff devotions in the morning and visiting a ministry for the children in town, today was our last day at the big safe house. It was packed full of activities with the girls. I had the opportunity to help teach an English class, lead a devotion and craft, and play a casual crossbreed of soccer and volleyball. Amidst these wonderful opportunities, I had some very special interactions with a very special girl. To explain, I will have to rewind to the beginning of our visit here- the first night at the safe house. But first, a preface:
In the Bible, the battle of Jericho is won by Joshua's obedience. God tells him to get together a group of men to march one lap around the walled city for six days straight, then on the seventh day, march around Jericho seven times and blow horns. God promises to give Joshua the city once he and the men complete these tasks. They trust Him, obey Him, and the tremendous walls surrounding Jericho crumble to the ground.
And all it took was one man.
Why is this relevant? Well, an army has marched around my heart, the horns have sounded, and the tremendous walls that once surrounded my heart have crumbled to the ground.
And all it took was one girl. This is "The Story of She."
I wish I could say that the reason why I am calling her "She" is for the purpose of confidentiality, but to be completely honest, I never got her name. However, the lack of verbal communication is what makes this story so special. She does not speak a lick of English, and I do not speak a bit of Khmer. Yet, somehow we communicated and connected in such a conversational manner. We just understood each other. But it was not that way to begin with.
When I first got to the safe house, it did not take long for me to notice her. She has gorgeously smooth and shiny long black hair that She always keeps tied up in a ponytail. She wears a soccer jersey nearly every day, and you can tell that She is athletically gifted. Tomboyish qualities aside, She is a natural beauty with soft facial features and big brown eyes that could melt the hardest heart. If I had to guess, I'd say She is aged somewhere around 11 or 12.
What I initially noticed the most was that She was staying back away from the group while the other girls jumped right in to meet us. I tried to interact with her and include her, but I was unsuccessful; She was standoffish. In that moment, I accepted the challenge. I was willing to go great lengths to get that girl to smile. But, I knew it would have to be on her terms. I would have to find a way to get her to allow me entrance into her world.
The next day, I didn't see her until the afternoon. When I finally was able to locate her, She was playing a silly game with a couple of her friends. They were trying to balance a pole on the palm of one hand with their fingers stretched out as to not assist in any way. Using gestures, I asked if I could try. She immediately drew back and reverted back to her standoffish self. She was skeptical.
Somewhere along the line, although I never realized it, I had practiced for this very moment. My oddly creative way of inventing solitary games as a child had allowed me to learn to balance items on my palm very well. Little did I know then that it would be used for good one day. I balanced that pole on my palm like my life depended on it. After I felt I had balanced it long enough to prove that I was worthy to play their game, I tossed the pole up into the air, caught it, then handed it back to her.
Her face lit up. I could tell in that moment that she started to trust me. She had decided to let me into her world. This balancing game carried on for several minutes until it was time to go in for a devotion. When they called us in, She grabbed me by the hand. Little did She know, but She had also grabbed a piece of my heart.
The devotion went along with a craft where we decorated paper crowns with stickers. I sat next to her in a group of girls and made my own paper crown. I was diligently working when I looked up and realized She was decorating her crown identical to mine! I decided to get silly and stuck a foam sticker on my forehead which made her laugh. Then, She went ahead and added a sticker mustache and soul patch! Pretty soon the whole group of us were in an uproar of laughter.
The last day at the safe house, I found her again. This time she was playing hybrid of soccer and volleyball with three other girls. Anyone who knows me well would know that I have zero talent when it comes to soccer other than being fairly athletic in general. However, I stepped out of my comfort zone to join the game. I knew I had to spend time with her, and it had to be on her terms. My lack of soccer talent ended up not mattering as the game transformed into a string of goofy moves followed by boisterous laughter.
Some might say the game was interrupted by the rain; I say it made it better. We huddled under the awning of the house until the rain slowed. I decided to start dancing. There was no music, just the joyful soundtrack that God had placed in my heart.
Before I knew it, She was dancing with me.
The girls knew our time to leave was approaching and the mood was getting somber. I tried my best to overcompensate by getting sillier so the girls would laugh instead of cry. We did the Gangnam Style dance, and I taught She some show choir moves. I even was able to convince her and one other girl to do handstands and cartwheels on the wet pavement! This carried on as long as possible, but the dreaded hour arrived- time to say goodbye.
She hugged me tightly and, although She didn't understand me, I told her I loved her. She did not have to say a word for me to know it was reciprocated. I went inside to grab my bag, and when I came back outside, before I had time to react, She had wrapped her arms tightly around me again. This time, She squeezed harder as she unsuccessfully fought back tears.
As I got on the bus, I reflected on our time together. I assumed that She makes friends like me whenever teams come to visit, which is fairly frequently. I quickly learned that this assumption was false. A couple of the members on our team have spent several summers working with the girls at this particular safe house. They know the girls and their habits very well. When I was informed that She "never connects with anyone," I realized just how special the bond we had made was. This team member could not believe that She was dancing and giggling with me, since this is not her normal behavior.
My brave ran out. I broke down in tears.
This one little girl has taught me more about showing love and communication than perhaps any person I have actually been able to speak with. She has helped me learn how to be sensitive to others' comforts in relationships. She has taught me the power of doing rather than saying. She has taught me to step outside of my own comfort zone so I can step into someone else's. She has taught me persistence in relationships. She has taught me that loving others is risky, but taking the gamble can produce a hefty payoff.
What if on that first day, I had settled upon the fact that this standoffish girl was not interested in interacting with me? What if I had given up from the very first cold shoulder?
I would have never seen her smile or heard her laugh- both of which I'm not sure I could ever forget. I am so grateful God gave me the perseverance to fight through the rejection and connect with her. I would not be the same if I'd never have met She.
[The following pictures are from our visit to the Kids Club ministry]
In the Bible, the battle of Jericho is won by Joshua's obedience. God tells him to get together a group of men to march one lap around the walled city for six days straight, then on the seventh day, march around Jericho seven times and blow horns. God promises to give Joshua the city once he and the men complete these tasks. They trust Him, obey Him, and the tremendous walls surrounding Jericho crumble to the ground.
And all it took was one man.
Why is this relevant? Well, an army has marched around my heart, the horns have sounded, and the tremendous walls that once surrounded my heart have crumbled to the ground.
And all it took was one girl. This is "The Story of She."
I wish I could say that the reason why I am calling her "She" is for the purpose of confidentiality, but to be completely honest, I never got her name. However, the lack of verbal communication is what makes this story so special. She does not speak a lick of English, and I do not speak a bit of Khmer. Yet, somehow we communicated and connected in such a conversational manner. We just understood each other. But it was not that way to begin with.
When I first got to the safe house, it did not take long for me to notice her. She has gorgeously smooth and shiny long black hair that She always keeps tied up in a ponytail. She wears a soccer jersey nearly every day, and you can tell that She is athletically gifted. Tomboyish qualities aside, She is a natural beauty with soft facial features and big brown eyes that could melt the hardest heart. If I had to guess, I'd say She is aged somewhere around 11 or 12.
What I initially noticed the most was that She was staying back away from the group while the other girls jumped right in to meet us. I tried to interact with her and include her, but I was unsuccessful; She was standoffish. In that moment, I accepted the challenge. I was willing to go great lengths to get that girl to smile. But, I knew it would have to be on her terms. I would have to find a way to get her to allow me entrance into her world.
The next day, I didn't see her until the afternoon. When I finally was able to locate her, She was playing a silly game with a couple of her friends. They were trying to balance a pole on the palm of one hand with their fingers stretched out as to not assist in any way. Using gestures, I asked if I could try. She immediately drew back and reverted back to her standoffish self. She was skeptical.
Somewhere along the line, although I never realized it, I had practiced for this very moment. My oddly creative way of inventing solitary games as a child had allowed me to learn to balance items on my palm very well. Little did I know then that it would be used for good one day. I balanced that pole on my palm like my life depended on it. After I felt I had balanced it long enough to prove that I was worthy to play their game, I tossed the pole up into the air, caught it, then handed it back to her.
Her face lit up. I could tell in that moment that she started to trust me. She had decided to let me into her world. This balancing game carried on for several minutes until it was time to go in for a devotion. When they called us in, She grabbed me by the hand. Little did She know, but She had also grabbed a piece of my heart.
The devotion went along with a craft where we decorated paper crowns with stickers. I sat next to her in a group of girls and made my own paper crown. I was diligently working when I looked up and realized She was decorating her crown identical to mine! I decided to get silly and stuck a foam sticker on my forehead which made her laugh. Then, She went ahead and added a sticker mustache and soul patch! Pretty soon the whole group of us were in an uproar of laughter.
The last day at the safe house, I found her again. This time she was playing hybrid of soccer and volleyball with three other girls. Anyone who knows me well would know that I have zero talent when it comes to soccer other than being fairly athletic in general. However, I stepped out of my comfort zone to join the game. I knew I had to spend time with her, and it had to be on her terms. My lack of soccer talent ended up not mattering as the game transformed into a string of goofy moves followed by boisterous laughter.
Some might say the game was interrupted by the rain; I say it made it better. We huddled under the awning of the house until the rain slowed. I decided to start dancing. There was no music, just the joyful soundtrack that God had placed in my heart.
Before I knew it, She was dancing with me.
The girls knew our time to leave was approaching and the mood was getting somber. I tried my best to overcompensate by getting sillier so the girls would laugh instead of cry. We did the Gangnam Style dance, and I taught She some show choir moves. I even was able to convince her and one other girl to do handstands and cartwheels on the wet pavement! This carried on as long as possible, but the dreaded hour arrived- time to say goodbye.
She hugged me tightly and, although She didn't understand me, I told her I loved her. She did not have to say a word for me to know it was reciprocated. I went inside to grab my bag, and when I came back outside, before I had time to react, She had wrapped her arms tightly around me again. This time, She squeezed harder as she unsuccessfully fought back tears.
As I got on the bus, I reflected on our time together. I assumed that She makes friends like me whenever teams come to visit, which is fairly frequently. I quickly learned that this assumption was false. A couple of the members on our team have spent several summers working with the girls at this particular safe house. They know the girls and their habits very well. When I was informed that She "never connects with anyone," I realized just how special the bond we had made was. This team member could not believe that She was dancing and giggling with me, since this is not her normal behavior.
My brave ran out. I broke down in tears.
This one little girl has taught me more about showing love and communication than perhaps any person I have actually been able to speak with. She has helped me learn how to be sensitive to others' comforts in relationships. She has taught me the power of doing rather than saying. She has taught me to step outside of my own comfort zone so I can step into someone else's. She has taught me persistence in relationships. She has taught me that loving others is risky, but taking the gamble can produce a hefty payoff.
What if on that first day, I had settled upon the fact that this standoffish girl was not interested in interacting with me? What if I had given up from the very first cold shoulder?
I would have never seen her smile or heard her laugh- both of which I'm not sure I could ever forget. I am so grateful God gave me the perseverance to fight through the rejection and connect with her. I would not be the same if I'd never have met She.
[The following pictures are from our visit to the Kids Club ministry]
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