“Jesus said, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.” Mark 10:14, 16
It was late morning in Niger, Africa, as I bent over a tub of soapy water, scrubbing yesterday’s laundry. I was home alone, babysitting the boys of the missionary family I was working for.
“Anatou!” (Ana-too – the Nigerian name for Annetta)
Startled, I looked up upon hearing my name. I was surprised to see a little boy clinging to the top of the courtyard gate. I tried to quiet the annoyed feeling rising within me. It was Isaka, a neighbor boy who liked to come play with the boys sometimes. He wasn’t always very respectful or obedient. Normally I didn’t mind having him in the compound (a house or building surrounded by a high wall), but today was different. I was home alone, and I didn’t know the Zarma language well enough to reason with him if he got into trouble.
“Ifo no ni ga ba?” (“What do you want?”) I questioned. “Open the gate,” he said. Of course, I knew that’s what he wanted. Carefully I opened the gate a few inches. By now, he was back on the ground, eagerly waiting at the gate opening. He grinned at me, mischief gleaming from his eyes. In broken Zarma, I explained that the children’s father wasn’t at home. I told him he could come back tomorrow. He wasn’t so sure. He wanted to come and play now. Finally, he half-heartedly turned away.
Relieved that he had obeyed without too much trouble, I turned back to my work. But my relief was short-lived. He was back again peering through the gap beneath the gate, and asking to be let in. Seeing that these efforts brought no response, he began knocking on the gate. It wasn’t respectful knocking, but loud pounding. The boys in my care thought it was a wonderful new game, and immediately joined the pounding from their side of the gate. As they continued pounding and shouting with laughter, the noise became increasingly loud.
It was time for lunch, so I took the boys into the house. With no one outside anymore, the fun was gone. The noise stopped, and the neighbor boys were finally gone – at least I hoped.
An hour later, I was cleaning up the kitchen, when to my great surprise, someone ran past the window. I was shocked! The gate was latched from the inside, so the only way for someone to get into the compound was to climb over the high wall. I hurried outside. There were two boys in the courtyard. The one immediately dashed out the opened gate, clutching his old, flat soccer ball. But not Isaka. Grinning, he stood in front of me, mischief gleaming from every part of him. He was not planning to leave. I was exasperated. Carefully, I tried to explain to him that he must leave for now, but that he could come back tomorrow. Seeing that my words held no weight, I took his arm and led him through the gate. After making sure the gate was once more securely latched, I turned back to the house.
I had barely entered the house when the flat soccer ball came sailing over the gate, followed by a pair of old, yellow flipflops. The faces of Isaka and his two friends appeared above the gate, their eyes shining with delight and naughtiness.
Several days later, I was out in the courtyard again, scrubbing laundry. Several feet away, Isaka lay on the ground, watching me. He caught my eye and grinned. At that moment, I knew I loved him, naughtiness and all. I wondered what the future held for him. His Daddy and Mama probably weren’t Christians. His house was a small grass hut on a dirt street, and he spent his days roaming around the neighborhood without supervision.
There are many little children like Isaka that don’t have Christian parents. They don’t have anyone to teach them to love God and to obey the Bible. There are also many children who don’t have parents who love them and provide for them. A lot of children, like Isaka, have only a mud or grass hut for their house. We have a lot to thank God for. Parents that love us and teach us about God, and many other things like a warm house, nice clothes, and plenty of food.
Each one of us should thank God for all the blessings He has given us. Let’s pray for children like Isaka. God created and loves every child no matter what their skin color is, nor where they live or how rich or poor they are. Let’s pray that God will send Christians to share God’s Word and His love with families like Isaka’s.
0 Comments