The people of Kalavai are true poets in this regard.
It’s not easy to describe how sitting next to a mother on a dusty, broken concrete slab as she braids her daughter’s hair can be such a comforting moment when you’re thousands of miles away from your own family.
You can’t measure the fullness of your heart when a child you know gets hit more often than hugged falls asleep in your arms.
And there isn’t any proper comparison for the joy that emanates from the eyes of the once hopeless villagers who’ve learned to trust and dream. Except for, maybe, the joy that God has in giving that very hope.
It is our true privilege to brush shoulders with people of such humility and courage every day here. It takes a lot to summon hope from despair and joy from darkness. But it is a movement He started and will be faithful to complete.
Each night, the English team has the chance to educate and edify the village children, many of whom do not attend school nor will ever have the opportunity. Some of them, as young as 8 or 9, have already started to work to help provide for their families. Many of the adults in the village are just as curious and eager to learn as the children, and their confidence in attempting to speak English with GCC teams has grown with each trip. The time consists of conversational English training as well as songs, skits, games and craft time – which always ends up being the highlight of the evening. Teachers, adults and kids huddle together to paint, make bracelets and simply enjoy each other’s company.
The time flies, yet when you stop and soak it all in, you realize those are the moments you wish would never end. You see pipe cleaners and plastic beads transform into pearls and diamonds in the villagers’ eyes. You hear the laughter and chatter of a newfound, lifelong friend sitting next to you. And you wonder if anything else in the world really matters but loving that person, fully and completely, if without words.
- Amanda Harris
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