Smiles from God

December 5, 2011

Auntie Carrie is one of the wonderful His Little Feet Road Staff on tour with the choir, working all hours of the day and night to serve the Lord and care for these precious children. She shares below about two of the girls and what it means to her to be involved in the mission of His Little Feet. 

I have the privilege of being Auntie to very precious Ethiopian girls, Tsion (11), and Mahder (10), during this leg of our tour. Very similar to being a parent, there have been challenges and hard days as well as victories and the sweetest moments. We have made some precious memories together, and they always keep me laughing. I want to share some fun and touching stories about these endearing little girls and our experiences in our host homes…things that make me feel the warm smile of God upon us. 

In Ethiopia, most dogs are wild, mean, and something to be avoided, and so the girls are naturally very scared of them.  Here, it is impossible to avoid dogs altogether, as most homes in America have pets.  We are working on overcoming that fear, and I think it is going to take awhile. At one host home the girls came down for breakfast after the dogs had gone to the basement. But the Great Dane somehow got out and started barking. I have never seen the girls move that fast! Screaming at the top of their lungs, Tsion climbed on top of the dining room table, spilling her orange juice all over, and Mahder ran and jumped on a chair before climbing me like a monkey!  Though their fear is quite real and not something to be taken lightly, I couldn’t help but laugh!

Tsion is a very energetic, honest, outspoken young lady who knows how to express herself. She also has a big heart, and is very empathetic to those who are sad or hurting. She will notice when I am in more of a sober mood, tired, or not feeling well. One time she told me frankly that I looked very tired and that I should go to bed. She assured me that she and Mahder would be fine without me, that they would finish getting ready for bed by themselves and I could go to bed before they did. Also, when someone is not feeling well, she will pray for them. One time I had a headache and she put her hand on my head and prayed, and another time she did the same when I had a stomachache. She loves people deeply, and has a very sensitive spirit.

Mahder loves order and routine, and will do things the right way even if it means disregarding time restraints!  Her suitcase is always perfectly neat and organized, and if it is becoming messy she will take everything out and meticulously fold each piece of clothing and put it in its proper place. It is so fun to watch her do this. Also, she will not eat until we pray for our meal. If I forget to pray at breakfast, she will say “Auntie Carrie, pray?”  Often she and I will come down first to eat because Tsion has beautiful, thick hair that takes more time to fix. But even if Mahder has her food ready, she will wait for Tsion so we can all pray and eat together.

The children did not understand what Thanksgiving was, and it took quite a bit of explaining, word pictures, and examples to get the point across. After some confused looks, finally Tsion said, “It’s ‘Thank You God’ Day!”  She expressed it so simply, but that’s exactly what it is. Lord, give me the simplicity and faith of a child!

These two girls are special, but so is every child. The children of His Little Feet represent the millions of children all over the world just like them, with unique personalities, thoughts, emotions, and dreams. Many of these children do not have someone to love them, hug and comfort them, or someone with whom they can share their thoughts or tell their dreams, not to mention someone to provide for their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. Each one of these children is precious in the sight of God. Look at these children with God’s eyes, and respond how He would. They are His children. We are His hands and feet.