Just a Smile
A smile can go a long way in this shaded culture. Without even thinking, I often find my lips pressed tightly together beneath my scowled brow as I walk through this city. It's not that I am angry, I guess I am just trying not to look approachable. But when I leave this horrible look at home, and just walk, other opportunities arise that remind me why I love this place, despite the sexual harassment I encounter every 4 seconds.
My moments with local children outside the walls of my classroom are few and far between, and I have found that my heart automatically speeds up with any eye contact with a child. God is using their big, almond shaped brown eyes to draw me in, and soften my heart for these people. Yes Christy, they too are people, with stresses in their own lives, hurts, pains, and passions. They too need a smile to lighten their load. Every soft encounter I have with a child here breaks one more of the barriers I have arrogantly placed between me and the locals who shar…
My moments with local children outside the walls of my classroom are few and far between, and I have found that my heart automatically speeds up with any eye contact with a child. God is using their big, almond shaped brown eyes to draw me in, and soften my heart for these people. Yes Christy, they too are people, with stresses in their own lives, hurts, pains, and passions. They too need a smile to lighten their load. Every soft encounter I have with a child here breaks one more of the barriers I have arrogantly placed between me and the locals who shar…