The Least (2)

Posted by Tonfry (Chicago, United States) on 22 November 2006 in People & Portrait.

For one week we were camped by a dry river where we would walk each day to a meeting place under a tree. There we would spend time with the children who would come and also feed them porridge (cream of wheat). The children would come from all over, some from miles away, and some without shoes or proper clothing. Even the smallest would drink two or three full cups of porridge if we had enough for multiple servings. Never before have I felt a sense as rewarding as it felt to sit amongst those kids as they received our message, company, food, and our love.
One day they did not come as usual and we suspected their parents had kept them back due to the fact that a catholic priest was visiting the area. The catholics there do a lot of good work, but we were discouraged at the lack of attendance non the less. Then, after two hours of waiting, we saw them running from different directions, all trying to meet at the tree as fast as they could after their delay. I almost cried when I saw them laughing and running our way.