Being THAT Girl...

I have a reputation around here.

And I figured I’d better warn you now.

There are parts of me that have come alive since I’ve been in Africa. I think they are parts that were always there, but something about this side of the globe really brings them out in me.

I have a reputation with the children in the communities of being that girl who cannot and will not stop hugging and kissing every child that comes within arms reach. Let’s be real… sometimes I even chase them for it. When it’s necessary, I hold them down.

The language barrier can be so challenging – and words are kinda my thing. Words here have so many sounds I can’t make, and I’ve actually had to grieve not being able to use them as effectively as I’d like during this time in my ministry.

But God has done something powerful through touch. When I hug these kids, there’s more to it than a few moments of physical contact. There’s an exchange – a language deeper than words that goes far beyond cultural differences. And I have truly experienced God building relationships out of touch.

At first, the older kids would point, laugh and be absolutely mortified when they got caught up in a hug or kiss from me. Didn’t stop me. Now, in each community, they run to me shouting my name with open arms and puckered lips. It's beyond greeting; it's acknowledging their value in every interaction.

The little ones in Mbonisweni created a game last week out of running as fast as they could across the stage at church and taking a flying leap into my arms for huge hugs. My body has become both a jungle gym and a resting place.

These children don’t get enough touch or love. But it’s more than that. It’s more than satisfying a physical need. It’s an interaction. I feel God’s power move through our hugs. I feel when they need refuge and when they need celebration.

It seems like it’s taken a long time for any sort of relationship to build. I don’t know most of their stories. I don't even know many of their names. But I know them through what I feel. I know them through what God speaks through those tiny hands reaching up to be held, that little head resting on my shoulder, and those bare feet climbing up my legs. And I know that they can feel that I love them. I feel the richness of these cross-cultural relationships going deeper with every hug and every little moment – something that could seem like nothing if we’re not looking for it.

In the past couple of weeks, I learned the SiSwati words for “I love you” and “Jesus loves you”.

As I’ve hugged each familiar little face and let God do His thing, I whisper these Truths to them: “I love you. Jesus loves you.”

I knew they felt it. And it was time for words that match it. As I whispered, faces changed. A new sense of safety, a new sense of delight, and… almost all of them said, “Ya” or “Yebo”. They already knew. They felt it too.

Little things. Hugs. Kisses. Three words at a time. Nothing else in common but that.

God is teaching me now about his unmatchable, unfathomable, unstoppable power. We don’t ever have to understand it. We don’t ever have to figure it out. We don’t even have to bring our super-hero talents.

I came with a license to counsel. And got here to find out I was a long way from being able to use skillfully crafted semantics to give glory to my God when it came to His orphaned and vulnerable in the communities of South Africa.

When we let Him (which has taken and still is taking me a loooong time), He’ll do the talking, the giving, the growing, and the perfect, perfect loving. He knows every detail of every story of every orphan. And He knows how to love them perfectly. All I have to know is how to let His love flow through me.

Hug someone this week and mean it. No side hugs, people. Full frontal hugs. And mean it. And feel what God does. He has things to say and He’s gonna say it every chance He gets. Linger for a moment and let His love flow through you. Surprise someone with God’s authentic love and embrace.

Photo by Carly B

And be warned, America, I’m coming in December with open arms and lots of chapstick. Forget about social norms. Lingering hugs and kisses are my new normal. Don't say I didn't warn you!

“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body."

-2 Cor 4:10-11