I recently had the privilege of traveling to an orphanage in Colombia as part of a short mission trip hosted by Global Encounters (check out their website here).  As part of their photography team, I was asked to come along to document the lives of the children we were reaching with the gospel.   During the few days I was there, I was blessed with some incredible opportunities to share my faith and to interact with many of the kids that were there.

Due to the language barrier (very few speak English down there), it was difficult to communicate with what little Spanish I knew (¿Dónde está la comida?).  Yet what I discovered in that period of time was that what I did had a much greater effect than what I said.  It didn’t matter to the kids that my grammar was incorrect or that my pronunciation was poor, what they cared about was the fact that I wanted to be with them and interact with them.  Due to their limited access to the rest of the world, they’re more than eager to engage on any level possible.  And that’s what they did.  Kids were constantly coming up to me asking me if I’d like to play soccer or if I’d like to share some of their candy with them.  I was completely overwhelmed by these kids’ desire to overcome all barriers to interact with me.

And it caused me to realize that even though I couldn’t express my extreme desire to get to know them and to share the gospel with them through words, the impressions I left with them through my actions spoke louder than anything I could have said (even if I could speak Spanish).  The memories that I left with those kids who are hungry for love and attention may possibly stick with them throughout their life.  And what they saw lived out may cause them to ponder what a life lived for Christ truly looks like for them.  I can’t say what the future will bring for those kids, but I hope that the impressions I left with them will have a positive impact on their lives and will cause them to realize that they have a Heavenly Father that loves them and wants to have an individual relationship with each and every one of them.

So as you gaze at the faces of these children, think of the many lives you have the opportunity to impact on a daily basis.  Are you sharing the love of Christ?  Are you quick to lend a smile to those that are feeling down?  What are you doing to make a difference in the lives of those around you?