The Simplicity of a Smile

A smile. That’s all it took to capture my heart.

 A smile of hope as a girl with cerebral palsy sits up for the first time. The beauty of a mother's smile as her child with speech delay names a color for the first time. The joyful smiles of children from the village as they run towards us on their bare feet. I love these sweet moments of life, when faith is revealed through different sights, feelings, and promises.

This summer, I had the opportunity to provide medical care to people living in rural parts of Indonesia. The weeks were filled with brokenness as I realized the realities of stigma, loss, hunger. I saw vulnerable children with bruises in their souls. But these weeks were also filled with love and compassion, the ability to spread hope to the disabled, sharing meals with the community, and embracing the happiness of children dancing to the beat of bamboo sticks.

These precious moments with children are much like hidden treasures from God—we simply need to take the time to pause, find, and notice.

I recently taught a Sunday school class where I noticed some kids looking for their names in the Bible. All of them had biblical names except for one little boy. One of the others looked over and realized that the boy seemed upset, so he took the boy's name tag, stuck it inside the Bible and exclaimed, "There! Your name is in the Bible!"

Every child has the potential to be a chapter in God's book, with stories to be written as they learn and grow closer to God. It’s inspiring to hear the power of prayer in their tiny voices, see their open hearts in worship, and an unfailing faith to trust in his Word

For that, I am grateful and blessed.

Iris Tung
Interim Children’s Ministry Assistant
Mt Pleasant