Love has no Language Barrier

Devotional After My First Day in Busia:

This was my first day in Busia and I am so tired. I don’t recall ever being this tired before in my life. I feel a calm relief…a peace… and at the same time excitement about this marvelous experience. I remember how anxious I was a few weeks ago when I first realized that I was coming here. Some days I was excited and couldn’t wait and other days I was concerned. I was not only concerned about the travel…the long flight… changing planes…the long bus ride…but also the work here. I really didn’t know what to expect once I arrived. Before coming to Kenya I anxiously anticipated working with the children. I wondered, “Will they be able to understand my language? How can I communicate with them if I don’t know their language? How can I tell them how much I have thought about them and how I have longed to come to them?” I prayed, “Lord let me be able to communicate your love to the children of Kenya.”

As we drove to the camp I could feel tiny butterflies in my stomach from the excitement of finally being here. Riding down the bumpy red road I thought we would never get there. As my tired body momentarily gave away to a short nap we turned onto the narrow path that led into the camp. I remember stepping out of the van that first evening in Busia and seeing all these quiet, shy children just standing there, staring at us. All I could think about was how precious they were to the Lord…how He had created them in His image giving them special gifts and talents. Some of their faces revealed the same anxiety I felt. Strangely, all my anxiety melted into a strong feeling of warmth and compassion as I reached out and touched them.

I was reminded of a time when Jesus ministered to the children in Matthew 19:13-14: “Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” And after laying His hands on them, He departed from there…”

As I walked through the group I wanted to touch them all. The children were receptive as their staring faces softly broke into shy smiles. Looking at the children, again I was reminded of a New Testament story when Jesus looked upon Jerusalem and said, “How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings”… So I reached out and touched them and looked into their eyes. I could feel the love and compassion that I imagined Jesus must have felt as He ministered to the children. Soon we were playing games, singing songs and laughing together. As I looked around at my teammates they were all as involved with the children as I was. At that point, I knew my purpose for coming here. I was communicating to the children of Kenya the love and compassion of Jesus. I can always send money to Africa, but nothing replaces the touch of the hand… the face to face encounter that say, “You are important, you are cared about and you are loved.” The children responded. “My Lord,” I thought, “I am communicating with them; love has no language barrier.”

Jettie Johnson


"Jettie Johnson and Sylvia chatting on the last day of Vacation Bible School"