“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” (Matt. 19:14).
The small town of Kangaba and the villages that surround it overflow with children. This isn’t surprising considering that the majority of women here in Mali have as many children as they can—a national average of 6.2 births per woman! When my female friends learn that we have only two children, they sadly shake their heads for me. Many of them have seven or more living children. Of course, the Malian practice of polygamy, with men taking multiple wives and having as many children as possible, leads to very large families. It also means that food gets stretched very thin.
Girls are expected to take care of their younger relatives. A 10-year-old friend of Hadassah’s shows up here regularly with her six-month-old nephew strapped to her back. Sometimes her eight-year-old sister has him for the day. This practice certainly does encourage responsibility at a young age, and most children seem to look after their younger charges with admirable care. However, from time to time Neil and I have to say things like, “Don’t climb that tree with the baby on your back,” or “Take the baby to his mother. I think he’s hungry.”
Neil and I often wonder what we can do to help this multitude of bright young hearts come to know Jesus. One of the simplest things we do is just treat them kindly—bring them a glass of water when they are thirsty or share our bread when they are hungry.
Hadassah and Clayton also regularly invite their friends to our Sabbath church service, and we have had as many as 15 come. Every Sabbath service isn’t that well attended, but we have a small core group of kids who show up regularly to hear Bible stories and sing songs. “Yesu Be N Kanu De” (“Jesus Loves Me”) is a favorite. The kids also enjoy “Ala Ka Ni” (“God is so Good”). It is wonderful to hear them singing praises to God and to see their happy smiles.
Please keep the children of Kangaba in your prayers. We know that each and every one of them is infinitely precious to God.
