Alisha changed my world. Even though I only spent about 30 minutes of my time with her, I’ll never forget her. Never. My prayer for my mission trip to Nepal was that God would break my heart for what broke His. When I got to Nepal, I saw the poverty and hurt around me. I saw it everyday as our driver skillfully wove through the streets of Nepal. I saw children running through mud puddles, “sacred” cows wandering by the side of the road, and beggars. For one of our first days of ministry, we went into the slums and worked. We preformed our drama and other funny skits, and played with the children. Though I enjoyed my time, I remember feeling disconnected and distant.
But the last time we went to the slums…that’s when I met Alisha. We joined up with another ministry group from our team that was doing crafts with the children. Alisha came right up to me with her huge, beautiful smile. Her eyes were so big and inviting. After introducing herself to me, she pulled me into a hug. From that moment on, we had an instant connection. Over the next half hour, we drew pictures for each other. Alisha told me about herself and I told her about me. When I asked her if she knew Jesus, she laughed and replied, “I think I like Jesus too much!” I laughed and responded to her, “No, Alisha, you can never love Jesus too much.” I could see Jesus in her eyes. She had Jesus eyes, you could say. His love from overflowing out of her in a way that I don’t even understand. Alisha represented joy in a slum of grief. She represented light in darkness. I miss my precious girl so much!
