“Are you all right?” I asked my 7-year old, tears trickling from her eyes like freshly squeezed gratitude.
“Yes, Mama, I’m just too happy.”
One of the hardest adjustments for our children was leaving their friends and favorite foods behind. That’s where they drew comfort from.
I’d often say, “I understand, kids. But remember, there are lots of new snacks to discover too!”
Deep down, I was proud of them— for their enthusiasm in trying Nsenene, a local treat of fried grasshoppers, Mandazi and Bagia, different variations of locally fried dough fritters from the street. But I knew they missed what they were familiar with.
“Oh look, Mama!” They exclaimed one day, “Kinder Bueno!” Their favorite chocolate eggs that hid a little toy within sat on the shelves of a little store in town. “Can we pleeaase have it?”
“Maybe next time, okay?” I said, secretly hiding my enthusiasm. I didn’t want to give in too early- I’d really wanted them to immerse themselves in local foods and culture before turning to what naturally gave them comfort.
Later that week, however, when we returned to the store, the Tanzanian store owner with crinkly eyes that smiled a thousand laughs nodded with curiosity as I spoke with him in Swahili.
“Come,” he said, “I have something for your children for the weekend.”
Of everything in his store that he could have picked, he picked two Kinder Bueno eggs for them. He didn’t know about our conversation. He never knew about our children’s heartfelt longing for a taste of comfort from home.
“Oh my,” I blinked back tears. “God knows you so well, girls. He REALLY loves you cos he doesn’t know these are your favorite!”
As my girls left the shop, my firstborn squinted back tears.
“God really loves us, Mama.”
“He sure does.”
On the nights I toss, sleepless in bed, worrying about real life stories missionaries and local friends have told me about tragedies and heartaches on the field about their children, I try to think about the ways, big and small, that God has made His love known to us. And I breathe, knowing He loves my children more than I myself ever could. 😭