Sara

So there’s this little girl in my life named Sara. She is wonderful. I don’t even know if there are words to express how much I enjoy her, how much she brightens my days.

I think she is my angel. Whenever I’m mixed in a crazy church activity with teenagers who are worried about chemistry tests, or with adults who are too nervous to try to talk to me because they can’t speak English, or with parents who are chasing their toddlers around, she swoops in. There have been many difficult times where I’ve felt so overwhelmed by the language barrier or a situation, and I’ve just quietly pulled myself out of the situation. And she notices, when everybody else is wrapped up in the craziness of the situation. She sees me, and comes to me and smiles. I feel such a special connection to her. God reaches out to me through this amazing 4 year old. And she’s so smart! She’ll just start rambling in Slovak, and sometimes I understand, but more often I don’t. As soon as she sees “the look” of confusion on my face, she stops and says, “you don’t understand?” And I just shake my head no and smile. She smiles back with a “nevermind” and we move on. She understands that I’m a foreigner and that I speak a different language, yet it doesn’t discourage her at all from wanting to communicate with me.

I’ve met people of all kinds and ages since I came to Slovakia, but the easiest to connect to have been kids. They are usually so happy and bright, fresh and curious. They accept me without question. They aren’t held back because of nervousness with the language barrier, and they have no preconceived notions of what a foreigner is or how they should react to someone different from them. They simply like me just because I like them. Just a little smile builds a bond so quickly. They constantly remind me to keep things simple and to keep up a Godly attitude of acceptance. SO refreshing. I am so grateful for them, and thank them. And especially Sara, because she makes me smile so much every time I see her.