Summer 2013: 7/16/13 Day 5 - Kevin Mo

Belize STM- Day 5 July 16, 2013

Both teams amalgamated and joined forces at pick stock today! Before we set out today, I thought I already knew what to expect since the team two years ago held a block party there. But God really had something different in store for me today than what I expected. Our team's goal for today was to start on the murals led by the brilliant Belizean local artist, Bri. While some of the team helped paint, others were able to play with the cute little kids heheh. My reflection doesn't have much about how the awesome art on the walls magically appeared or how painting is so fun because frankly, I actually didn't do any of that hard work LOL. But it does consist of a story about a six year old adorable boy by the name of Antoine and an equally adorable (okay, maybe not) seventeen year old by the name of Kevin.

When we first got to pickstock (I'm gonna skip the part where I complain about the sauna-like weather and the burning sun on my skin because everyone already knows about that) we were unloading the things onto the basketball court and I found a small, metal cylinder with a keyhole in it. I thought it was interesting so I put it on my pocket for the time being. We began to settle down as the kids started to come out and this beautiful little boy caught my attention. As I walked over, I noticed that he was holding a lock, and we soon found out that the piece I picked up earlier actually turned out to be the key to his lock! You can say it was destiny, but I'm going to say it was God's wonderful will. Antoine and I instantly connected (also literally, thanks to the lock) and before long, he found his way onto my back and had made me his handsome horsey. The next couple hours became a brilliant blur and although at times I had to leave Antoine so that the other kids could have a chance to play with me, we always ended up looking for each other when we had the chance and we always found our way back to one another. I still remember that whenever I came back, he'd point his tiny finger up at me and exclaim "I looking for you!" I noticed that Antoine wasn't like the other kids--others were very aggressive and forceful, but God helped me teach Antoine about sharing and selflessness. Towards the end, this little ball of energy somehow got tired, and he sat down in my lap as we rested in the tent. Antoine fell asleep cuddled up next to my chest, and as I looked at this sleeping beauty, I began to think about how much I adore him, care about him, love him. And this was when God said, "Kevin, this is how I look at you." I started to tear up a bit as I was able to learn a little more about God's wonderful love. 
He used Antoine as a reminder to me about the unconditional love that He has for all of us, and allowed me to better understand what his love and compassion for us means. And as a missions team, we are called to mirror this love. I'm confident this isn't the end to this story, and I don't even know if I'll even see Antoine again, but what I do know is that I'm not the writer of this story--God is, and I'm just a character called to plant a seed in little Antoine that God is going to grow. Please add this little boy to your prayers! :)

God is the best,
Kevin Mo