Storytelling is a gift

Storytelling is a masterful gift. I recently met a trip goer with an incredible talent to tell stories. She shared her talent with the kids at Marmalade one afternoon while telling the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. The kids sat transfixed by her facial expression and actions, while the translation floated to their ears. After she was done, we went upstairs to the cafeteria where some of the group had laid out pieces of fabric with colorful items to glue and attach to the fabric so the kids could create their own coat of many colors. It was so interesting to see how each child used color and design to make their ‘coat.’ Several of the kids invited their American friends into a creative collaboration, and some of the girls impressively turn their coats into dresses by gluing the sides together.

These two friends in the photo had spent some incredible time together over the time we had been present with the kids. There was a language barrier, but as God does with so many people who visit, the barrier melted away when these two friends were together. Love flowed freely both directions, as I kept seeing them look at each other then burst into giggles as they worked together on his piece of fabric.

We constantly try to put a definition on love. By our worldly definition of love, it doesn’t make sense that brothers would conspire together to kill a brother. By our worldly definition of love, it definitely doesn’t make sense that years later that brother would extend grace to his family and take care of them in a severe famine. By our worldly definition of love, we would make Jesus very small, when realistically…he is something bigger than our minds could understand. The love that flows from the kids in the villages and the love that flows so freely from visitors in such a short amount of time are unexplainable without pointing to the supernatural nature of God.