Let the Children Come

Last week I had the privilege to stay in the village of Yanun in the North of the West Bank for a night.  I was helping cover for the Ecumenical Accompaniment team of the World Council of Churches while they were transitioning from one team to the next.  I have written about Yanun and EAPPI before here.

Instead of repeating myself, I would like to talk about the most significant part of this trip for me.  This was the first time I spent the night in Yanun, which meant I got to interact a lot more with the people than on the previous trip.  We visited the mayor, his mother and sisters, had dinner, and drank lots and lots of tea and coffee.  I was surprised that my level of Arabic allowed me to understand most of what people said, since most do not speak English very well.  The best part, however, was meeting the children.

In the evening, the girls came over and asked for coloring books.  The smiles lit up on their faces when we brought them out to use.  At night, all the children of the village came over and asked us to play games.  We probably spent two hours playing various outdoor games from tag to water balloons to soccer to dodgeball.

On the one hand, it was sad that we had to play in the small street area in front of our house, which is only about 15 feet wide, when the village is surrounded by rolling hills and open countryside.  This land, however, has been confiscated by the nearby settlement of Itamar and is constantly watched by a guards, making it unsafe for the children to play in.

Despite this heartbreaking situation, the smiles on the faces of these children was priceless.  I was amazed at how little it took to entertain them.  Coloring books, a few balls, and somebody willing to play with them brought them so much happiness.  In the US, most kids have so many toys, that they would bore of these things quickly.

During the most intense days of the UN statehood bid, I spent my time in a village where none of the difficulties in life will be affected by this political move.  In the face of such obstacles and hopelessness, I realized that it is true that if you have made a child smile, you have done something worthwhile.