In the mountains on the border of Swaziland and South Africa sits a little village full of lemon trees, guava trees, avocado trees, berry bushes, and brightly colored houses. This once-abandoned village is now home to nearly 30 orphaned children. The stories of where most of these children came from are graphic and terrible. Evil. A group of five year olds gang-raped a three year old in one of the squatter camps where some of the children are from. They are babies born from rapes, children born of prostitutes as young as 11-12. They are from abusive homes. They have been beaten, abandoned, and tortured. The places these children spent their first days, their first years, showed them the desperate evil in our world.

But to see their faces now! Their smiles and their joy! These are not the faces of children bound by the terrible, oppressive chains of sinister evil running rampant in their everyday lives. These are faces of children loved by the LORD. Children in whom He has worked profoundly and miraculously to save from the depths of despair and bring to a true place of LIGHT!!! They are healthy. They are learning. They are polite and respectful and full of the enjoyment of life. Jesus's power of healing and restoration is evident in a mighty way in the lives of these children.

Layla is 10. Her Swazi name is "Tuppsile," but she told me she likes "Layla" better. She is shorter than her 8 year old sisters. Covering her skin are what look like lots of small bubbles. I don't know what they were or how they were cause, but Layla simply described them as "hurts." Layla and I bonded.

After having the privilege of hearing Robyn, the incredible woman who began Abandoned Babies for Christ, or ABC Ministries, speak to us about how God gave her this vision and then helped her to accomplish it and make a tremendous difference in over 300 children's lives, my team went outside to explore and play with the 26 children now living in the two neighboring ABC houses. As soon as I saw Layla and said hi to her, she gave me a huge smile and grabbed my hand, immediately inviting me to hang out with her. Many of the children and my team were headed to see the horses, but Layla insisted that we go ask her mom for permission. Robyn said it was okay as long as we didn't walk too fast. See, Layla has a heart condition. She stated this to me very matter-of-factly several times.

On our journey to see the horses, we were distracted. First, by a pretty flower that Layla saw. She picked it for me, then held it for me when she saw that I couldn't hold her hand, her sister Kitsile's, and carry the flower at the same time. We had scarcely passed the flower when we discovered fallen avocados which we had to examine. Together we determined that we would leave the avos to gather on our way back home. Our next distraction came when Layla saw a guava tree. She very excitedly hurried to find a yellow one, which she ate. She promised to pick me one on the way back.

Once at the stable, Layla discovered a berry bush that was much more interesting to her than the horses. I think she only went to the stable to humor me. At the point we got there, some of her brothers and sisters were already heading up the mountain to the waterfall, so we soon joined them. On our way up, Layla got tired, so my teammate Matt carried her on his back. Then she wanted down. Then she decided she wanted to ride on his shoulders. No, his back. Shoulders. Back. Shoulders. Yeah, shoulders. She got on and promptly wanted off. Eventually we made it up the mountain to the incredible view of the Swazi and South African mountains. Layla played with her friends, her siblings. She came to hug and hang on me for a little bit, then went back to play with her friends.

On our way back home, Layla told me all about their guava, lemon, and avo trees. She explained making guava jam, and the best way to eat an avo: "It may be soft on the outside, then it is ripe. You open it, put it on bread, add salt, and it is nice."

I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She didn't know. I asked her what she wanted to do. "I want to cook for a lot of people that doesn't have food. I want to help them."

Oh yes, the redemptive power of Christ is at work in this young, smart, amazing little girl.

She totally charmed me with her simple understanding of life's joys and hardships. When we left, she and her friends had set off to pick more guavas. I wish I could have accepted her invitation to join them...

Lauren