Conversations with Children

I have always been intrigued with how children learn and their view of people and the world around them.  A lot has changed in Haiti since I first started coming in 2001.  One of the local villages has tripled in size since the devastating earthquake in 2010.  Saturday we spent a couple hours worshiping, learning, and feeding un-churched children.  There is a program that has about 50 or so young children that come each Saturday to learn about God because they don't typically attend the local churches.  They sat so attentively for two hours singing and hearing the Gospel.  Afterwords, I was privileged to get to play around with a few of the kids.  To one of them I said, "I feel like you probably get into a lot of mischief."  He agreed that he does and so I asked another little boy if he did too.  He replied with "I do, but not as much as him.  He causes a lot of mischief."  I laughed and went on to ask which of the kids standing around me did not cause mischief.  What the young man told me next was the most honest response I have ever gotten from a child.

He looked at me perplexed and responded with, "All of cause mischief.  Everyone in this zone.  We all sin, but we pray for forgiveness and try not to do it again."  I was blown away and asked how old he was.  He told me he was 9.  I told him he was a smart boy and I asked who around us didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus.  He pointed at the other young boy and said "Him, he causes a lot of mischief and is not a Christian."  He went on to tell me the other little boy was "a child of Satan."  Though a lot of what he said was an honest reflection of what he knew, I wanted this other little boy to know the love of God.  We kept talking and the other little boy became pretty shy.  I asked my open and honest friend what he wanted to be when he got older and he told me he wanted to be a pastor.  I also found out that no one in his home attends church and he just walks to church with his friends.  He was such a sweet and loving little guy and I pray as he continues to grow up, he continues to have that boldness and honesty.  I love conversations with children!