How do you hold a child with no pants . . . ?

In America this is not a question that you would normally have to ask yourself. In Haiti this is not the case. While here I have seen children walking the streets naked and hungry.

One day a mother asked me to hold her young boy. This boy was beautiful and not much younger than my own son. He had a similarly awesome smile but he also was naked from the waist down. As I surveyed the situation I wondered what it must feel like to be a mother or a father and not be able to give your children clothes or food.

The amount of pain that entered my heart at that moment is indescribable. In a split second, as the mother reached me her son, I was broken, looking at a mother who just wanted her son to see that others loved him and wanted to hold him.

Before I answer the question let me tell you some other characteristics about Haitian children. For all the things that Haitian children do not have; like clothes and food, what they do have are big smiles, unconditional joy towards others and a need for affection. So I will ask the question again, how do you hold a child with no pants?

You pick them up and hold as tight as possible letting the love of God take over. You love on them so they know there is hope in this world through the sacrificial love of Jesus. Jesus said “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is the least among you all – he is the greatest.” (Luke 9:48) We were all made to hold children with no pants.