Triumphant!

"These children are not orphans"

By: Le’Jon April Payne

I can not begin to imagine what life would have been like, growing up in a world as complicated as the one we live in, without my mother or father. Who would I have become? I imagine that I would have spent the majority of my time wondering who my parents were, where they were, and questioning “who am I?”. I can only imagine that I would have questioned my destiny, my purpose, and my value. I would most assuredly have wondered about who I was, my identity, and what would I have to contribute to society.

A lot of people find their identity in their family. The tragedy of not having parents and feeling like you don’t have a place in this world, is why I love Kenya, it is why I love Jeho and I why I will continue my commitment to serving children around the globe. The children at Jeho are amazing. They don’t have parents, but they are extremely resilient. The directors at the orphanage in Jeho see the value in these children who some might say have been “thrown away.” How can someone who has been thrown away find their way? It’s amazing how the Necessary Arts program has the unique privilege of entering the lives of these unreachable children and sharing moments in their lives. The Necessary Arts team goes to impart knowledge into these beautiful faces and warm smiling children, but in return, we receive the gift of life and inspiration from them. These bright eyes and beautiful smiles, laugh, act, sing and dance, with us, as if they have not a care in the world. They live in conditions that most Americans have no idea exist, but yet they are more triumphant than a group of children living in a privileged society.

My most powerful moment teaching a group of students the poem “Our Deepest Fear” by Marianne Williamson. As they recited the poem together their eyes became wide, I could immediately tell that this was not just another drama piece for them, but it was motivation. As we all recited the line “We are all meant to shine…” one 12 year old girl screamed “YES!” She was deeply moved by the words of the author and she began to see herself shining in the text. The director of the center came over and sat down with the group and he began to memorize the poem as well. He said, “This is powerful.” I soon realized that the poem was a reflection of what he believed would help these children overcome. He spoke about how he believes there are no mistakes and how you can use your worse circumstance to become triumphant.

Triumphant! We went on to practice our poem and prepare for our play “The Grasshopper and The Ant” By: Pat Lay Wilson. The students continued to enjoy themselves and then they shared songs and dances from their culture. One of the songs they choose to sing was about shining. It was wonderful to see their lights shining brightly in that dark room. We danced around the room in a circle of love before we left. As we were leaving we were given many hugs and most importantly told, “you are family.” We were family to children who did not have a biological family. We had a place in their home and in their hearts. I believe the mission and the goals of the Necessary Arts team were accomplished today and that we had the unique privilege of participating in another triumphant moment, in the lives of those who had been thrown away, but still, had a unique identity, purpose, and passion.