A Precious Cry for Love
Christa Marquardt

I hardly knew what I was doing as I scratched my name down on a piece of paper. Tutoring kids from the Chicago slums sounded intriguing, but honestly, I had no idea if this little escapade would fit into my schedule. I knew that I wanted more information and that writing my name down was no official commitment…so I did. About two weeks later I found myself in a car with four other people, heading to a training meeting for Kid’s Club.

 It was at the training meeting that I started to get an idea of what I was actually going to be doing. While Kid’s Club does aim to help kids who are struggling with their education, my job as a volunteer is to give them that genuine friendship they crave—to be that big sister they may never have, and in the process shower them in Christ’s love. Just learning about the kids’ needs and how God might be giving me the opportunity to impact their lives made me leave that meeting absolutely psyched. Yet while I had a wonderful time that day getting to know my team and a little about my volunteer job, the real experience came the next Thursday during my first interaction with the kids.

Every time I think about the experience I had that Thursday, I still get the same feeling that swept through me when it happened. I was assigned, with two other adults, to help teach a group of about twenty first graders. It was very much like a classroom setting where there was one main teacher who would lead the class in the activities, and then the other volunteer and I would float around to the different tables trying to keep the kids engaged and behaving.

We first went over a Bible verse, then the kids learned a little about the U.S. flag and colored a team flag. It didn’t involve a ton, but I guess it was the kind word, loving smile, or gentle touch that they responded to because within an hour I had about six kids wanting to sit in my lap or hold my hand or braid my hair or give me a hug. It was adorable.

But it was during the elective classes that I wasimpacted. A little girl named Jada was sitting in my lap, and she whispered something to a friend sitting next to her. She wanted her friend to tell me what she had said, but the little girl hadn’t heard the sentence. So I just asked Jada to tell me what she had told her friend. That’s when I heard the most precious thing! “I said, ‘Christa is my mom.’”

When I heard that, I had the most confusing emotion seep into me. I didn’t know if I wanted to cry, laugh, take her home with me, or stay there forever. I was so happy, yet so sad. It shocked me that this girl, who had only known me for an hour and a half, thought of me as her mom. Can anything cry out the need of love more than that? Things continued to go on around me, but I couldn’t help being stuck in the moment, marveling at how God had used me after only an hour and a half to touch this girl’s heart.

This story is really not about me, although it may appear so at first. It is about God, and how He is answering the most precious cries for love from the children He cares so much about. There are so many needy children in this world who want a sincere relationship, and I would passionately encourage everyone who has the opportunity, to reach out to children in need, even if you don’t think your attempts will make a difference. You never know how God will use you and your efforts to satisfy those precious cries for love.