TWO BABIES
In 1994,
two Americans answered an invitation from
the
Russian Department of Education to teach morals
and
ethics (based on biblical principles) in the public
schools.
They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses,
the
fire and police departments and a large orphanage.
About
100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused,
and
left in the care of a government run program were in
the
orphanage. They related the following story in their
own
words:
It was
nearing the holiday season, 1994, time for our orphans
to hear,
for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas.
We told
them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem.
Finding
no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the
baby
Jesus was born and placed in a manger.
Throughout
the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in
amazement
as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their
stools,
trying to grasp every word. Completing the story, we gave
the
children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child
was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins
I had
brought with me. (No colored paper was available in the city.)
Following
instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully
laid
strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel,
cut
from a worn out nightgown an American lady was throwing away
as she
left Russia, were used for the baby's blanket.
A doll
like baby was cut from tan felt we had brought from the
United
States. The orphans were busy assembling their manger as
I walked
among them to see if they needed any help.
All went
well until I got to one table where little Misha sat, he
looked
to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As
I looked
at the little boy's manger, I was startled to see not one,
but
two babies in the manger.
Quickly,
I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were
two
babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and
looking
at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat
the
story very seriously.
For such
a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story
once,
he related the happenings accurately, until he came to the
part
where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger.
Then
Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending to the
story
as he said, "And when Maria laid the baby in the manger,
Jesus
looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told
him
I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don't have any place
to stay.
Then
Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't,
because
I didn't have a gift to give him like everybody else did.
I wanted
to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had
that
maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm,
that would be a good gift. So I asked Jesus, "If I keep you warm, will
that be a good enough gift?" And Jesus told me, "If you keep me warm, that
will be the best gift anybody ever gave me."
"So
I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could
stay with him for always."
As little
Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears
that
splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face,
his
head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed
and
sobbed.
The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him - FOR ALWAYS.
I've
learned that it's not what you have in your life, but WHO you
have
in your life that counts.
~~~ author is unknown to me, if you know please let me know ~~~
