While witnessing heartbreaking poverty, Zambia Passporter Mikayla Sauerbrey saw a little girl named Precious redefine everything she knew about sharing selflessly with others.
I learned so much from my time in Zambia, but perhaps the greatest thing I learned was the power of generosity. And it just so happened that my teachers were two little girls, Precious and Judy.
Both girls were full of sass and laughter, but behind their giggles and tough girl facades, I sensed brokenness.
In their beautiful faces I saw hurt, desperation for love, and sky-high walls. I saw it because I’m still trying to take down the walls I built when I was their age.
But I saw something else there too- true generosity.
A few days ago, I saw something unexpected, a glimpse of their relationship I had not seen before.
We were walking to a nearby river on this skinny dirt path lined with rocks, broken glass, sharp weeds, and creepy-crawling bugs. Precious had on a pair of worn out flip flops, but Judy was barefoot.
My heart ached for Judy as I watched her dodge these obstacles in her path to avoid hurting her feet.
But then these two best friends exchanged quiet mumbling, and before my eyes I saw true generosity: Precious gave one of her shoes to Judy.
For the rest of our walk, they each wore one shoe in order to avoid the rockiness lining the edges of the footpath.
Because I only know about a total of five words in Nyanja (their language), I have no clue who brought up the idea of sharing shoes. But whether it was Precious or Judy, Precious did not hesitate to help her friend.
In a situation where she had every right to be selfish, Precious gave up some of her own comfort so that her friend could have some too.
I see generosity often here in Zambia: children who are clearly malnourished share their snacks without hesitation, families share responsibilities, older children share their futbol (soccer ball) with the younger.
Even when they have so little, they all give so much.
Precious taught me the true meaning of generosity that day. I’ll never forget her example of loving her best friend despite the discomfort of giving away her shoe, of choosing to walk with one bare foot on rocks, glass, and thorns when she didn’t have to.
I hope the next time I have a chance to love a person in need, I’ll remember Precious and follow her example.
What would you have done in the same situation? Has Precious’ story encouraged you to see others’ need differently?
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