On the 4th Day of Christmas Past…
Question: What experience “transcended everything else we would do for Christmas” in today’s story? Is there someone who has given up you could visit?
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The Least of These My Children
by Elder Loren C. Dunn
It will be a long time before we forget the Christmas we spent in the Philippines. Four of our five children were able to join us there for the holidays.
Christmas in the Philippines is a festive occasion. The Philippines has not lost the sacred side of Christmas, and the celebration is filled with the Christ child as well as other festivities. There is no Thanksgiving to mark the approach of Christmas, so decorations appear early. The snow is missing, but everything else is there, and the spirit of Christmas in the people and the decorations cannot be missed.
On Christmas Eve Day we made our way as a family to a nearby orphanage that was run by an order of Catholic nuns. We brought with us homemade cookies, but mostly we wanted to spend time with the children. Children are usually brought there by a single parent and can stay for up to six months while the parent – usually the mother – looks for work and tries to get their life back in order. The mothers visit from time to time, but some children are abandoned and are put up for adoption. No country is more family oriented than the Philippines. Family and extended family are the heart of Philippine life, so the mothers who bring their children to the orphanage are in the most difficult of circumstances. Most of the children do not understand any of this, and they are torn by seeing the only person they love come and go. For some children there are no visits at all.
We arrived in the afternoon as nap time was ending. The children’s beds were in three large rooms – one for the babies, one for the boys up to age 6, and one for the girls up to age 6. Each child had a bed much like a crib but larger. It would be impossible to keep the mattresses clean so the beds had tight fabric stretched onto the frames.
I must confess that as we went into the babies’ room, I looked around for a baby who did not look too ill. My sons and daughters, however, three of whom had served missions, went immediately to the children who looked the worst and picked them up and held them. These children were the ones who probably received the least attention normally. We were all gradually caught up in the innocence of little babies and the similarity to the Christ child and the manger. Here were children who needed us.
The little boys up to age six were in the 2nd room. They were still in their beds when we arrived, and although none were asleep, there was not a sound. Some 20 or 30 sets of beautiful brown eyes were trained on us.
My eldest son went to the first crib and said, “My name’s Kevin,” and reached down to pick the boy up. In minutes pandemonium broke loose. Children who had just finished their naps poured out onto the floor, and we all had more than we could hold. I had one in my arms and two were holding onto my legs.
As it came time to go, the child in my arms pointed to places in the room, and we would go there. It soon became apparent that he did not want me to put him down. Each time I tried, he would hold onto me with his legs until I almost had to tear him away. At that moment I wished I could take him home. In his eyes was the look of abandonment. We would try to come back and visit again.
There was another little boy I will not soon forget. He never got out of his bed and would not let anyone pick him up. His eyes were dull and unfocused with the look of someone who was confused and had given up – such young eyes to be filled with such sorrow. My son Alex took his hat off and put it on the boy’s head, but there was no response.
As we headed for the next room, we were joined by the Sister who ran the home. She apologized for not meeting us at the door and explained that she was busy arranging an adoption with an Australian couple. She took an immediate liking to my wife and held her hand and talked as we climbed the steps to the girls’ room. There were no religious barriers here – just people doing what they could to alleviate some of the suffering and misery in the world, the suffering of little children.
In the little girls’ room I met Pauline. She was probably 6 and was a little taller than the other girls. She stood looking out the window and would not look at us. Pauline was waiting for the mother who had brought her there. It was hard to know whether the wait was in vain.
I spoke to her, but she did not answer. I gently pulled her away from the window and picked her up. She held herself stiff, as if she did not want to be held. I walked around the room, talking about everything I could think of, but Pauline did not say a word. Finally I put her down and began to go, but she reached out and grabbed my hand and held on. Pauline and I had had a whole conversation, and she had not said a word.
We were all quiet as we walked down the winding driveway to the car. We had had an experience that transcended everything else we would do for Christmas that year. We talked about that experience in the days that followed. It was hard to know the fate of the children we visited. We learned anew that the Lord expects us to alleviate suffering and sorrow as best we can, just as He did while he was here.
The experience of seeing the lonely, and hurting children, and the opportunity to to help in a small way, transcended all that day. Something as small as a visit, a touch or a smile can give someone a spark of hope.
My missionary daughter told me one day… when you give a homeless person a water or your coins, ask them their name. Not often people do ask and it helps them to feel seen and their eyes brighten.
The experience of seeing children who needed love and attention transcended that day. It was a small gesture of visiting the orphanage but it was huge in the sight of these children. We can be the Lord’s hands.
We need to be the Lord’s hands here on earth to those who are hurting or suffering. Especially, to His little children.
I took my oldest granddaughter to the Philippines for a family event and Christmas back in 2006 as an early graduation gift. Seeing the poor people in a small town while driving Christmas Day broke our hearts. She then went on to go to Honduras after graduation to assist with providing water and assistance to a small orphanage. She saw poverty and then planned to find a way to ease it.
Our family visited a migrant farm before Christmas. We took a decorated tree & candy. We soon realized they needed more than a tree & candy. We took notes of the needs of not only the children but the mothers who were in flip flops in the middle of winter. We measured their feet & then for the next week we gathered up shoes for everyone & winter coats. When we arrived the kids were jumping up & down with the empty basket we had filled with candy. We felt bad as we were so focused on shoes & coats we forgot the candy. They were so thrilled to have warm coats & shoes that they soon forgot about the candy. It didn’t take toys & candy to make them happy in the end.
By going to see those suffering, they were able to feel more fully the love of Christ and see the light of Christ in each of them. It acted as a reminder the true reason for this season.
How very sad to see the children in those circumstances and be able to lend a hand and a smile, if only for a brief moment.
This story is a great example of the importance of human contact. A simple touch expresses love and concern that every human needs, at any time of year. These children received the Savior’s touch and love through this family…a small act, but invaluable for His “hopeless” little ones.
Elder Dunn and his family brought love to not only the children but the nuns at the orphanage. Both the children and the nuns had the opportunity to feel of the love of Christ that day. Sometimes we may not get the response we are hoping for when reaching out to someone, but neither did Christ, yet there were others that witnessed his acts of love and it changed their lives too.
What a beautiful story of the true meaning of what Christmas is about. We need to transcend year round not just at Christmas.
The Dunn family showed love to these children in need, by visiting and spending time with them. We can be more like the Savior anytime of the year as we serve others.
As we approach Christmas, we celebrate the birth of our Savior by reaching out to others. A smile, a gentle touch, a kind word. These simple actions can make such a difference to those who have lost hope. This Christmas, I will listen to and mourn with my elderly cousin that just lost his beloved wife. She lost consciousness while bathing, slipped under the water and quietly drowned.
So many people find Christmas a lonely time when they don’t have family near by. One thing I love to do is visit my mom’s assisted living center each week in December and play Christmas music after their lunch meal. The residents LOVE it and even though most cannot remember the words of the familiar carols, they still follow every note, and clap along. One woman caught my hand today afterwards and said, your music makes me happy right here (placing her hand on her heart). So sweet, and I am happy to give of my talent in this way.
This family took it upon themselves to visit the less fortunate children, who lived in an orphanage. The experience was eye-opening and has helped Elder Dunn and his family since then to understand that we are to lift those around us and go out of our way to do so. There have been those in my own neighborhood that need to be lifted up, as many are going through difficult times.
This story brought tears to my eyes. I believe that frequently Heavenly Father places us where we are needed. Our granddaughter Brinlie is serving in the Florida Jacksonville Mission, and is currently in Thomasville, GA teaching and loving three beautiful little girls who need to be loved, and need to learn about Jesus. The girls are very receptive to the lessons and activities presented to them daily. Brinlie loves these precious children. I have also fallen in love with them and wanted to do something special for Christmas. I was inspired as to what I should do. I know our Brinlie is representing Jesus Christ in bringing His love to them. I’m so grateful for this enlightening opportunity. I know I need to seek ways to share God’s love with His children, not just for Christmas, but everyday.
The experience that transcended everything else they would do for Christmas was visiting the children in the orphanage and helping to alleviate some of the heartache and feelings of abandonment of those children. I was reminded from this story that to be more like Christ we do need to “alleviate suffering and sorrow as best we can.”
This story is such a poignant reminder to “bear one another’s burdens and to mourn with those who mourn.” On my first Christmas in the mission field in Rome Italy in 1981, we, too, visited an orphanage and took gingerbread houses we had made. I’ll always remember how those Italian children craved love and affection.
What a beautiful but very difficult experience. So many people are in situations that seem unfair, impossible, and painful. I’m grateful for people with loving hearts that try their best to alleviate the suffering of others. This is true Christ-like love.
Giving unconditional love as Christ does is indeed the most transcendent experience of all, at Christmas time and all throughout the year!
I am so blessed. I was bandoned by my parents and then my grandparents. Today I am loved and wanted by my sweetheart husband. I’m so grateful that I was never abandoned by Jesus. I found him in my darkest hours.