Henna hands leave lasting reminder of Kids Klub encounter

On the first day of Kids Klub, a women with two children clinging to her outer coat and one in a stroller hurried down the sidewalk towards the registration table. I recognized the eight-year-old girl with her as one we had invited to Kids Klub at a bus stop. Now came her mother and her siblings!

I was thankful they had come. What I did not expect was which member of the family I would spend the most time with. While the children went to story, craft, singing and recreation time, their mother and I began to talk—slowly because her English was limited—and with many gestures.

Her family was from Yemen and were Muslim. When I asked her to write something in her language, she wrote “Mohammed” and “Allah” in Arabic. She then looked me in the eyes and said that is what she believed. We talked not only about religion and beliefs that day, but also about her culture, her life, and if she were happy.

The next day, she and the children came again, and she brought something to share with me from her culture. Henna is a beauty treatment, almost like a tattoo, used for weddings and special occasions in her country; she put it on my fingertips and the palm of my hand, saying it would last about two weeks.

We continued to talk and share about our lives and were beginning to build a friendship. Although her words were few, her eyes spoke of longing for something more in life.

Suddenly a man came through the door and said something to my new friend in a language I did not understand. She answered him, and I realized that he was her husband. He did not seem happy that she was there. She quickly gathered her children and her things, and her husband ushered them out of the building. We hugged goodbye. They did not come back the next day.

The henna on my fingertips has lasted far more than two weeks. I am thankful to have a reminder to pray for this woman who calls out to Allah. May she one day know the joy and freedom of knowing our Lord. The stain serves to remind me that when we stop and listen, we meet one who is precious and loved, and in need of the Savior.