“God not only sees the least of these,” Kristen Welch says, “he delights in them.” In this article from our Preferential Treatment series, Welch shares how serving others opened her eyes to the kingdom of heaven on earth. In service, Welch found Jesus in an unlikely place.

The twenty-mile trip took us two hours in our packed cargo van, but that’s normal in Kenya. Broken roads are hard to navigate. Our family was on our annual trip to Africa, visiting and working at the maternity homes we helped begin in 2010 through our non-profit, Mercy House.

This trip was another first: we were taking some of the teen moms we’d plucked out of horrific conditions back into the slum to serve for the day.

As we traveled across the city to a home for disabled children, I tried to prepare my kids for what we were about to experience. “I’m really proud of you,” I said, as they avoided my eyes. “This isn’t going to be easy.” I knew we were about to service the outcasts of the city.

The Least of These

When we pulled into the brick compound, I took a deep breath. The smell of feces and urine was palpable. Children were already peeking out of doors and making their way to our van—some limping, some moving their wheelchairs with their feet, a few crawling, dragging their twisted legs behind them. Handicapped children are often the castaways among the poor, and although the conditions weren’t good, the work being done by the staff was noted.

Earlier I told the residents of the maternity home, “Love these children well. Don’t let fear hold you back. “ I was speaking to myself too, felt the words roll over the lump in my throat.

I reminded myself God not only sees the least of these, he delights in them.

The Kingdom of Heaven Here

I’m not going to lie: it was hard. Physically, my body responded to the smells before my eyes knew the source. My senses were overwhelmed, my throat closed. I pushed away my fear and tried to be the hands of Jesus. I forced myself to physically touch those who longed to be touched. I looked around for my children and husband, wondering how they were doing in this new environment.

I was amazed at what I saw.

One of my kids was holding hands with a child who had no legs; another one was spooning rice into a drooling child’s open mouth. My husband was deep in conversation with a disfigured teen. My family didn’t flinch when the air was filled with loud screams and moans. They accepted these children of God without question. They hugged and served and taught me so much as they pressed into this hard place.

For the first thirty-five years of my life, I was guilty of mostly serving myself, but God used the poor to wreck my life and redeem my purpose, and Mercy House was born from that place of brokenness. But that day, I saw the kingdom of heaven on earth in the indistinguishable sounds and smells of suffering when it met the beauty of child-like faith. I saw Jesus, and it made me see others more clearly.

Finding Jesus in the Unlikely Places

As we said our goodbyes to the children, I couldn’t help but think of the time Jesus admonished the religious adults who didn’t think children mattered by saying in Matthew 19:14, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

By the time we got back on the road home, it wasn’t the only thing broken. Sometimes we find Jesus in the most unlikely places. And when we see Him, we often see ourselves and others in a whole new way.