“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.” Mark 10:13-16 

I have been blessed to be able to visit Project Canaan twice thus far- once in July 2023 and again in July of this year. Before visiting Project Canaan, I assumed that all the kids there would be similar to those I had previously encountered in America. They would probably be precious and full of life, making it impossible not to love them. However, in terms of faith, they would be at the age where they only know how to repeat what they have been told and would not be able to think critically or apply faith to everyday life.  

What I have seen on both trips has absolutely blown me away! Not only do these kids understand their faith, but they also apply it more than anyone I know. Their faith is evident in their joy, love for one another, and their trust that no matter the situation, God will work it out for good. When you first step onto the children’s campus, you are surrounded by endless amounts of  love. It’s hard not to feel welcome when every child wants to hold your hand, play with you, or simply have a conversation with you. These kids truly know how to make you feel special. But what shocked me the most was how every kid I met was ready to love others selflessly, even when it wasn’t convenient for them.  

On one of the last days of our trip this year, we had the privilege of traveling to watch the Project Canaan Academy U11 girls netball team and boys soccer team play in the national tournaments for their sports. Aside from getting to enjoy watching highly skilled kids excel at something they are passionate about (I have never seen varsity soccer play as well as our U11 team did), what I loved most was watching the way the PCA kids looked out for each other and the people around them. 

It was truly inspiring to watch these young kids show the love of Christ to everyone they encountered. When the kids on the opposing teams would fall, the PCA kids would rush over to help them up. When kids on the other teams were a little too aggressive, our kids would just keep playing with a smile on their faces. Project Canaan Academy advanced to the championship game in the soccer tournament, and we got to watch as PCA competed for the gold.  

About halfway through the game, one of our boys, Christian, sprained his ankle. It was difficult to watch such a sweet kid cry as he realized he could not play the rest of the game. However, he cheered for and encouraged his team, supporting them through the rest of the game.  

After the tournament ended, the kids were asked to clean up any trash they could find. We were all confused when Christian got up and started limping away. When we asked where he was going, he simply said “I am going to help pick up trash”. Although it may seem small, the fact that he put his pain aside to help others when that was not expected of him absolutely blew me out of the water! This kid was dealing with physical pain, the disappointment of not getting to play, and the sadness that his team did not win first place, and yet he still put his feelings aside to help others. If that does not exemplify the love and selflessness Jesus encourages us to have, I don’t know what does! And that is just one of the many stories of the way these kids at Project Canaan reflect Christ in their everyday lives.  

I truly believe Project Canaan is a little pocket of Heaven on Earth because of these kids. Their faith has inspired me to dive deeper into how to love like Jesus. I can only hope that one day, I will have as strong a faith as these kids do. They are truly changing the world!!!

McKinley Lucenay, Heart for Africa Trip Volunteer

Learn more about our Experience Eswatini Trips at the links below!