Though she be but little, she is fierce. –Shakespeare
Meet Kechnara.
Kechnara is a student here at LIFE Academy. She just finished pre-k and will be entering kindergarten next fall. Kechnara has 4 siblings and she is second to youngest. If you were to see Kechanara as you walked around Neply, you would see her chasing her brothers or playing “church” with her sisters and neighbors. If I were to ask anyone who has been here to describe her, I would get responses like “adorable, cute, precious, beautiful, silly, etc.” She is your typical 4 year old- Play. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
But when I think of Kechnara, I not only think of the same words listed above, but I also think of the words ‘bold and brave.’
Kehanara stands at about 3’ and some inches. If she isn’t the smallest in her class, she comes in a close second. Although she has a small body, she has an enormous heart. Kechnara’s story is a little more unique than the majority of the children of Haiti. Kechnara attends a school (LIFE Academy) that integrates children with special needs into the general education classes. Every day, Kechanra sees, plays, and talks with children who are physically and mentally handicapped. That is what makes her unique. Kechanara goes to school with children whose culture deems them as “worthless” and “stupid.” Haitian culture has created an atmosphere in which anyone, kid or adult, who has a disability of any kind, physical or mental, does not deserve to go to school because they are “pointless” or possibly even “cursed.” Because Kechnara goes to LIFE Academy, her tiny little life is changing the views of others. Kechnaras tiny little body portrays the grandiosity of the love of Christ in her actions.
We have an adult in from Neply who we call Peter. Some people refer to him as Special Peter. Peter is in his 20’s and has hydrocephaly(swelling on the brain) as well as a few other undiagnosed mental disabilities. When you look at Peter, it is very evident he has special needs. His head is much larger than “normal.” He has a lazy eye. He has a plethora of teeth missing. He is ALWAYS dirty. His family loves him and has tried to take care of him but Peter is always on the go and refuses to stay in one village for longer than 24 hrs. One day you will see him in Neply, the next you will see him, 30 miles away, roaming the streets of Port au Prince.
Every day at 3 p.m. myLIFEspeaks has a feeding program for around 100 children from Neply who need a little nourishment and a lot of love. Kechnara is a part of that program. When all of their bellies are full, they head home. On a typical day, the children go straight home when they are finished, no stops.
On this particular day in February, I look outside after feeding program and see a mass crowd of children. Me being nosey, I go check it out. I expected to see a dance contest or maybe some kids in a “scuffle.” Instead, I see our special friend Peter sitting on a tire with the entire population of our feeding program gathered around. 95% of the children were staring at him, watching his every move while making sure he wasn’t getting to close to them. 4% of the children were poking him with sticks. That leaves 1%. That 1% was Kechnara. Instead of laughing at him, staring in fear, or poking him with a stick, Kechanara was Jesus to him. The 3’ and some inches little girl BOLDLY walked in front of her peers (the crowd gasped) over to Peter, put her hand on Peters shoulder and said “It’s ok. He is my friend.” WHAT A PERFECT REFLECTION OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST!!!! Yall. Kechnara gets it. She understands what God commands of her- “Love your neighbor as yourself” and “speak up for those who cannot speaks for themselves.” Learning about God and His Love and that it is for EVERYONE is what goes on at her school- LIFE Academy. God is using her little body to LOVE big.
